NEUROFUNCTIONAL & SPORTS ACUPUNCTURE

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"Neurofunctional acupuncture interventions do not aim at eliminating pain directly. The goal is to promote self-regulation of nervous system activity, facilitating up- and down-regulation processes such as the production and repair of myelin sheaths, the synthesis of protein-based nerve membrane ion channels, and the secretion and metabolism of neuropeptides, which will result in the clinical improvement sought by the patient." ~Dr. Elorriaga

Neurofunctional Acupuncture has profound results for improving musculoskelatal problems and neurological disorders. This approach is so effective that the U.S. government has integrated it into the daily care of Marines, Sailors, and other Navy personnel in war zones, ships, aircraft carriers, and in U.S.-based medical facilities. The U.S. Military has used acupuncture as an alternative treatment since 1980. Today, the military uses neurofunctional acupuncture mainly to treat pain, musculoskeletal problems and stress-related disorders.

The Neurofunctional Acupuncture model provides techniques that stem from scientifically verifiable information and evidence, thus lending them enhanced credibility in the health-care market while providing patients with effective treatment.

Acupuncture is now used widely throughout the sports industry with many high profile athletes and teams receiving regular acupuncture to maintain function, reduce inflammation, increase circulation, decrease pain, and decrease healing time from injury. Chinese medicine has gained such popularity and has survived centuries because it works! Most athletes have one goal in mind: to get back to the activities they love as soon as possible, Chinese medicine can help make that possible. 

Acupuncture is used in the treatment of injuries and musculoskeletal and deeper constitutional imbalances, and is often effective for relieving muscle pain or spasm and improving circulation to tight or injured tissues. Acupuncture is especially effective for acute or chronic injuries which respond poorly to other types of treatment.

Maintaining balance in the body helps athletes to improve their performance. Chinese herbal medicine, liniments, soaks, plasters, diet, acupuncture, exercise and stretching are all ways to promote this balance and reach your body's optimal state of health. 

A Johns Hopkins study found that people with chronic tendinitis or arthritis who had 20-minute acupuncture sessions twice a week for 6 weeks had less pain and disability than the control group. Additionally, a 2008 study in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that participants who were jabbed for muscle soreness 24 and 48 hours after they exercised to exhaustion reported significantly less pain than people who didn't receive the treatment.