LA Sports Acupuncture

And unlike the linear change embraced by most of mainstream medicine, it is not a one-way process of getting someone back to their “old self again.” Rather, it is a multi-dimensional ever-evolving movement of life towards greater states of wholeness and integrity. Transformation brings us to the fullness of our humanity and ultimately, to the discovery of the divinity that lies hidden at the core of our own being.” - Lorie Dechar

The human foot contains 26 bones (28 if you count the sesamoids), in fact 1/4 of the bones in the human body are in the feet. 👣💀👣 Between these bones are 33 joints. This means that there should be a lot of movement throughout the foot. If it wasn’t meant to move, there wouldn’t be a joint, it would just be one bone. 🤔 If you’ve got foot or ankle problems, or if you don’t want to have them, it’s in your interest to get proper movement in the foot and ankle. (at L.A. Sports Acupuncture)

Here’s a follow up to that awful ankle dislocation from @tonyfinaugolf . It looks pretty messed up. The way the injury looked when it happened combined with this level of swelling/bruising there’s a good chance this could have lasting effects. . The greatest predictor of injury in sport is previous injury. Ankle injuries tend to be particularly problematic as they are our support base. Proper rehab on this will be very important. . If you’re in LA, Mr. Finau, give me a call! (at L.A. Sports Acupuncture)

The major acupuncture points of the foot. 👣👣👣 Matches the anatomy pretty well, doesn’t it? 🤔 Yet there’s people who want to say that acupuncture is based on pseudoscientific mystic energy. 😤 Mind you, I do believe in mystic energy, I just also believe in anatomy and the evidence is clear that Traditional Chinese Medicine does, too. (at L.A. Sports Acupuncture)

Because it’s Foot Health Awareness month and The Masters. 👣⛳️👣🏌🏽‍♂️👣 @tonyfinaugolf got a little excited. Make sure you take good care of that ankle! 🤕 Thanks to @drkreiswirth for the post! (at L.A. Sports Acupuncture)

The movements of the foot. 👣👣👣 Since it’s Foot Health Awareness month, I thought it would be a good idea to share a little of the basics so we can have a conversation. 🤔 (at L.A. Sports Acupuncture)

April is Foot Health Awareness Month 👣👣👣 Take care of your feet and they’ll take care of you. (at L.A. Sports Acupuncture)

Because it’s opening day, everybody get Dodger tape today! (at L.A. Sports Acupuncture)

Cracking into a new book. Doing a little research between patients for a paper I’m writing. (at L.A. Sports Acupuncture)

The interstitium...or “ancient Chinese secret revealed” . The science guys have finally caught up to what Chinese medicine has said for 2000 years. . They’ve identified a “new organ” termed the interstitium, composed of interconnected, fluid-filled compartments supported by a meshwork of protein bundles which generate electrical currents as they bend with body movements...and may play a role in techniques like acupuncture. . They never saw it because they were always looking for fixed structures instead of the spaces in between. . And you want to call Chinese medicine “pseudoscience”? Well, you can just keep sucking my pseudoscience as you prove my medicine right time after time after time. (at Los Angeles, California)

Patient today with neck and shoulder pain. Her pattern is one I see all the time. She is a graphic designer and a cyclist, so work and play both involve being hunched over. 💻🚴‍♀️ This position makes the pectoralis minor (left pic) lock up, which essentially turns off the rhomboids and mid traps. 🤕 With everything in modern life - driving, working, texting, etc. reinforcing that pattern, these back muscles never get to activate and the brain sort of loses them off its map. 🗺 When I showed her how to do a basic row, she struggled to even find the right muscles. ❗️ But I released the tight stuff and got her to activate the right stuff, and the pain went away. (at L.A. Sports Acupuncture)

Knee pain case study. 📖 Patient herd a pop in his knee and has pain ever since for two weeks. Some other therapy helped some, but it still feels unstable and a little painful. 🤕 Testing with NeuroKinetic Therapy shows his popliteus muscle (yellow) isn’t firing right and to stabilize his knee, his body is using his tibialis posterior (red). 💡 You can see how the fiber orientation of both muscles runs in the same lateral to medial direction, and how the tib posterior emerges from just under the popliteus. 👀 Our bodies have an amazing capacity to compensate in order to stay safe and keep going, but sometimes we need help returning to normal movement once there’s no real danger any more. (at L.A. Sports Acupuncture)

The flatworm. What makes the flatworm significant from an evolutionary perspective is the development of a semi-rigid, longitudinal septum dividing its left and right halves. 🌗 This septum provides a strong anchor point for the muscles of lateral flexion, creating stronger movement in the frontal plane, which eventually paves the way for limbs to develop. 🦈🦎🐊🐁🕺🏽 This evolutionary development frontal plane septum is described in Chinese medicine by the “Microcosmic Orbit” or the Ren and Du Mai, the Conception and Governing Vessels along the ventral and dorsal midline. 🤯 Chinese medicine has understood this for literally thousands of years...and you want to call it “pseudoscience?” ☯️ (at L.A. Sports Acupuncture)

Got my level 3 NeuroKinetic Therapy certificate in the mail! NKT has had a profound influence on my acupuncture practice. The marriage of the two techniques is powerful stuff for resolving pain. (at L.A. Sports Acupuncture)

Happy Spring! Today is the Vernal Equinox. 🌷🌷🌷 Today we mark this as the beginning of Spring. There are an equal number of hours of daylight and night. 🌞🌚 Long ago, though, most cultures recognized it as the middle of spring, the season’s high-point. 🌈 Whatever your beliefs, get ready for more hours of daylight and a gradual warming until Summer. (at L.A. Sports Acupuncture)

LA Sports Acupuncture turned 3 today! (At least on Tumblr; LA Sports Acupuncture will be turning 12 this year in the real world.)

Tell me again how Chinese medicine is “pseudoscience.” . Te left image is Vladimir Janda’s “cone of postural stability” which shows the hips as center of balance over the ankles, which serve as a ground-reactive base of support, and the head which has the eyes and vestibular system of balance. . The two images to the right are the Qiao Mai, or the “Leg Vessels,” which we could alternately translate as the “Locomotor pathways.” . These pathways go from the ankles, to the hips, to the eyes and brain, and are involved with balance, locomotion, and sleep. . Chinese medicine has understood this system for literally thousands of years. (at L.A. Sports Acupuncture)