Josh Taves is a Licensed Acupuncturist with Sports Performance Acupuncture and Lead Acupuncturist of the Sports Medicine Department at St. Mary's College. Josh had a previous externship with UC Berkeley Athletic Department and is a graduate of Acupuncture & Integrated Medicine College. He is a former NFL defensive linemen for the Oakland Raiders, Carolina Panthers, Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots.
After enduring years of injuries in the NFL Josh was exposed to the top doctors and sports therapists igniting a lifelong passion for healing others. Josh's approach to treatment is to combine the best treatment options for each client - a "Bruce Lee approach".
After enduring years of injuries in the NFL Josh was exposed to the top doctors and sports therapists igniting a lifelong passion for healing others. Josh's approach to treatment is to combine the best treatment options for each client - a "Bruce Lee approach".
Services
Sports Performance Acupuncture is no typical frou frou practice. Josh knows the ins and outs of anatomy and because he is an incredibly athletic guy he gets why you are having pain and how to help you stop and prevent it from coming back. I am a fan for life and love the fact that he works with most insurances and you can even check to see if your insurance is covered on his website.
We treat any form of tendon, muscle, or connective tissue injury; sprain, strain, or fracture; muscle soreness, chronic overuse injuries, repetitive motion injuries; postural misalignment or inhibited range of motion; numbness, tingling, or burning pain; migraines and tension headaches; rheumatoid and osteoarthritis; meniscus injury; knee pain, ankle pain, elbow pain, wrist pain, low back pain, hip pain, neck pain, and whiplash; stress, depression, and anxiety; men and women's health issues.
Reviews (13)
Jim Mather
Sep 05, 2020
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J. E.
Aug 02, 2019
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Shannon V.
Apr 10, 2019
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Mark M.
Dec 01, 2018
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I'm a lifelong athlete who's accumulated a variety of injuries with age. Most recently, I had a bad case of tennis elbow from hitting range balls off of driving range mats as well as recovering from Tenex surgery on my achilles tendon. After taking four months off from golf and not seeing any improvement in my tennis elbow, I began visiting Josh who has been able to dramatically reduce my tennis elbow pain via active release technique and acupuncture so that I'm now playing golf again. He's also been able to loosen my achilles post-surgery (to remove damaged tendons) as I
Amanda K.
Jun 08, 2018
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I have always been afraid to try acupuncture because of my fear of needles but when I recently had a lot of back pain that massages weren't fixing, my trainer recommended Josh to me. I am so glad she did! After just a few visits my back pain is gone. He has made me a fan of acupuncture. Josh definitely knows what he is doing. I highly recommend him!
Robby R.
Apr 27, 2018
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Josh is a great acupuncturist. I went to him with searing neck pain that was shooting down my arm. He worked a lot with my muscles around my neck and shoulder, along with acupuncture, laser therapy, and CBD cream. My pain has gone down significantly since I started treatments and I am almost pain free. One thing I really appreciate is his working knowledge of muscles, functionality, and causes of symptoms. I will definitely continue to get treated here, and will refer friends and family. Thanks Josh!
David S.
Aug 27, 2017
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I am a cyclist who teaches 4-5 spin classes and rides 15+ hours a week in the saddle with my neck and back in hyper-extended positions. More recently, I've struggled with debilitating shoulder weakness and pain following a cycling crash a few years ago - that has impacted my back and neck. After a week or so of trying to manage this shoulder pain - and knowing full well that traditional therapeutic interventions would be minimal at best in dealing with this, I turned to Josh as the most effective means of reducing the pain and improving my range-of-motion in my shoulder and easing the stiffness
Tyler G.
Oct 12, 2016
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I'm a cross country/track athlete at Saint Mary's College of California and I've had problems with my hip since January of this year. The doctors said it was trochanteric bursitis, tendinosis, and a glute strain. I couldn't run and had a painful deep pain in my left hip where it'd snap under pressure. I first started seeing Josh in April, after I had gotten a cortisone shot. I had tried acupuncture before, and didn't think seeing Josh would help. But, I was very wrong. Josh has helped me get back on track. His ART and stem-acupuncture with laser after have been insanely
Julie D.
Apr 23, 2016
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Jenna G.
Mar 28, 2016
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As a lifelong athlete and professional firefighter I find that maintaining excellent physical health is a very important. I have become rather selective about who I allow to work on my body. I met Josh a couple years ago and found that his active release massage therapy was exceptional. I have recently been able to experience the combination of acupuncture followed by some deep tissue, active release therapy. I have been blessed to have worked with some fantastic physical therapists to rehabilitate surgical repairs of both a shoulder and a knee. I am finding that Josh is able to help me maintain
Nora E.
Mar 24, 2016
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I was new to acupuncture and Josh took the time to talk to my husband and I, about the benefits of acupuncture. He was patient with all our questions. I have arthritis and a lot of stress. I have been in pain for many years and have had many doctors push a lot of medications on me. I have so much relief from Josh's treatment, that I haven't needed medication for a few weeks now. Josh is also helping with natural remedies for my allergies. I feel so much better and am thankful for Josh's treatment.
Whitney B.
Jul 19, 2015
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I am an athlete that is not easy on my body. I've specifically struggled with debilitating back pain due to a bulged disc for years. Being that Josh is also an athlete he understood how important it was for this not to hold me down. I see a chiropractor regularly, but every once in a while I will do something to exasperate it and it will leave me immobile for weeks even with chiropractic care. After years of dealing with this, I decided to try something new, although initially skeptical of how anything could help, I was open to new ideas and therapy. This is when I turned to Josh. The combination
Nicky S.
Jul 15, 2015
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I have seen Josh several times for acupuncture and acupressure . I have a lot of tightness and stress in my muscles due to running and lifting; even rolling can't always get them out. My first few appointments were booked after I ran a marathon and really needed to loosen my hamstrings and ITB because the tightness was making running painful on my knees. The sessions really worked and kept me loose for future runs! Josh is professional and thorough, very knowledgable and will adjust pressure to keep the session effective. I highly recommend for any athletes with sports stress/injuries
