Movement Organized by the Channel Sinews

The Channels Organize Movement

If you are an acupuncturist, then you learned a portion of the above image. You learned this as the circadian cycle where energy is at is peak during a 24 hour time period. You also learned various channel correspondences. For instance, the following are internally-externally related channels: LU-LI, ST-SP, HT-SI, KID-UB, P-SJ, LIV-GB. And, finally, you learned the following six divisions: Taiyang (UB-SI), Shaoyang (GB-SJ), Yangming (ST-LI), Taiyin (SP-LU), Shaoyin (KID, HT), Jueyin (LIV-P). You already know that the channels in each of the 3 grouping above share many relationships.  

What you have not been taught, at least in a Chinese Medical Curriculum, is that movement is integrated around these 3 groupings. To fully understand this, you need to dive into the sinew channels (jingjin) and this is exactly what I have been exploring for the last 20+ years. This started with my interested in movement (taiji, qigong, bodyweight calisthenics), developed with my interest in fascial systems such as Anatomy Trains, and continued with exploration on approximately 100 cadaver dissections. This has led to the development of a comprehensive sinew channel model that is taught in the Sports Medicine Acupuncture Certification program where I am a faculty member.

This past Spring 2023, I presented on channels and movement at the first annual Pacific Sports and Orthopedic Acupuncture Symposium (PSOAS). The info below is a summary of this presentation and work I am continuing to develop.

The Channel Sinew Groupings & Functional Movement Patterns

While you can explore what an individual sinew channel does in terms of movement, there is greater benefit in understanding that functional movement patterns are organized by the groupings above. Most movements, especially full body movements  are too complex to analyze with a single channel. Take, for instance, something relatively simple such as a pull up. This movement engages many muscles of the back and involves the UB sinew channel. But the external shoulder rotators are also engaged which would be part of the SI sinew channel. And, if your form is good, there is engagement of core structures such as the transverse abdominis, part of the KID sinew channel. This relatively straightforward movement primarily involves expansive movements that lift and propel the body forward. These movements lift the body up (literally, in the image below), but also lift you into an upright posture, and they also stabilize the spine. They are controlled by the Taiyang and Shaoyin channel sinews.

 

Photo by Ruslan Khmelevsky: https://www.pexels.com/photo/muscular-sportsman-doing-pull-up-exercise-in-gym-4608157/

Other movement patterns guided by the Yangming-Shaoyin channels compress and hollow the body. They protract the scapulae, depress the chest, and flex the torso and hip. Hollow body holds, L-sits, a front kick, and many other movements fall into this category. These movements balance the expansive ones described above and there are many exercises that move back and forth between these two groupings. For instance, rowers would move back and forth between these phases; going into a compression so that they have more range as they engage the back, expand and propel forward as they pull the paddle through the water. You have to compress and load the spring before you expand, especially if you want to do it explosively. The spinal wave from White Crane qigong is another example of this ebb and flow and you can watch my video by clicking here. 

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-male-gymnast-practicing-on-gymnastic-rings-3763702/

The final grouping involves the Shaoyang and Jueyin channels which execute two very related movement patterns; sidebending and rotation. This involves trunk and neck sidebending, but also abduction and adduction of the limbs, along with rotational movements. A very simple example is in a video below where I am swinging on monkey bars. This exercise illustrates both rotation, but you will also see sidebending if you watch the video; all engagements of the Shaoyang and Jueyin channels. Note: I mention the Gallbladder sinew channel in this video, but all of the channels in this category are involved. I was simplifying since it is hard to describe these types of concepts in a video without being distracting.

Photo by Los Muertos Crew: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-doing-sports-at-sports-hall-10039561/

Check out my Youtube channel where I will be exploring many of these concepts. If you do visit, especially if you find the information useful, please subscribe, like the videos, and comment on the videos. All of this helps build my channel and allows me to put the time into producing more content. Besides this, I appreciate the comments since it helps be continue to organize this information and we can all learn together!

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Sports Medicine Acupuncture® Fall 2018

Flexor carpi ulnaris manual muscle test,
a useful test for medial epicondylitis.

I have had a very busy Fall, and have not been able to post here lately. However, I did just finish a blog post for the Sports Medicine Acupuncture® blog. The link is below; the post includes a video of a recent Sports Medicine Acupuncture dissection highlighting the Heart sinew channel. Check it out! The title is Medial Epicondylitis and the Heart Channel Sinews.

September kicked off Module 2 of the Sports Medicine Acupuncture Certification (SMAC) in San Diego, CA. Updates and upgrades are an ongoing feature of the SMAC program, and in this Module we debuted a new class: "Assessment and Treatment of the Channel Sinews (Jingjin): Low Back, Hip and Groin." I will share some info from this class in an upcoming blog post and  the upcoming classes for the Lower Extremities (Module 3) and Head, Neck & Upper Extremities (Module 4).

A picture I took with four practitioners who live near me in Tampa, FL. It is alwasy great to meet new people in SMAC, but is especially an honor to work with practitioners who I am already friends with!

After the September SMAC class, Sports Medicine Acupuncture® hosted a 5-day dissection class in Boulder, CO at the Laboratories of Anatomical Enlightenment. In this 5-day class, participants, including myself, worked in teams of 6, each with their own cadaver specimen. As in all Sports Medicine Acupuncture dissections, these specimens are non-chemically treated cadavers, which offers a superior experience for holistic practice as it keeps the fascia intact and you get a much better view of the real tissue quality. All acupuncturists should take the opportunity to do dissection such as this; there really is no substitute for it. I will share some specific experiences from this event soon, and we will be hosting another program, probably a 4-day, sometime in the Spring. Check the SMA page for updates.

After the Boulder dissection class, it was back to San Diego for the completion of SMAC Module 2: Low Back, Hip and Groin. The two remaining classes were Assessment and Treatment of Low Back, Hip and Groin injuries, and Postural Assessment and Corrective Exercises (PACE).That wraps it up for Module 2, and we will start back up with Module 3 in the new year.

In the first week of November, I attended a 5-day taiji and qigong workshop at the new International center of the Taoist Tai Chi Society. I won't go into detail about this workshop here, but I will say that my taiji and qigong practice (which I started in 1998) was the first experience I had with the channel sinews. In my practice, we discuss certain 'tendon changing and marrow-washing' exercises. These 'tendons' may run all the way up the body. Obviously, these are not what Western anatomists refer to as tendons, but are, instead, myofascial planes of tissue that fit the template of how I discuss the channel sinews. This practice was the foundation which led to my ongoing exploration of the channel sinews.

Finally, on November 14th, I was privileged to be a guest on the terrific podcast, "Qiological", hosted by Michael Max. This was a panel discussion on myofascial trigger points, orthopedic acupuncture, and dry needling; but also on channel theory, language, and continual learning. The panel included Michael Max, my friends and colleagues Josh Lerner and Fernando Bernall, and myself. This was a fascinating discussion and I am looking forward to its release on Qiological. It will likely be released early for subscribers. I recommend subscribing, not just to listen early, but as a great way to support the efforts that build and grow our profession; this podcast and its growing community are part of those fantastic resources!

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Injection and the Sinew Channels

Tomorrow I am a guest instructor with Christina Captain's excellent injection certification in Sarasota, FL. I have taught this class for several years. Below is a description of what I will be teaching, and what my philosophy is when using injection and when teaching.

First, I think that it is fantastic that some states have injection in the scope of practice for acupuncturists, as Florida does. It is a worthwhile endeavor for the state professional organizations to work towards expanding the scope to include injections in the states that do not have this. However, I don't think that acupuncture physicians should get too allopathic when using injection. We have this wonderful and extremely advanced channel system that is easy to lose sight of when we are all of a sudden using a hypodermic needle, especially when treating musculoskeletal pain and injury.

When I teach as part of this injection certification in Florida, I am there as a guest instructor from the Sports Medicine Acupuncture Certification program (SMAC). As a guest instructor, I am teaching injection for musculoskeletal pain, sports injuries, and other orthopedic conditions. So, much of what I teach is very influenced by what is taught in SMAC.

In SMAC, we do not teach injection. Very few states have this in the scope of practice and this is an international program. We teach how to assess and treat orthopedic conditions and how to integrate these treatments with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to build a comprehensive treatment protocol. These treatments build on what acupuncturists already know. For instance, is this an excess or deficient pattern? Does the person have Blood deficiency, Spleen Qi deficiency and Dampness, Kidney Yin deficiency? All of the elements that make our medicine so powerful are included and highlighted. Added to this is a comprehensive ability to assess specific musculoskeletal injuries while understand the muscle imbalances that contribute to these injuries. This means that we teach how to diagnose the specific injury and assess the imbalances in the sinew channel (jingjin) that contribute to the injury and prevent proper healing.

Treatments include the following local, adjacent and distal approach:

1. Specific, advanced needle techniques for the condition.
2. Treatment to balance the sinew channels which entails balancing overactive (excess) muscles  and inhibited (deficient) muscles. This includes acupuncture to the motor points of the muscles involved and to distal points along the channel that these muscles are a part of.
3. Myofascial release techniques to support the treatment and increase the therapeutic outcome.
4. Prescription of corrective exercises to support the treatment and correct muscle imbalances and postural disparities. 

In my mind, nothing changes when using injection. I can use injection as part of the local treatment. Often, I will be using the same local, injury specific technique. These techniques were developed by the founder of SMAC, Matt Callison, and are extremely effective with an acupuncture needle and can easily be adapted for injection. Added to this will be placing a homeopathic injectable solution (I use Heel products such as Traumeel and Zeel) at the site of injury which, depending on the injectable,  can help reduce inflammation, reduce irritation of a joint, nerve or muscle, and stimulate lymphatic circulation.

However, I still want to use acupuncture, myofascial release techniques and corrective exercises to balance the sinew channels and I still want to treat any zangfu imbalances that present with the patient. What I do not want to do, and what I want to encourage acupuncturists adding injection to their treatments not to do, is simply to inject the local tissue that is affected and lose sight of the comprehensive, holistic, and advanced nature of our medicine.

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