Course Overview

Whitfield Reaves has frequently commented that there is no single injury more rewarding to treat than shoulder pain that is a result of supraspinatous tendonitis. With both trigger and motor points located in the region of Small Intestine 12, the practitioner is able to treat this rotator cuff muscle with an easy-to-master acupuncture sports medicine needle technique. However, the precarious location of the supraspinatous tendon beneath the acromion, between the points LI 16 and LI 15, may take a bit more practice to needle with precision. What makes the supraspinatous muscle problematic for the acupuncturist is that the pain often refers to the deltoid region of the shoulder, and, occasionally, distally down the arm and forearm. This deltoid region pain leads many practitioners to a diagnosis of Large Intestine (Yang ming) and San Jiao (Shao yang) disorders; this often results in treatments that rarely suffice. This one-hour webinar by Whitfield Reaves covers these issues of assessment and treatment, and clearly give the practitioner a guide to treat this common cause of shoulder pain. This series was introduced in 2011 in standard definition, and reflects the evolution of sports acupuncture at the time. It is based upon single individual sports injuries and each course provides simple and direct video for first time viewing. Additionally, it assists to increase precision through repetition and review. Even if you have taken the newer HD series, Mastering the Treatment of Injury and Pain, this older series is still an excellent resource for review and is filled with clinical gems.

Course Objectives

• To perform two orthopedic tests that assist in the diagnosis of supraspinatus involvement.
• To perform one orthopedic test that assists in the diagnosis of supraspinatus tendon impingement syndrome.
• To use palpation in order to locate trigger points of the supraspinatus.
• To be able to describe needle technique on the local point SI 12.
• To be able to describe needle technique on the sub-acromial zone using LI 16 and LI 15.

Course Outline

0 hrs - 15 minAnatomy of the supraspinatus muscle.

15 min - 30 minClinical assessment of pathology of the supraspinatous muscle.

30 min - 45 minDemonstration of assessment - Demo of palpation of the supraspinatus, point location, and palpation of the subacromial portion of the tendon.

45 min - 1 hrsDemonstration of technique - needle technique of Small Intestine 12, 16, and rotator cuff tendon.