Winter solstice and the new year are soon approaching! While it’s cold outside for many of us, keep in mind we have an entire library of online classes to keep you engaged while staying warm and cozy this next month! Check out our online SMAC Program and Foundational series. Don’t forget we also have our entire Motor Point Needle Protocol series now available online!

We’re also thrilled to announce so many new in-person classes coming up, both for our signature SMAC Program, as well as weekend intensives—both in Bradenton, Florida (US) & Calgary, AB (CANADA)!

Coming up in January, we begin the last classes in the 2025-2026 SMAC Program, MODULE IV (The Neck, Shoulder & Upper Extremity: Assessment & Treatment of Injury. We still have a couple seats left in the January 29th class as the January 15th section is at waitlist capacity. To be added to the January 15th waitlist, use coupon code WAITLIST when registering!

REGISTER NOW:

• January 29-February 1, 2026 at Marina Village Conference Center (San Diego, CA)

TRIGGER POINT CLASSES ARE BACK!

Running January 29-February 1, 2026, is our second trigger point class, Trigger Point Needling of the Abdominals, Low Back, Hip and Thigh at the Dragon Rises College of Oriental Medicine (DRCOM) in Bradenton, FL. This class will teach acupuncturists how to palpate for, locate and treat pain producing myofascial trigger points of the abdominals, low back, hip and thigh. Emphasis will be on technique and how to integrate this information into a full treatment to increase therapeutic outcomes with common pain syndromes and movement dysfunctions of the abdominals, low back, hip and thigh.

                                                                LEARN MORE & REGISTER NOW

3-DAY CADAVER LAB FOR THE ACUPUNCTURIST

Registration for the Spring 2026 3-Day Cadaver Lab for the Acupuncturist at Dragon Rises College of Oriental Medicine (DRCOM) in Bradenton, FL opens December 15th!

3-Day Cadaver Lab for the Acupuncturist 2026 Dates:

• March 6-8, 2026 — Registration opens December 15th
• October 9-11, 2026 — Registration opens April 2026

CANADA CLASS ALERT
We’re also heading back to CITCM in Calgary, AB, Canada February 28-March 1, 2026 for the Assessment & Treatment of the Low Back & Hip!

This course blends TCM and Western methods to assess and treat common low back and hip injuries. Through orthopedic evaluation, manual muscle testing and targeted needling, practitioners learn effective techniques to improve clinical outcomes.

LEARN MORE & REGISTER NOW

SMAC PROGRAM UPDATES

The 2026-2027 SMAC PROGRAM IS NOW OPEN FOR REGISTRATION! Classes will be held on the East Coast at the Dragon Rises College of Oriental Medicine in Bradenton, Florida, and on the West Coast, we’ll be back at the Marina Conference Center in San Diego, California! 

                                                        LEARN MORE & REGISTER NOW

As a reminder, although the 2025-2026 SMAC PROGRAM will be Matt Callison’s last SMAC Program as head instructor, the SMAC program will continue with other expertly qualified instructors, who are both master practitioners and gifted educators of Sports Medicine Acupuncture. And, as always, we will continue to provide the highest level of training in our field and Matt will continue to direct all programming along with teaching advanced intensive in-person classes. 

Keep in mind...

• You have two entire program years to complete all required classes if you are pursuing the certification track AND you 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.
• The four required live, in-person only classes are now being offered on two coasts—in San Diego, CA and Vienna, VA (2025-2026 program) and in San Diego, CA and Bradenton, Fl (2026-2027 program)!
• All live, in-person and recorded courses are NCCAOM and CAB CEU/PDA approved! 
• If pursuing the certification track, just purchase the in-person classes and online courses and submit proof of completion of online courses to acusortinfo@gmail.com. It’s that easy! And you can decide at any time to pursue this track!

Learn more about the SMAC HYBRID Program: 10 recorded webinars and 4 live, in-person only Assessment & Treatment of Injury classes

SMAC Program helpful links: 

• Overview, Schedule & Accommodations Information 
• In-Person Class Registration (with dates, prices & requirements) 
• SMAC Online Recorded Webinars
• In-Person Class Descriptions
• Online Class Descriptions 
• SMAC Progam FAQs

As always, if you have any questions, please reach us at acusportinfo@gmail.com.

3. FEATURED ARTICLE:

Case Study: Mis-Diagnosed Plantar Fasciitis Pain (Inferior Calcaneal Nerve Entrapment or Baxter’s Neuropathy)

by Matthew Callison, L.Ac.

An 80-year-old male reported having plantar heel pain that was diagnosed as plantar fasciitis and prescribed 4 weeks of physical therapy (PT). The pain continued to get better with PT but never completely resolved. Once the allowed PT visits were completed, the pain eventually came back to the same intensity as before from when the initial injury had occurred. As a rule, when a patient complains of plantar heel pain with signs and symptoms of plantar fasciocis (PF), a more accurate description of the condition, the practitioner should rule out another source of heel pain located in the same area as PF. A soft tissue nerve entrapment of the inferior calcaneal nerve (ICN) between the abductor hallucis and quadratus plantae muscles can generate plantar heel pain and mimic PF or co-contribute to the existing PF pain patterns. 

4. SMAC PROGRAM CLASSES

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