Sports Medicine Acupuncture

This beautiful, full-color acupuncture textbook contains foundational information on the integration of sports medicine and traditional Chinese medicine, along with detailed information on over 93 sports and orthopedic injuries. This groundbreaking text is packed with indispensable clinical information, including innovative advanced needle techniques, therapeutic exercise recommendations and herbal medicine treatments. Over 780 detailed drawings and photos help make the material more accessible to the reader.

The text is divided into three sections. Section I begins with a review of some of the basic principles of sports medicine and traditional Chinese medicine, particularly in reference to musculoskeletal health and injuries. The information is presented in such a way that blends the theories and ideas of traditional Chinese medicine and sports medicine. Detailed discussions on topics such as motor points, Hua Tuo points and their relationship to the neural reflex arc, and the role of the zang fu in musculoskeletal health help to illuminate how these two systems of medicine complement each other. The rest of Section I reviews the basics of different treatment options including: acupuncture, therapeutic exercise, internal and external herbal medicine, moxibustion and adjunctive modalities like kinesiological taping, cupping, bloodletting, and gua sha.

Section II presents the reader with numerous injury conditions involving the neck, shoulder and upper extremity, while Section III covers the low back, hip and lower extremity. Each injury contains a detailed description including typical mechanisms of injury, assessment and treatment suggestions, and a list of common TCM patterns that present in the localized area of the injury. A detailed prognosis that discusses the amount of treatment necessary and the timeframe for rehabilitation is presented at the end of each specific injury. The end of each injury chapter contains a section on rehabilitative exercise that includes proprioceptive, stretching, and strengthening exercises that are appropriate for different injuries. This text is the most comprehensive and thorough English-language text on the combination of traditional Chinese medicine and sports medicine. With its focus on clinical applications, much of the information within this book can be immediately utilized in the acupuncture clinic. It is essential reading for any acupuncturist who treats work related, sports and/or orthopedic conditions.