Acupuncture Techniques

Motor Point Acupuncture And Traditional Chinese Medicine:

At Scott Family Health we have an exceptional team of acupuncture practitioners who take a teamwork approach to help you understand your condition and efficiently treating you as a unique individual. Our acupuncture is different because we excel in treating not only pain but a wide variety of organ systems imbalances. Our acupuncturists are fully trained and licensed acupuncturists, not chiropractors. They are extensively trained in Traditional Chinese Medicine practices as well as more advanced techniques like motor point acupuncture.

Below are a few of the different acupuncture techniques that we use in our acupuncture clinic.

Moxa

Moxa is an herb that is used in Chinese Medicine in order to promote circulation, blood flow, and increase energy levels. Commonly known as mugwort, the herb is picked, dried, and ground up into a fluff. Sometimes a small amount of the herb is actually placed on top of the needles and burned. Although this may sound scary, most people only feel a slight warming sensation.

Cupping

Cupping is a method that falls under the umbrella of Chinese Medicine and is an effective means of increasing blood flow and circulation. Glass cups are applied to the skin and suctioned to create a vacuum effect. The cups are either left in place or moved over the body. Cupping is often used to promote circulation when treating pain, or in cases of bronchitis and coughing, can be done over the upper back.

Treating Spinal Disc Pain

Our acupuncturists are trained and experienced in treating a wide variety of spinal and disc disorders. Whether you’ve been diagnosed with an annular tear, a disc protrusion, or sciatica, acupuncture can help alleviate your pain and get you on the road to recovery. Our acupuncturists work together with our doctors in order to arrive at an accurate diagnosis and select the best treatment based on your individual needs.

What Is Motor Point Acupuncture?

Whether an injury is old or new, acute or chronic, or from daily life activities, motor point acupuncture therapy can help to restore muscle balance, so you can get back to doing what you love. When a muscle is sore or overstrained, there are often tight, palpable knots within it. These points can refer to other areas of the body and are called motor points. A motor point is a distinct spot that has the greatest concentration of nerve endings. It is at this precise spot where the nerves enter the belly of the muscle, and when stimulated, can elicit a muscular response. Once the acupuncture needle is inserted, the muscle will often twitch or fasciculate in response to the nerves firing. These techniques focus on proprioception, or the muscles’ awareness communicating to the central nervous system. Any injury can upset this communication and acupuncture to the motor point seems to “reset” the dysfunctional muscle. This system was developed by Matt Callison, L.Ac., and all of our acupuncturists have received extensive training with him.

What Does Motor Point Acupuncture Treat?

Motor point acupuncture greatly benefits a wide range of musculoskeletal issues. Some commonly treated conditions include:

• Low, mid, and upper back pain
• Hip Pain/Strain
• Pulled or Tight Hamstrings
• Achilles tendonitis
• Rotator cuff or shoulder girdle problems
• Neck pain
• Tennis elbow – Golfer’s elbow
• Knee problems

Who benefits from motor point acupuncture?

Anyone who is suffering from muscular tension, strain, or pain will benefit from motor point acupuncture. This style of acupuncture is exceptionally popular with athletes who are actively training for events or needing a quick recovery from an acute injury. Many Olympic athletes are now using motor point acupuncture in their training. In addition, it also serves as an excellent therapy for those individuals struggling with chronic overuse and repetitive motion injuries. Many professional sports teams rely on motor point acupuncture to keep their top players in shape and on the field. In fact, players from both the Colorado Eagles and the Colorado Ice use our acupuncturists to help keep them in top form both on and off-season.