Secret NFL Play: Acupuncture

The diminutive Lisa Ripi (46 years-old, 5'3") travels 20 days out of every month, tending to the sore muscles, tensions, and highly tuned bodies of pro football players. Ripi’s technique is closer to Japanese acupuncture than to traditional Chinese methods. She focuses less on established points and more on sore areas, using needles to increase blood flow, relaxing muscles tightened in the weight room. She has 40 NFL players among her clientele, many of whom claim she's as important as the playbook. “They always tell me I’m their little secret,” Ripi told The New York Times recently. “I feel like the little mouse who takes the thorns out of their feet.”

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