Mark Thompson, PT, LAc

Picture the early 1980s.  The sounds of New Wave music filled the air.  Men wore sweatbands, while women sported teal leg warmers.  And Jane Fonda led a new fitness craze via videotape.  I was working in the non-profit theatre world, which provided a significant amount of leisure, so I was exercising like a mad man.  After certain international fame was snatched away from me by hereditary defective knees (thanks, Dad!), I gave up the dance classes and delved into regular gym routines.  Eventually, artistic poverty lost its allure, and when I started racking up exercise-induced injuries, I decided to pursue a career in orthopedic/sports-oriented Physical Therapy. My first thought was “Physician, heal thyself!”  My second thought was “It would be nice to eat.” Thus, by the end of the ‘80s, I was a working orthopedic/sports physical therapist.

Five years later, everyone was running, aerobicizing, pumping up, falling down, twisting things—thank goodness!  Business was booming, but as New Yorkers kept finding new and better ways to injure themselves: running further and faster, full contact fighting (also known as working on Wall Street), bodybuilding, power stepping, and rollerblading, I had to learn more and more tricks to keep up with the ever-growing mountain of injuries.

I learned how to make orthotics, how to manipulate the spine and pelvis, and how to stretch, strengthen, and rehabilitate body parts after various orthopedic surgeries.  I learned how to tweak the cranial bones, release the fascia, align the posture, and deconstruct the golf swing.  For the most part, my patients would recover, sometimes as a result of our work together and sometimes in spite of it.

Suddenly, I had a found a new path, going full-bore into the study of Chinese Medicine, graduating from the Tri-State College of Acupuncture in 1998.  I discovered that finishing school was just the beginning of a life-long course of study of ancient and modern acupuncture and herbal techniques.  Not only have I studied with many of the modern masters of acupuncture and Chinese Medicine and logged plenty of time in China, but I have learned something from each of the thousands of patients I have had the great pleasure to treat.

I’ve been on the faculty of two of the local colleges of Chinese Medicine and maintain my own practice in NYC.  My background and personal interests have led me to develop unique skills in the treatment of orthopedic/sports-related injuries, and much of my practice is devoted to this type of treatment.  I also enjoy treating the full range of conditions for which Chinese Medicine is so effective, particularly migraine headaches and issues of fertility.

I love a challenge, so if you have an injury or ailment, give me a call, and we’ll see what I can do!