“Sports Medicine Acupuncture contains both Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Sports Medicine diagnostic techniques used to view the patient’s injury from each of these different perspectives. With both the professional and recreational athlete, the goal is to accurately assess the mechanism and severity of the patient’s musculoskeletal complaint. This is accomplished by using a combination of orthopedic special tests, range of motion, manual muscle testing, and palpation to identify the injured tissue. These techniques used to assess local stagnation are joined with TCM differential diagnosis, providing a paradigm of the athlete’s local injury and overall health (Qi, Blood, Yin, Yang, Shen). The objective of this combination is to address the athlete’s healing potential thereby strengthening the patient, and as a result, decrease injury rehabilitation time. Getting the athlete back to their desired activity, enhancing performance and preventing re-injury through treatment and education is the goal.” – Matt Callison, President – Sports Medicine Acupuncture Certification Program
In 2017, Jana Bricker, L.Ac., C.SMA completed the advanced one-year training in sports medicine acupuncture with the internationally renowned acupuncturist Matt Callison to become one of just over one hundred acupuncturists worldwide to earn the distinction of being a Certified Sports Medicine Acupuncturist.
Sports medicine acupuncture utilizes specialized acupuncture treatment techniques to correct overactive or inhibited muscle fibers. These specialized techniques include motor point needling with the intention of “resetting” the affected muscle spindle fibers. This teaches the body to maintain balance between its opposing muscle groups, maintain the muscle’s strength and tone, and open the nervous system circuit to maintain optimal functioning and range of motion.
Sports acupuncture techniques can help a variety of pain and injury concerns. These techniques can be very beneficial for the following disorders:
- Acute Sprain/Strain
- Arthritis
- Athletic Enhancement
- Baker’s Cyst
- Bursitis
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Cervical Radiculopathy
- Coccygodynia
- Degenerative Disc/Joint Disease
- De Quervain’s Syndrome
- Facet Joint Syndrome
- Fibromyalgia
- Tension/Stress, Cluster, Sinus, Rebound, Migraine Headaches
- Herniated Discs
- IT Band Friction Syndrome
- Lateral Epicondylitis (Tennis elbow)
- Lumbar Radiculopathy (Sciatica)
- Medial Epicondylitis (Golfer’s elbow)
- Morton’s Neuroma
- Neuralgia
- Paresthesia
- Peripheral Neuropathy
- Piriformis Syndrome
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Post Laminectomy Syndrome
- Postural Imbalance
- SI Joint Pain / Dysfunction
- Surgery Rehabilitation
- Rehabilitation from Major Fractures, Hairline, and Stress Fractures
- Functional Scoliosis
- Shin Splints/ Tibial Stress Syndrome
- Shoulder Impingement/Frozen Shoulder
- Spinal Stenosis, Spondylosis
- Sprained Ligament(s)
- Strained Muscle(s)
- Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Pain
- Tendonitis/Tendonopathy
- Tenosynovitis
- Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
- Trigeminal Neuralgia
- Whiplash