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Dr. Richard Hazel is a distinguished Doctor of Acupuncture and a New York State Licensed Acupuncturist, renowned for his expertise in Functional Acupuncture, with a specialized focus on Orthopedic & Sports Acupuncture. With a passion for optimizing athletic performance and facilitating recovery, Dr. Hazel proudly partners as the acupuncturist for UB Athletics, working with their football, volleyball, and other dedicated athletes.
A Leader in Integrative Sports Medicine
Dr. Hazel's approach integrates advanced acupuncture techniques with a deep understanding of human physiology and athletic demands. His commitment to enhancing recovery, regeneration, and adaptation to exercise stress is evident in his significant contributions to the field. He is a co-author of Chapter 22, "Acupuncture: Its relationship to Recovery, Regeneration and Function," in the authoritative book Fundamentals of Recovery, Regeneration, and Adaptation to Exercise Stress: An Integrated Approach (Springer Nature). This publication solidifies his position as a thought leader in the application of acupuncture for athletic populations.
Pioneering Education and Global Influence
A graduate with honors from the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine – New York, where he earned both his Master of Science in Acupuncture (Orthopedic & Sports Medicine) and his Doctor of Acupuncture, Dr. Hazel is a dedicated educator. He has developed and taught extensive curricula in Motor Point Acupuncture and Trigger Point Needling, sharing his knowledge through online courses on Podia and at prestigious international seminars. His teaching engagements span across Europe and Australia, including the European Sports and Orthopedic Acupuncture Congresses in Barcelona and Amsterdam, and workshops in Poland, Canada, Ireland, and France. His work has significantly influenced practitioners globally, establishing him as a world-renowned authority in Functional Acupuncture.
Dedicated to Athlete Well-being
Through his partnership with UB Athletics since 2024, Dr. Hazel provides cutting-edge acupuncture treatments to help athletes achieve peak performance, accelerate injury recovery, and maintain optimal physical well-being. His hands-on experience with collegiate athletes underscores his practical application of advanced acupuncture principles in a high-performance sports environment.
Episodes

Saturday Dec 27, 2025
The Always-On Function of the Rotator Cuff Muscles
Saturday Dec 27, 2025
Saturday Dec 27, 2025
We test the rotator cuff muscles for their internal/external rotation and abduction strength but they have a very important Always-On function too.
Just like the scapular stabilizers, the rotator cuff needs to dynamically stabilize so that other muscles like the deltoids and pectoralis muscles can have power.
Online Courses: https://richardhazel.podia.com
We are in the last days of the Black Friday double discount sale.
Take 20% off any course or bundle of courses until the end of 2025
BLACKFRIDAY20 at checkout.
Bundles of courses are already discounted at 20% so you can add another 20% on top of that until the sale ends.
My courses don't expire.

Sunday Dec 21, 2025
Sunday Dec 21, 2025
Light sensitivity, watering eyes, ptosis, sinus pain, facial pain and migraine are all symptoms that can come from neck muscles via the TCC (Trigeminocervical Complex)
Online Courses: https://richardhazel.podia.com
Black Friday Discount ends at the end of the year.
BLACKFRIDAY20 for 20% all courses and bundles of courses.

Sunday Dec 14, 2025
Treating Pain is a Failing Strategy - Fix the Movement Pattern!
Sunday Dec 14, 2025
Sunday Dec 14, 2025
Most acupuncturists can treat pain. But the pain comes back.
We need to stop obsessing about disc bulges and MRIs and start looking at the actual mechanical problem that is leading to pain.
Fix what's tight then strengthen what's inhibited and then retrain the movement pattern.
Janda already did the hard work and most are just ignoring it and treating the site of pain.
Online Courses: https://richardhazel.podia.com
BLACKFRIDAY20 at checkout for 20% off until the end of the year.

Saturday Dec 06, 2025
Functional vs Structural - The Genius of Vladimir Janda for Treating Chronic Pain
Saturday Dec 06, 2025
Saturday Dec 06, 2025
Most people over 50 have disc bulges and degeneration and are not in pain.
30% of people in their 20s have disc bulges and are not in pain.
Janda would say that the disc is being injured by postural issues due to muscle imbalances and also because of dysfunctional movement patterns caused by those Upper and Lower Crossed Syndromes.
Treating a disc bulge only gives temporary relief. The underlying sheering force caused by a short tight psoas or a forward head placement will start to injury adjacent discs and will perpetuate pain.
Fix the Function! Correct the Crossed Patterns and retrain the movement patterns for lasting relief of chronic pain.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4464797/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3921966/
BLACKFRIDAY20 at Checkout (look for the link to click) for 20% off all Courses and Bundles of Courses on my Podia site. Bundles are already 20% discounted and you can add the Black Friday Discount on top of that until the end of the year.
https://richardhazel.podia.com
My Courses Don't Expire

Saturday Nov 29, 2025
Dry Needling College Athletes for Patellar Tendon and Achilles Pain
Saturday Nov 29, 2025
Saturday Nov 29, 2025
Sometimes Dry Needling is the best and fastest way to get full function back and to relieve pain. On these two college football players the electric stimulation acupuncture was barely touching their pain. Dry Needling give me instant and satisfying results.
Don't Forget, I'm running a 20% Discount on all Courses and Bundles of Courses (already discounted at 20%) until the end of the year.
Use the Code BLACKFRIDAY20 at checkout (look for the link to enter the code)
It's a great chance to get 20% already discounted bundles for huge savings on courses that DO NOT EXPIRE. You keep them as a reference anytime you need them.
Videos are indexed for fast reference.
All courses can be discounted and you can reuse the code as many times as you want until the end of the year.
https://richardhazel.podia.com
Correction: I said insipid instead of insidious onset. 😂

Saturday Nov 22, 2025
Sarcopenia is a Vascular Disease
Saturday Nov 22, 2025
Saturday Nov 22, 2025
I'm not diagnosing or treating anything and I'm not telling anyone what they should do or what they should tell their patients to do.
I'm sharing the research so that people can talk to their doctors about possible ways to reverse sarcopenia and fibrotic muscle and regain healthy fast-twitch muscle.
Online Courses: https://richardhazel.podia.com
Black Friday discount on all courses
BLACKFRIDAY20 at checkout for 20% off courses and bundles of courses.

Saturday Nov 15, 2025
Unexpected Result While Treating Post-Stroke Symptoms 20 years Later
Saturday Nov 15, 2025
Saturday Nov 15, 2025
This was a little mind-blowing to see this week. I was treating someone who had a stroke 20 years ago and then this happened!
HINT: There was a musculocutaneous nerve entrapment I wasn't expecting to see.
Online Courses: https://richardhazel.podia.com

Saturday Nov 08, 2025
Why We Shouldn't Trust a 5/5 MMT on an Athlete (And what we should do instead)
Saturday Nov 08, 2025
Saturday Nov 08, 2025
The 0-5 scale on Manual Muscle Tests was created in 1915 to find neuromuscular issues in paretic patients (like people with polio).
The MMT should not be trusted for Sports Optimization and Injury Prevention in Athletes.
Here's what the research says. (Pro tip: The MMT is more of a test of the strength of the examiner, than of the athlete)
Online Courses (that never expire) https://richardhazel.podia.com

Saturday Nov 01, 2025
Pain above the Knee is Very Common for Athletes - And This is What Resolves It
Saturday Nov 01, 2025
Saturday Nov 01, 2025
I rarely see pain above the knee on my average patients, but I see it very often on athletes, especially jumping sports.
Here's what I've found to work and what I think is the underlying cause.
Online Courses: https://richardhazel.podia.com

Sunday Oct 26, 2025
Sports Performance Optimization for Overhead Sports Part 2
Sunday Oct 26, 2025
Sunday Oct 26, 2025
Part 2 of the Kinetic Chain is the shoulder elbow and wrist in the acceleration phase of pitching and the deceleration phase (where the injuries are more common)
Online Courses: https://richardhazel.podia.com
