How to Choose an Acupuncturist in San Francisco (2026)

I was introduced to Andrew by a friend who dubbed him as nothing short of magical. After experiencing his expertise firsthand, I couldn't agree more. Andrew's mastery of the human body and its intricacies truly feels like a kind of magic. I've been to other specialists for my chronic upper back and neck pain, but Andrew is different. He focuses on treating the actual problem, not just masking the symptoms. For the first time, I walked out of an acupuncture session and went back to exercising without feeling any pain. It was a game-changer. I feel as if I've been given a brand new back. Honestly, I never thought a life without back pain was possible until now. While I was also working with Andew some other health issues came up that couldn’t be diagnosed by western medicine. His thoughtful and holistic approach immediately made me feel understood and valued. Throughout our sessions, he would patiently explain the various points he was working on or the sensations I was experiencing, shedding light on what was going on internally within my body. Thanks to him, I now have a deeper appreciation for how imbalances in one area can send ripples throughout the entire system. He was able to find the root cause, guiding me slowly but surely on the path to recovery. I feel blessed to have met Andrew, he really has changed my life and I’m grateful for that.

Gosh, I'm so happy I found Andrew! Thanks to him, I avoided going down a surgery route for my injury! In June 2022, my left knee started acting up (my best guess is overcompensation for gluteal tendonitis I was treating) but I pushed through to backpack 264 miles on the John Muir Trail. When I finished my trek, my left knee was pretty unhappy and I couldn't even get in and out of my car without feeling like a jigsaw puzzle. I tirelessly saw dozens of providers over the next year - chiropractors, physical therapists, orthopedists, massage therapists, etc. All had their own theories - soleus muscle, calf strain, chronic exertional compartment syndrome, etc. The complexity in my case was that my pain was not in my knee itself - it was on the left side in between my knee cap and calf. Despite my knee MRI showing meniscus tears, inflammation, tendonosis, etc. the doctors insisted we treat the symptoms, not the MRIs. So, I got a calf MRI, hip MRI, and an EMG, all of which were negative. Then, one doctor recommended oral Prednisone, and he told me I should see results better than Advil for pain management. It did nothing. It wasn't until I was finally referred to one doctor who noticed something in my knee MRI and caught that there is excess fluid in my proximal tibiofibular joint (PBTJ), and that area tracks with where I feel my pain. To test his suspicion diagnostically, he recommended an ultrasound-guided cortisone injection in my PBTJ to see if that reduced my pain. The pain did decrease (which was good), but it wasn't gone. The doctors informed me issues concerning the PBTJ are rare, and that they needed to refer me to one of the only specialists in the country for this. That specialist happened to be in Minnesota, and when I checked his website, he was only seeing patients for surgery. I did not want surgery. I felt completely defeated, unsure where to go next. In May, I was recommended by someone who also had a challenging journey with injuries (and was able to return to running and hiking) to try acupuncture. I was surprised, since I had not considered Eastern Medicine before for a sports injury. The person specifically recommended I search for an acupuncturist who specializes in athletes, and that led me to find "Acupuncture for Athletics." :) My first appointment with Andrew was May 30, and he patiently listened to my whole ordeal and reviewed all of the documentation I brought (MRIs, doctor's notes, etc). He assured me he treats the root cause, which I appreciated because I did not want to do a band-aid fix only for this to return again, and that he has hope I can feel better. We started off with cupping along my left leg to encourage the inflammation to dissipate, and then we did needles in my leg. Oof, I remember one session when Andrew placed a needle near my PBTJ - I screamed SO loudly lol. But once all of the needles were in, it slowly felt like a meditative experience, and I was able to relax into it. Over my 7 sessions with Andrew, I began to notice the needles felt less painful. In the beginning, I remember feeling the pain just in walking over to Andrew's office. By the 6th session, I realized I wasn't thinking about my pain anymore. I did one more session to be sure, and I was in disbelief that I actually felt pain-free! We decided to go a month testing how the pain fared without regular sessions, and so far so good! The pain flares here and there, but in a MUCH less capacity than before. Throughout this whole process, Andrew was kind, patient, and determined. He was committed to solving the underlying issue, and he was flexible and accommodating to me - whether I wanted to address my left knee or start tackling similar pain that was creeping up on my right knee. Had it not been for Andrew, I would have likely chased surgery because I was running out of ideas. I appreciate you, Andrew! If you're nearing your wits' end with a chronic injury, please go see Andrew and give it a good ~5 sessions if you can. Wishing everyone out there good luck on their chronic pain journeys! You got this!

I would strongly (strongly!) recommend Acupuncture for Athletics for both athletes and non-athletes alike. Not only does Andrew help with injury recovery, pain management, and stress relief, but he creates a relaxing and positive environment that enhances the work that he does and leads you to feel better both physically and mentally after each visit. And beyond acupuncture and massage, Andrew goes the extra mile to provide guidance on how to address specific pain-points and injuries, or to simply ensure that you are feeling and performing your best. Again, I can't recommend Acupuncture for Athletics enough!

Andrew applies his knowledge of the body and expert techniques to address affected muscles both for maintenance during training and related to injury. His combination of acupuncture and massage helps to open up areas and find the place to target. I have seen Andrew in the past for recovery post concussion and most recently for routine maintenance while training at a high level for my next marathon. I highly recommend Andrew and am lucky to have him as a part of my support team to stay healthy! - Katie Hynes, competitive runner -

I had a golfers elbow and my coach referred me to Andrew. He has been an amazing acupuncturist and worked on my right elbow, shoulder and arm for a couple of weeks. I have felt so much better just after the first session and going back really helps the blood flow so much better and my right arm, elbow and shoulder feels less tense and more relaxed. Definitely recommend this place, especially for athletes!

Andrew is the best. I’m a professional ballerina and his treatments helped me come back from a broken foot. When you see Andrew - you’re comforted by his knowledge, expertise, & strategy based treatment. Plus the clinic is so relaxing and warm. I have complete trust that he will help my aches and pains and keep me dancing for a long time.

There’s no one I trust more than Andrew to support my kids in their healing process if they’ve had a sports-related injury. As elite athletes, it’s so important that their knees, ankles and shoulders are well taken care of, and Andrew is our go-to for treatment of pain or injury and also guidance for best practices outside the treatment room to further help healing along. My daughter recently rolled her ankle and was ready for a painfully prolonged healing process when we took her into to see Andrew for a couple treatments before a tournament weekend. With his help, her recovery was amazing, allowing her to feel confident on her ankle. Thanks to Andrew, she was healthy enough to play without pain or exacerbating the injury. We are very grateful to have Andrew on speed dial when these types of injuries occur!