Post-Surgery Recovery

Acupuncture is a valuable therapy for supporting recovery after surgery by addressing both the physiological and symptomatic aspects of healing. It reduces post-operative pain through activation of the body’s natural pain-control systems, including the release of endorphins and enkephalins. This provides effective pain relief while minimizing the need for medication. Acupuncture also enhances blood circulation to surgical areas, ensuring the delivery of oxygen and nutrients that fuel tissue repair and regeneration. By modulating the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, it lowers inflammation, which helps reduce swelling and discomfort at the surgical site. Acupuncture further accelerates recovery by promoting cell regeneration and optimizing collagen production, both of which are critical for wound healing and tissue remodeling. In addition, acupuncture supports immune function, helping to lower the risk of post-surgical infection. These combined effects make acupuncture a powerful complement to surgical recovery, enhancing the body’s natural healing processes and improving overall outcomes.

Post-Stroke Recovery

Acupuncture plays a meaningful role in stroke rehabilitation by easing muscle stiffness, improving mobility, and supporting brain repair. It reduces spasticity, or tight overactive muscles, by calming nerve activity and encouraging the release of endorphins, allowing muscles to relax and move more freely. It also increases blood flow to the brain, delivering oxygen and nutrients that promote neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to rewire and recover function after injury. By reducing inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, acupuncture decreases swelling and discomfort, supporting the healing environment. Beyond physical relief, acupuncture strengthens sensorimotor integration, improving the way the brain and body coordinate movement. This leads to better balance, coordination, and functional independence. When combined with conventional rehabilitation, acupuncture accelerates progress, making recovery more efficient and sustainable.

Post-Concussion Recovery

Acupuncture provides an effective, low-risk option for easing symptoms of post-concussion syndrome, including headaches, dizziness, fatigue, brain fog, and mood changes. While not a cure, it reduces discomfort through well-studied mechanisms. Headaches improve as acupuncture stimulates endorphin release and blocks pain signals in the nervous system, often reducing reliance on medications. Enhanced cerebral blood flow supports vestibular regulation, easing dizziness, while better perfusion to the prefrontal cortex helps clear cognitive fog. Acupuncture also balances serotonin and dopamine levels, supporting mood stability and mental clarity. Fatigue lessens as acupuncture regulates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, helping to lower excess cortisol. It calms limbic overactivity, reducing anxiety and stress, while decreasing neuroinflammation and oxidative stress linked to brain injury. Patients often experience improved sleep through increased melatonin and greater nervous system balance, allowing for deeper recovery. When integrated alongside rehabilitation therapies, acupuncture supports the body and brain in healing more effectively, helping patients recover with greater comfort and resilience.

Sports Performance Enhancement

Acupuncture is increasingly used by athletes to optimize both performance and recovery. By stimulating specific points, it enhances neuromuscular function, improving coordination, strength, and endurance. It also regulates the balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, allowing the body to transition smoothly from exertion to recovery. This helps repair muscles more quickly, reduces lactic acid accumulation, and supports faster recovery after training or competition. Improved blood flow delivers oxygen and nutrients to working muscles while clearing metabolic waste, reducing soreness and inflammation. Over time, this improves flexibility, joint mobility, and efficiency, lowering the risk of injury. As both a recovery tool and performance enhancer, acupuncture helps athletes push through plateaus, sustain high-level training, and achieve measurable improvements in strength, endurance, and resilience.

Back Injuries

Sudden (acute) and long-term (chronic) lower back pain, including muscle strains, sprains, and joint issues such as facet joint and sacroiliac (SI) joint pain. Conditions like degenerative disc disease (spondylosis), herniated or bulging discs, and sciatica (nerve pain radiating down the leg) are also addressed. Additionally, we manage stenosis, the narrowing of spaces within the spine or nerve passages, which can lead to nerve compression and cause pain, numbness, or weakness. We also treat bone spurs (osteophytes) that contribute to stiffness and discomfort, as well as conditions like spondylolisthesis (vertebrae slipping out of place), mid-back pain, general thoracic spine discomfort, and more.

Head & Neck Injuries

Muscle spasms, joint problems, and injuries resulting from sudden movements (e.g., whiplash). Degenerative issues affecting the neck, like spondylosis, as well as conditions such as disc injuries and stenosis (narrowing of spaces within the neck or nerve passages) are also treated. We also address the formation of bone spurs in the cervical spine, which can lead to stiffness, pain, and reduced range of motion. Additional conditions include tension headaches, migraines, and facial nerve pain (e.g., trigeminal neuralgia). We also provide care for jaw issues (TMD), facial weakness and paralysis (Bell's palsy), recovery from strokes, lingering symptoms after a concussion, and more.

Shoulder Injuries

Frozen shoulder, rotator cuff issues, and general shoulder pain from overuse or injury, including impingement syndromes. Additionally, we address conditions such as labral tears, biceps tendon problems, and arthritis. Nerve compression syndromes like thoracic outlet syndrome and shoulder stiffness from limited rotation are also managed. Other common shoulder conditions we treat include bursitis, tendinopathy, AC joint dysfunction, and scapular dyskinesis, all with a focus on restoring function, reducing pain, and improving mobility.

Hip Injuries

Hip flexor and groin strains, hip joint pain, and arthritis. Additionally, we address femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), labral tears, gluteal tendon issues, bursitis, and deep gluteal conditions like piriformis syndrome, which can cause sciatica-like symptoms. Other common hip disorders we manage include hip instability, snapping hip syndrome, and nerve entrapments (e.g., lateral femoral cutaneous, femoral, obturator), all with a focus on restoring mobility, reducing pain, and improving overall function.

Thigh & Knee Injuries

Hamstring strains, runner’s knee (patellofemoral syndrome), jumper’s knee (patellar tendinopathy), IT band syndrome, meniscus injuries, and ligament tears (e.g., ACL, PCL, MCL, LCL). Degenerative changes in the knee joint, such as osteoarthritis, are also addressed. This condition involves the breakdown of cartilage, leading to pain, stiffness, swelling, and reduced range of motion. Symptoms of knee arthritis, including discomfort and limited mobility due to these degenerative changes, are managed with therapies aimed at improving function and alleviating pain. We also treat Baker’s cysts and fibular head misalignment.

Leg, Ankle, & Foot Injuries

Ankle sprains, shin splints, calf strains, and Achilles tendon issues. Other conditions treated include peroneal tendon problems, plantar fasciitis/fasciosis, posterior tibialis tendinopathy, Morton’s neuroma, stress fractures, tarsal tunnel syndrome, and arthritis in the foot and ankle. Additionally, we address heel spurs, sesamoiditis, cuboid syndrome, metatarsalgia, and other nerve entrapments that affect foot function and mobility.

Elbow & Forearm Injuries

Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis), golfer’s elbow (medial epicondylitis), ligament sprains, triceps tendon issues, and olecranon bursitis. Nerve compression problems, such as cubital tunnel syndrome, as well as arthritis in the elbow, are also managed.

Wrist, Hand, & Finger Injuries

Wrist tendinitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, and thumb tendon issues such as De Quervain’s tenosynovitis. Other conditions addressed include trigger finger, finger pulley injuries, TFCC tears in the wrist, arthritis in the wrist and hand, and CMC (carpometacarpal) joint pain, which can cause discomfort at the base of the thumb, often due to degenerative changes or osteoarthritis.