62.6K
Downloads
142
Episodes
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
Sunday Jun 11, 2023
Sunday Jun 11, 2023
Reciprocal Inhibition is an interesting thing and I think I think a lot about treating antagonists muscles but maybe I don't always consider reciprocal inhibition for every case. I'm going to be thinking more about reciprocal inhibition for some cases in case it can help me improve my results for muscle activation once someone is pain-free.
Here's the article I mentioned:
https://journals.physiology.org/doi/epdf/10.1152/jn.00424.2017
My Podia Online Courses are here: https://richardhazel.podia.com
Sunday Jun 04, 2023
Sunday Jun 04, 2023
I was just thinking about how the infraspinatus can help shoulder flexion. The fiber orientation is a clue. It's an external rotator, so how does it get involved in shoulder flexion?
How does the Pectoralis Major flex the shoulder? Look at the fiber orientation.
How does Gluteus Minimus (abducts and internally rotates the hip) which doesn't flex the hip, cause an anterior pelvic tilt? Fiber orientation.
https://richardhazel.podia.com
Sunday May 28, 2023
Sunday May 28, 2023
Sometimes patients have not done well even after trying Physical Therapy for their pain.
Once we have gotten them out of pain and restored their mobility, do they really need Physical Therapy? Are we a replacement for Physical Therapy?
Also, I mentioned in the podcast that I would be interested in doing some podcasts in German and/or French if there's an audience that you think doesn't listen in English.
If you think it would help me reach more people, please let me know. rich@richhazel.com
Thanks!
https://richardhazel.podia.com
Monday May 22, 2023
Monday May 22, 2023
There's more to the SI Joint than just nutation and the pain some people get there.
Many issues like back pain, hip pain, hamstring pain, even shoulder pain can be due to dysfunction at the SIJ.
Movement, Stability & Lumbopelvic Pain: Integration of research and therapy https://a.co/d/cuyLspO
https://richardhazel.podia.com
Saturday May 13, 2023
Saturday May 13, 2023
"The perfect is the enemy of the good." - Voltaire
Here's an imperfect protocol that gets great results a high percentage of the time.
If you're new to Contemporary Acupuncture or just feeling overwhelmed by all the possibilities, try this protocol.
It covers a lot of the basics and I get great results with it most of the time.
I know I'll get perfectionists complaining but the goal is to help more people help more people. Too many outliers to knee pain can make people doubt themselves.
Try this protocol and when the patient feels better you have time to think about the underlying segmental, postural, ankle or hip or core issues that led to the pain.
https://richardhazel.podia.com
Saturday May 06, 2023
Saturday May 06, 2023
Gracilis is the only hip adductor that can flex the knee.
It often gets short after a knee replacement surgery.
Quads glutes TFL and glute minimis are usually my go-to for knee pain but gracilis is usually part of the solution as well.
https://richardhazel.podia.com
Sunday Apr 30, 2023
Sunday Apr 30, 2023
Skeletal Muscle is Elastic, Excitable and Contractile. Does Electric Stimulation Acupuncture at the Motor Points of the muscle restore those qualities after injury has made the muscle short, weak and inhibited?
The German word for "numb" is "taub". I think muscle inhibition may be due to the muscle being deaf, not listening to the nerve signals. What if it's not the nerve, but the muscle that is causing muscle inhibition?
https://richardhazel.podia.com
Sunday Apr 23, 2023
Sunday Apr 23, 2023
You and I have probably already seen it daily in the clinic. Gluteus medius and minimus get very tight and they restrict the hip and cause pain.
We have always heard that the glutes get inhibited. But when it comes to the glute medius and minimus, while they might be inhibited they are also short and tight like other postural muscles.
Research backs up that the glute med and minimus are primarily Type 1 slow twitch fibers like other postural muscles.
https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/anatomy/issue/68435/1152716
https://richardhazel.podia.com
Saturday Apr 15, 2023
Saturday Apr 15, 2023
These little muscles can cause a lot of big pain and dizziness (and other things that I talk about here).
https://richardhazel.podia.com
Sunday Apr 09, 2023
Sunday Apr 09, 2023
This is a very effective technique I use for muscles that feel restricted and that don't release with just motor point acupuncture or IASTM.
https://richardhazel.podia.com