May 10, 2018East Meets West
Many athletic trainers have dual credentials, and some have more than two. But Jody Murray, LAc, LAT, ATC, is one of a select few who have licenses in both athletic training and acupuncture.
“I have heard there are a couple of other people who are both,” says Murray, who works at Arizona Spine Disc & Sport (AZSDS) in Phoenix. “I have yet to meet or speak with any of them.”
Murray has been combining the two practices for more than 20 years. With an undergraduate degree from Springfield College, she began her career as a clinic athletic trainer in her native Connecticut. After 10 years, she felt an itch to diversify what she could offer patients, in part because of restrictions on athletic trainers due to Connecticut’s then-upcoming licensure act.
She had been introduced to acupuncture during college, thanks to a demonstration given by an acupuncturist from China who was taking some classes at Springfield, and it had intrigued her. After looking into the discipline further, she went to acupuncture school and received her license to practice.
I evaluate a new patient as an athletic trainer first and look at all of the orthopedic stuff. Then as an acupuncturist
