Don’t Take Our Word For It
The Best in Sports Medicine Acupuncture Education
In the field of sports medicine acupuncture education, the Sports Medicine Acupuncture Certification (SMAC) program is designed to provide the highest level of advanced training in the assessment and treatment of sports, work and orthopedic injuries.
The SMAC Program is comprised of four modules:
- MODULE I—The Spine
- MODULE II—The Low Back, Hip and Groin
- MODULE III—The Lower Extremity
- MODULE IV—The Neck, Shoulder and Upper Extremity
The SMAC Program is now being offered exclusively as a hybrid offering consisting of 10 recorded webinars and four live, in-person classes.
Below are detailed descriptions of each class in the HYBRID program. You have two program years to complete all required classes if you are pursuing the certification track, and do not need to start with any particular module or take modules in order. Participants also have the option to matriculate in SMAC Program classes at any time and to take individual courses either in-person or online. All live, in-person and recorded courses are NCCAOM and CAB CEU/PDA approved!
SMAC HYBRID PROGRAM LAYOUT
Module I: The Spine
Anatomy/Palpation/Cadaver (APC) Lab (ONLINE)
Postural Assessment and Corrective Exercise (PACE) I (ONLINE)
Assessment & Treatment of Injuries (ATI) (2-DAY IN-PERSON INTENSIVE)
Postural Assessment and Corrective Exercise (PACE) II (ONLINE)
Assessment & Treatment of Injuries (ATI) (IN PERSON INTENSIVE)
Assessment & Treatment of the Channel Sinews (ATS) (ONLINE)
Postural Assessment and Corrective Exercise (PACE) III (ONLINE)
Assessment & Treatment of Injuries (ATI) (IN PERSON INTENSIVE)
Assessment & Treatment of the Channel Sinews (ATS) (ONLINE)
Assessment & Treatment of Injuries (ATI) (IN PERSON INTENSIVE)
To apply live webinar classes or recordings towards your certification requirements, email a copy of your CEU certificate to acusportinfo@gmail.com.
THE SPINE
Anatomy, Palpation & Cadaver Lab (ONLINE LEARNING)
Instructors—Matt Callison, L.Ac., Brian Lau, AP, C.SMA
Course Overview
This 2-day anatomy and cadaver webinar is an amazing integration of sports medicine functional anatomy and TCM sinews (jingjin) channel theory. Each day of this workshop is divided into distinct morning and afternoon sessions. The morning session consists of didactic presentations on Functional Anatomy and Anatomy of the Sinew Channels that are integrated to focus on the functional relationship between neuromuscular anatomy and the myofascial jingjin tissues and their relationship to the spine. This information is followed by the afternoon session that consists of: 1) Assessment, 2) Motor Point Location and Protocols, 3) Cadaver Presentations.
Objectives
- Learn myofascial pathways that correlate with the spine and classical sinew channels of TCM and the tissues belonging to each sinew channel with their functional anatomy relationship.
- Learn in theory how to determine which my myofascial sinew channels need to be assessed and treated for musculoskeletal injury.
- Learn normal and abnormal movement patterns of the spine. Understand vertebral fixations and facilitated segments.
- The practitioner will learn nerve pathways, dermatomal distributions and muscle myotomes in relationship to channel topography.
- The practitioner will learn postural, functional and muscle imbalances that can lead to pain and dysfunction based on TCM theory.
Postural Assessment & Corrective Exercise (PACE) I—Exercise Prescription for the Acupuncturist (ONLINE LEARNING)
Instructor—Ian Armstrong, L.Ac., C.SMA
Assisted by—Matt Callison, L.Ac., Brian Lau L.Ac., C.SMA
“Organ imbalances perpetuate postural dysfunction and postural dysfunction creates organ imbalances.” | Matt Callison
In the groundbreaking series of PACE courses (PACE I, II and III), the practitioner will learn how to prescribe therapeutic exercises for postural imbalances that have directly contributed to the patient’s musculoskeletal injury. These courses will teach the acupuncturist important skills in prescribing specific exercises in the management of their patient’s health care.
- PACE I will present the fundamentals of postural assessment in both static and functional positions, which help to reveal abnormal movement patterns, muscle imbalances and postural distortions that have contributed to the patient’s zang fu pathology and/or musculoskeletal injury.
- The practitioner will learn to measure for pelvic disparities that have contributed to spinal bends and vertebral/sacral fixations. Reducing these functional spinal bends and vertebral/sacral fixations stimulates the nervous system, increases proprioception and decreases pain. In TCM, this can be viewed as increasing du mai qi circulation and ultimately benefiting circulation and neural communication to the entire channel systems.
- PACE I will also emphasize the importance of the relationship between postural alignment and the proper functioning of the thoracic and abdominal organs.
The practitioner will learn visual assessment skills that are then confirmed with palpation of the postural imbalances. - This Western anatomical view of postural assessment is taught through the lens of TCM sinew channel correspondences that helps the practitioner build a treatment protocol.
- The practitioner will learn to integrate acupuncture protocols with exercise prescription, including how to use intradermal needle point prescriptions on the Extraordinary Vessel master points to alleviate discomfort, increase proprioception and enhance clinical outcomes.
- These postural assessment exercise treatment techniques enhance the acupuncture and myofascial treatment protocols the SMA student has learned in previous classes. The combination of acupuncture, myofascial techniques and therapeutic exercises stands alone in clinical effectiveness for treating the patient and their injury.
Assessment and Treatment of Injury—Huatuojiaji Points: Vertebral Fixations and Facilitated Segments (LIVE, IN PERSON ONLY)
Instructor—Matt Callison, L.Ac.
The practitioner taking this 2-day course will learn how normal degenerative changes in the spine (spondylosis and a decline of the du mai qi) is a direct contributor to many musculoskeletal injuries and zang fu pathologies.- The practitioner will assess the signs, symptoms and ascertain the location of spondylosis and if a commonly found perpetuating factor, a vertebral fixation is contributing to pain and dysfunction.
- Chronic musculoskeletal injury and/or zang fu pathology can create the western concept of a facilitated segment. It is of great benefit for the acupuncturist to understand the segmental relationship with the spinal cord, the zang fu, and the myofascial tissues that can support health or be adversely affected by their inherent neural and channel interrelationships. Diagnosis and treatment of facilitated segments will greatly benefit the TCM practitioner for even the most difficult of musculoskeletal injuries and zang fu disharmonies.
- Participants will learn and practice specialized Huatuojiaji point needling techniques, in combination with Extraordinary Vessels, acupuncture and motor point prescriptions that will help to release vertebral fixations, restore spinal mobility and break the perpetuating cycle of a facilitated segment.
- The practitioner will learn common postural imbalances that can lead to the development of vertebral fixations and prescribe therapeutic exercises to reduce the spinal stress, adding movement to the fixated spinal region.
- Spinal mobilization techniques and specialized myofascial techniques that greatly enhance and solidify the effects of acupuncture treatment will be demonstrated and practiced.
- This workshop provides information that is integrated into subsequent assessment and treatment workshops in Modules II-IV.
THE LOW BACK, HIP & GROIN
Anatomy, Palpation & Cadaver Lab (ONLINE LEARNING)
Instructors—Matt Callison, L.Ac., Brian Lau, AP, C.SMA
Course Overview
This 2-day anatomy and cadaver webinar is an amazing integration of sports medicine functional anatomy and TCM sinews (jingjin) channel theory. Each day of this workshop is divided into distinct morning and afternoon sessions. The morning session consists of didactic presentations on Functional Anatomy and Anatomy of the Sinew Channels that are integrated to focus on the functional relationship between neuromuscular anatomy and the myofascial jingjin tissues and their relationship to the low back, hip and groin. This information is followed by the afternoon session that consists of: 1) Assessment, 2) Motor Point Location and Protocols, 3) Cadaver Presentations.
Objectives
- Learn myofascial pathways that correlate with the low back, hip and groin and the tissues belonging to each sinew channel with their functional anatomy relationship.
- Learn in theory how to determine which my myofascial sinew channels need to be assessed and treated for musculoskeletal injury.
- Learn normal and abnormal movement patterns of the lumbo-pelvic-hip complex.
- The practitioner will learn nerve pathways, dermatomal distributions, muscle myotomes, motor point locations in relationship to channel topography.
- The practitioner will learn postural, functional and muscle imbalances that can lead to pain and dysfunction based on TCM theory.
Assessment & Treatment of the Channel Sinews (Jingjin) (ONLINE LEARNING)
Instructors—Matt Callison, L.Ac., Brian Lau, AP, C.SMA
- This 2-day workshop highlights how the myofascial sinew channels organize efficient movement patterns and balance the major joint structures of the lumbo-pelvic-hip region. Focus is on understanding how imbalances in these channels can contribute to pain and injury.
- Practitioners will learn to accurately assess lumbo-pelvic-hip imbalances with functional movement examinations, orthopedic examinations and manual muscle testing. These assessments will be used to build treatment protocols using innovative acupuncture and myofascial release techniques to align the musculoskeletal system, decrease tension, reduce pain and enhance healing of the injured tissue.
- This class sets up the Assessment and Treatment of the Low Back, Hip and Groin Injuries (ATI) course, which teaches diagnosis of the exact location of the injured tissue and comprehensive acupuncture protocols for local, adjacent and distal treatments for musculoskeletal injury.
Postural Assessment & Corrective Exercise (PACE) II—Exercise Prescription for the Acupuncturist (ONLINE LEARNING)
Instructor—Ian Armstrong, L.Ac., C.SMA
Assisted by—Matt Callison, L.Ac., Brian Lau L.Ac., C.SMA
In this groundbreaking series of PACE courses, the practitioner will learn how to prescribe therapeutic exercises for postural imbalances that have directly contributed to the patient’s musculoskeletal injury. These courses will teach the acupuncturist important skills in prescribing specific exercises in the management of their patient’s health care.
- PACE II will present the fundamentals of postural assessment in both static and functional positions, which help to reveal abnormal movement patterns, muscle imbalances and postural distortions that have contributed to the patient’s acute or chronic musculoskeletal injury.
- The practitioner will learn to measure for pelvic, knee, ankle and foot disparities that have contributed to musculoskeletal pain and injury. Reducing these postural imbalances stimulates the nervous system, increases proprioception and decreases pain.
- The practitioner will learn visual assessment skills that are then confirmed with palpation of the postural imbalances.
- This Western anatomical view of postural assessment is taught through the lens of TCM sinew channel correspondences that helps the practitioner build a treatment protocol.
- The practitioner will learn to integrate acupuncture protocols with exercise prescription, including how to use intradermal needle point prescriptions on the Extraordinary Vessel master points to alleviate discomfort, increase proprioception and enhance clinical outcomes.
- These postural assessment exercise treatment techniques enhance the acupuncture and myofascial treatment protocols the SMA student has learned in previous classes. The combination of acupuncture, myofascial techniques and therapeutic exercises stands alone in clinical effectiveness for treating the patient and their injury.
Assessment and Treatment of Injury: Low Back, Hip and Groin (LIVE, IN PERSON ONLY)
Instructor—Matt Callison, L.Ac.
- The practitioner taking this 5-day live, in-person course will understand that injuries involving the lumbo-pelvic-hip complex must be observed as one complex and not separated in assessment or treatment. Balancing the relationship between the lumbar spine, the pelvis and the hip will not only help decrease pain in those regions but also affect most low back, hip and groin injuries.
- Many sport and work-related injuries will be discussed from assessment through treatment. We will examine the mechanical “how and why” injury occurs using postural examination, orthopedic physical examinations and manual muscle testing to assess the musculoskeletal system. Radiographs, MRI and ultrasound images will be presented and discussed.
- Referred pain is a common symptom that an acupuncturist will treat. The practitioner will learn to accurately differentiate radicular pain from referred pain and locate the fixed pain site that is causing the pain. With a correct diagnosis of the affected tissue, the practitioner can then accurately apply successful treatment protocols to the affected tissues and the channels and collaterals (jing luo jingjin) for long-lasting clinical results.
- Innovative treatment protocols will be introduced consisting of advanced needle techniques to the involved tissues.
The experience of this workshop will refine the practitioner’s assessment and treatment skills, expand their knowledge of needle techniques, and greatly enhance the success rate in treating low back, hip and groin injuries.
THE LOWER EXTREMITY
Anatomy, Palpation & Cadaver Lab (ONLINE LEARNING)
Instructors—Matt Callison, L.Ac., Brian Lau, AP, C.SMA
Course Overview
Each day of this webinar workshop is divided into distinct morning and afternoon sessions. The morning session consists of presentations on Functional Anatomy and Anatomy of the Sinew Channels. These lectures are integrated to focus on the functional relationship between neuromuscular anatomy and the myofascial jingjin tissues and their relationship to the lower extremity. This information is followed by the afternoon session that consists of: 1) Assessment Guidelines 2) Motor Point Location and Protocols, 3) Cadaver dissection presentation.
The information presented in this 2-day workshop will help the TCM practitioner to build a good foundation and to better understand the information presented in subsequent classes in this Module: Assessment and Treatment of the Channel Sinews and also Postural Assessment and Corrective Exercise (PACE) courses.
Objectives
- Learn lower extremity myofascial pathways that correlate with the classical sinew channels of TCM and the tissues belonging to each sinew channel with their functional anatomy relationship.
- Learn in theory how to determine which my myofascial sinew channels need to be assessed and treated for musculoskeletal injury.
- Learn normal and abnormal movement patterns of the lower extremity, ankle/foot complex and its relationship to the lumbo-pelvic-hip complex.
- The practitioner will learn nerve pathways, dermatomal distributions and muscle myotomes in relationship to channel topography.
- The practitioner will learn postural, functional and muscle imbalances that can lead to pain and dysfunction based on TCM theory.
Assessment & Treatment of the Channel Sinews (Jingjin) (ONLINE LEARNING)
Instructors—Brian Lau, AP, C.SMA, Matt Callison, L.Ac.
- This 2-day workshop highlights how the myofascial sinew channels organize efficient movement patterns and balance the major joint structures of the lower extremity and low back regions. Focus is on understanding how imbalances in these channels can contribute to pain and injury.
- Practitioners will learn to accurately assess lower extremity imbalances with functional movement examinations, orthopedic examinations and manual muscle testing. These assessments will be used to build treatment protocols using innovative acupuncture and myofascial release techniques to align the musculoskeletal system, decrease tension, reduce pain and enhance healing of the injured tissue.
- This class sets up the Assessment and Treatment of the Lower Extremity (ATI) course, which teaches diagnosis of the exact location of the injured tissue and teaches comprehensive acupuncture protocols for local, adjacent and distal treatments for musculoskeletal injury.
Postural Assessment & Corrective Exercise (PACE) III — Exercise Prescription for the Acupuncturist (ONLINE LEARNING)
Instructors—Ian Armstrong, L.Ac., C.SMA
Assisted by—Matt Callison, L.Ac., Brian Lau, AP, C.SMA
This course will teach the practitioner how to assess postural dysfunction and prescribe therapeutic exercises for postural, muscle and channel imbalances that have directly contributed to the patient’s musculoskeletal injury. This course will teach the acupuncturist important skills to prescribe specific exercises in the management of their patient’s health care.
- PACE III will build from what was taught in PACE I that focused on the spine and lumbo-pelvic-hip complex. PACE III discusses these structures’ relationship to the neck, shoulder, ribcage and upper extremity.
- The position of the neck, shoulder and ribcage is predicated on the postural balance of the lumbo-pelvic-hip complex. For this reason, a review of the assessment of lumbo-pelvic-hip imbalances and its connection to these structures will be discussed.
- The practitioner will learn to assess, through static and functional assessment techniques, the many postural disparities and associated muscle imbalances that can cause injury to these regions of the body.
- The practitioner will learn visual assessment skills that are then confirmed with palpation of the postural imbalances.
- Participants will learn how to effectively prescribe therapeutic exercises that will help balance ribcage, neck, shoulder and upper extremity imbalances such as posterior tilt of the ribcage, forward head, forward shoulder, cervical rotation and more. These postural disparities can lead to many potential injuries that an acupuncturist will see clinically.
- Exercising different body parts simultaneously in specific and coordinated motions activates the myofascial sinew channels so that form and function can align.
- The practitioner will learn to prescribe exercises for multiple postural imbalances that are contributing to their patient’s musculoskeletal pain.
- The practitioner will learn to integrate acupuncture protocols with exercise prescription, including how to use intradermal needle point prescriptions on the Extraordinary Vessel master points to alleviate discomfort, increase proprioception and enhance clinical outcomes.
- Therapeutic exercises complement and enhance the acupuncture and myofascial treatment protocols the SMA student has learned in previous classes. The combination of acupuncture, myofascial techniques and therapeutic exercises stand alone in clinical effectiveness for treating the patient and their injury.
Assessment and Treatment of Injury: The Lower Extremity (LIVE, IN PERSON ONLY)
Instructor—Matt Callison, L.Ac.
- This 5-day live, in-person intensive workshop combines the information presented from this Module into a comprehensive assessment and treatment protocol for sports and orthopedic injuries of the lower extremity.
- The practitioner taking this course will understand that many injuries involving the lower extremity are due to an imbalance in the lumbo-pelvic hip region as well as the ankle/foot complex. Balancing the relationship between these anatomical structures will greatly affect the outcome of treating lower extremity injuries.
- Many sport and work-related injuries will be discussed from assessment through treatment. We will examine the mechanical “how and why” injury occurs using postural examination, orthopedic physical evaluations and manual muscle testing to assess the musculoskeletal system. Radiographs, MRI and ultrasound images will be presented with evaluative medical reports to referring physicians.
- Referred pain in the lower extremity is a common symptom that an acupuncturist will treat. The practitioner will learn to accurately differentiate the primary tissue that is causing the referred pain. With a correct diagnosis of the affected tissue, the practitioner can then accurately apply successful treatment protocols to the affected channels and collaterals (jing luo) for long lasting results.
- Innovative treatment protocols will be introduced consisting of advanced needle techniques to the involved tissue, as well as reinforcing (bu fa) and reducing (xie fa) techniques to the motor and acupuncture points.
- The experience of this workshop will refine the acupuncturist’s assessment and treatment skills, expand their knowledge of needle techniques and greatly enhance the success rate in treating lower extremity injuries.
THE NECK, SHOULDER AND UPPER EXTREMITY
Anatomy, Palpation & Cadaver Lab (ONLINE LEARNING)
Instructors—Matt Callison, L.Ac., Brian Lau, AP, C.SMA
Course Overview
This 2-day anatomy and cadaver webinar is an amazing integration of sports medicine functional anatomy and TCM channel sinews (jingjin) channel theory. Each day of this workshop is divided into distinct morning and afternoon sessions. The morning session consists of didactic presentations on Functional Anatomy and Anatomy of the Sinew Channels that are integrated to focus on the functional relationship between neuromuscular anatomy and the myofascial jingjin tissues and their relationship to the neck, shoulder and upper extremity. This information is followed by the afternoon session that consists of: 1) Assessment, 2) Motor Point Location and Protocols, 3) Cadaver Presentations.
Objective
- Learn neck, shoulder and upper extremity myofascial pathways that correlate with the classical sinew channels of TCM and the tissues belonging to each sinew channel with their functional anatomy relationship.
- Learn in theory how to determine which my myofascial sinew channels need to be assessed and treated for musculoskeletal injury.
- Learn normal and abnormal movement patterns of the neck, shoulder and upper extremity and its relationship to the shoulder girdle.
- The practitioner will learn nerve pathways, dermatomal distributions and muscle myotomes in relationship to channel topography.
- The practitioner will learn postural, functional and muscle imbalances that can lead to pain and dysfunction based on TCM theory.
Assessment & Treatment of the Channel Sinews (Jingjin) (ONLINE LEARNING)
Instructors—Brian Lau, AP, C.SMA, Matt Callison, L.Ac.
- This 2-day workshop highlights how the myofascial sinew channels organize efficient movement patterns and balance the major joint structures of the neck, shoulder and upper extremity. Focus is on understanding how imbalances in these channels can contribute to pain and injury.
- Practitioners will learn to accurately assess these imbalances with functional movement examinations, orthopedic examinations and manual muscle testing. These assessments will be used to build treatment protocols using innovative acupuncture and myofascial release techniques to align the musculoskeletal system, decrease tension, reduce pain and enhance healing of the injured tissue.
- This class sets up the Assessment and Treatment of the Lower Extremity (ATI) course, which teaches diagnosis of the exact location of the injured tissue and teaches comprehensive acupuncture protocols for local, adjacent and distal treatments for musculoskeletal injury.
Assessment and Treatment of Injury: Neck, Shoulder & Upper Extremity (LIVE, IN PERSON ONLY)
Instructor—Matt Callison, L.Ac.
- This 5- day live, in-person intensive workshop combines the information presented from this Module into a comprehensive assessment and treatment protocol for sports and orthopedic injuries of the neck, shoulder and upper extremity.
- The practitioner taking this sports medicine acupuncture course will understand that many injuries involving the neck, shoulder and upper extremity involve the postural position of the spine, ribcage and the lumbo-pelvic region. Balancing the relationship between these anatomical structures will greatly affect the outcome of treating neck, shoulder and upper extremity injuries.
- Many sport and work-related injuries will be discussed from assessment through treatment. We will examine the mechanical “how and why” injury occurs using postural examination, orthopedic physical evaluations and manual muscle testing to assess the musculoskeletal system. Radiographs, MRI and ultrasound images will be presented with evaluative medical reports to referring physicians.
- Referred pain in the upper extremity is a common symptom that an acupuncturist will treat. The practitioner will learn to accurately differentiate the primary tissue that is causing the referred pain. With a correct diagnosis of the affected tissue, the practitioner can then accurately apply successful treatment protocols to the affected channels and collaterals (jing luo) for long lasting results.
- Innovative treatment protocols will be introduced consisting of advanced needle techniques to the involved tissue, as well as reinforcing (bu fa) and reducing (xie fa) techniques to the motor and acupuncture points.
- The experience of this workshop will refine the acupuncturist’s assessment and treatment skills, expanding their knowledge of needle techniques and greatly enhancing the success rate in treating neck, shoulder and upper extremity injuries.