Category Archives: AOM Class Offerings

Acupuncture Orthopedics Essentials II: Physical Exam, Diagnosis, and Treatment Principles — Class Notes & E-book

This content is restricted to buyers of:

Acupuncture Orthopedics Essentials I: Fundamentals

has been added to your cart!

First time user? Your account will be automatically be created after purchase. Please note:

--Webinars require continuous attendance on the date(s) offered to receive PDAs/CEUs. If you cannot attend, please consider a self-paced distance-learning version instead, if available, or another class that you will be able to attend.

--Ebooks are included with class purchase--please do not purchase both. When purchased separately, Ebooks are for informational purposes only--no PDAs/CEUs.

Questions? Please visit our FAQ page. Thank you for your purchase!

Check back for next live class date, or contact us to be notified by email

  • Integrating Eastern and Western understandings of injuries, pain and disability
    • From acute injury to chronic pain and disability: bi syndromes and the degenerative cascade
    • Challenges, standards and goals for treating injuries, pain and disability
    • Moving beyond passive symptom relief to active restoration of functional capacity
    • Resources for developing essential knowledge, skills and abilities
  • Pain psychology and neural hypersensitivity: recognizing and treating hidden mind-body pathomechanisms of chronic pain and disability
  • Optimal treatment of orthopedic tissues
    • Bones, joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments: selecting the most appropriate treatment modalities
  • Kinesiology and the jing-jin ("sinew channels" or myofascial tracts): understanding posture and motion disorders
  • The orthopedic interview: taking an effective history
    • Objectives, challenges, priorities, structure and flow
    • Key questions for assessing severity/urgency, and focusing physical exam
    • Essential inquiry for diagnosis and pattern recognition
    • Interview techniques to build patient rapport and a strong therapeutic alliance

Student Ratings and Comments

Respondents: 29 of 37 enrolled

Average rating: 98/100

"Excellent teacher"  --Anonymous

"Thank you. Instructor is outstanding."  --Anonymous

"Anthony is a gem! He is very clear and organized."  --Anonymous

"Good choice for a teacher."  --Anonymous

View full certification program and register for live and self-paced distance-learning classes.

Check back for next live class date, or contact us to be notified by email

Acupuncture Orthopedics Essentials, Techniques & Modalities

Dive into principles and practices of acupuncture orthopedics! Foundational classes provide knowledge and skills to treat a wide range of common and significant neuromusculoskeletal injuries, pain and disabilities. Students take home practical techniques and strategies, as well as theoretical understandings immediately applicable to orthopedic conditions generally. These classes prepare you to get the most out of the Spine and Extremities series, and the rest of the Certification program!

Acupuncture Orthopedics Essentials I: Fundamentals

(8 hours, pre-recorded webinar only)

  • Essential knowledge, skills and applications
  • Pain psychology and treatment of neural hypersensitivity
  • Optimal treatment of tendons, ligaments, muscles and joints
  • Posture and motion disorders: anatomical kinesiology & the jing-jin (“sinew meridians”)
  • The orthopedic interview--taking an effective history

Acupuncture Orthopedics Essentials II: Exam, Diagnosis, and Treatment Principles

(8 hours, both in-person & pre-recorded webinar)

  • Classical and modern observation, inspection and palpation techniques
  • Range of motion, joint play, and muscle length testing
  • Strength testing
  • Special orthopedic and neurologic exams
  • Orthopedic diagnosis, pattern recognition, and treatment planning

Acupuncture Orthopedics Essentials III: Myofascial Trigger Point and Joint Stabilization/Mobilization Needling

(8 hours, both in-person & pre-recorded webinar)

  • Myofascial trigger point needling for acupuncturists
  • The "missing link:" stabilizing and mobilizing joints with ligamentous prolo-acupuncture

Acupuncture Orthopedics Essentials IV: Electroacupuncture, Cupping, and Gua Sha

(8 hours, pre-recorded webinars only)

Acupuncture Orthopedics Essentials V (8 hours): Exercise Therapy for Acupuncturists

(8 hours, both in-person & pre-recorded webinar)

 

All classes available for Distance-learning/Self-study NCCAOM PDAs--CAB CEUs also available on request

Acupuncture Orthopedics Modalities — Classes & E-books

Want to expand your toolbox for treating orthopedic conditions? These short courses dive deep into particular modalities, their best roles and uses, and treatment protocols for specific body regions and conditions. For each modality, review:

  • History and exam findings that indicate the modality
  • Therapeutic mechanisms of action
  • Selection of tools and equipment
  • Standards of care: safety, contraindications, cautions, patient education and informed consent
  • Treatment protocols for specific body regions and conditions
  • Documentation and billing

Required for Certification in Integrative Acupuncture Orthopedics (included in "Essentials of Integrative Acupuncture Orthopedics):

Live class format: weekend lecture modules

Also available as Distance-learning/self-study classes.

Science of Pain and Acupuncture — Classes and E-books

Check back for next live class date, or contact us to be notified by email

Contact us to let us know of your interest in Distance-learning PDAs/CEUs

Contemporary scientific models of the mechanisms of pain, and how acupuncture treats it, can open up new understandings avenues for therapy. Knowing the language, paradigms and findings of clinically-applicable research facilitates communication with Western patients that can enhance trust and outcomes, and with medical providers that can lead to increased referrals.

Live class format: weekend lecture modules

Soon to be available as distance-learning/self-study courses

Required for Certification in Integrative Acupuncture Orthopedics:

  • Complex and Chronic Pain Conditions I: Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), aka Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy and Causalgia
    • Neural sensitization: linking mind-body pain
    • Etiology, pathology, and natural history of CRPS
    • Recognition and diagnosis of CRPS
    • Managing and treating CRPS
  • Complex and Chronic Pain Conditions II: Primary Headaches, Fibryomylagia, Myofascial, and Post-Traumatic Pain Syndromes
    • History-taking, physical exam, and differentiation of syndromes
    • Treatment with AOM modalities
    • Sleep, dietary, lifestyle and exercise interventions
    • Working with mal- and non-adaptive pain psychology and behaviors
  • Clinical Applications of AOM Research
    • Assessing research quality, validity and relevance
    • Scientific models of acupuncture mechanisms
    • Differentiating evidence-based from unsupported variables in acupuncture techniques
    • "Placebo effects" and the therapeutic alliance
    • Case reporting guidelines: how to take SOAP notes that are publication-ready

Treating the Jing-Jin (“Sinew Meridians/Myofascial Tracts”)

Classical acupuncture for orthopedic disorders begins with the Nei Jing Ling Shu's description of the jing-jin ("sinew meridians" or myofascial tracts).  Ancient methods of examining and treating the jing-jin complement the regional focus of the Spine and Extremities series by emphasizing longitudinal pathways of injury propagation, and of needle therapy.

Whether you use classical or modern approaches to orthopedic physical exam and acupuncture treatment, these classes expand well beyond simply needling ahshi (tender) points. Topics include:

  • Analysis of the classical jing-jin in terms of contemporary anatomy and kinesiology
  • Functions of the jing-jin to produce motion and maintain stability
  • Classical methods of examining & treating the jing-jin, and what modern exam and needle techniques can add
  • Review and over 25 (total 100+) myofascial tissues, needling locations and techniques, and muscle referred pain patterns along the jing-jin
  • In-person classes include hands-on supervised practice
  • Distance-learning classes include high-quality prerecorded webinar videos with close-ups of needling demonstration

Required for Certification in Acupuncture Orthopedics:

Spine & Extremities

The essential core of acupuncture orthopedics: common and significant neuro-musculoskeletal injuries, pain and disability of the spine and extremities. Focus on specific body regions, integrated with the longitudinal ("meridian") approach that distinguishes traditional acupuncture:

  • Orthopedic anatomy, kinesiology, and the jing-jin ("sinew meridians" or myofascial tracts)
  • Dysfunctional postural and movement patterns and psycho-emotional factors
  • History-taking & interview techniques specific to orthopedics, sports, work-related and chronic pain conditions
  • Orthopedic exam, including functional capacity evaluation
    • Observation, inspection, palpation
    • Range-of-motion: active and passive, including joint-play/end-feel testing
    • Muscle strength and length testing
    • Orthopedic and neurologic special tests
  • Pattern identification and orthopedic diagnosis
  • Treatment of specific tissues, injuries and conditions, with
    • Myofascial trigger point acupuncture
    • Joint stabilization and mobilization ("prolo-") acupuncture
    • Electroacupuncture
    • Neural prolo-acupuncture
    • 7-star, lancet, and 3-edged needling
    • Distant acupuncture
    • Myofascial gua sha
    • Tui na and other manual therapies
    • Advanced cupping methods for orthopedic conditions
    • Exercise therapy, postural and ergonomics re-training
    • Taping techniques
  • Algorithmic flow charts, sample documentation and reporting forms, and red flags for urgent/serious conditions round out the knowledge, skills and abilities to care for orthopedic conditions, from head to toe!

Format:

  • Five 2-day/16-hour lecture/demonstration classes covering history-taking, physical exam, assessment and treatment. In-person classes also include hands-on supervised practice. If taken as a live webinar or distance-learning class, the associated Review/Practicum lab must be taken twice to qualify for the Certification exam, to make up for the lack of hands-on supervised practice that is part of the in-person classes.
  • Five associated 1-day/8-hour Review/Practicum Labs

Required for Certification in Acupuncture Orthopedics:

*** Please note: completion of the associated 16-hour lecture/demonstration module is required to enroll in labs ***

Introduction to Acupuncture Orthopedics — Classes & E-books

Want to learn more about acupuncture orthopedics, but not sure where to start? Need foundational training in Western musculoskeletal anatomy and kinesiology, sports injuries, and pain management, as well as classical Eastern orthopedics? These classes are designed to help you:

  • Chart your course to building the knowledge, skills, and abilities you want and need
  • Learn immediately-applicable take-home techniques, tips and strategies for common complaints
  • Get started with advanced and specialized approaches that can make the difference with chronic and complex pain
  • Explore the purposes, power and value of orthopedic-specific and integrative history-taking and physical exam methods
  • Grow your abilities beyond "cook-book" protocols through understanding fundamental theories and practices of Integrative Acupuncture Orthopedics
  • Learn how to learn directly from your patients through taking baseline and re-evaluation measurements of functional capacity--free yourself from dependency on teachers and textbooks!
  • Prepare to get the most out of the Spine & Extremities and Jing-Jin series.

Required for Certification in Integrative Acupuncture Orthopedics:

Electives