What Is IMS or Dry Needling?
Do you suffer from joint and muscle pain or have a limited range of motion due to a chronic pain condition? Does your pain persist no matter what you do? There are several treatments available to you here at Equilibrium in Victoria, BC and IMS or Dry Needling is one that may be successful in treating your pain problem.
IMS, or intramuscular stimulation, is grounded in Western Medical Science. Based on a “neuropathic model of musculoskeletal dysfunction developed by Dr. C. Chan Gunn”, it involves dry needling of affected areas of the body (using a sterile acupuncture needle) without injecting any substance.
Contact our office today for more information about IMS treatment and how it can decrease your pain levels and restore your range of motion.
What To Expect With IMS
With certain types of treatment in the physiotherapy world, there is a good bit of hearsay about what is and isn’t considered painful in terms of treatment options. With IMS treatment, penetration of a normal muscle is virtually painless; however, a shortened, hypersensitive muscle will ‘grasp’ the needle in what can be described as a cramping sensation.
The result is threefold: one, a stretch receptor in the muscle is stimulated, producing a reflex relaxation (lengthening); two, the needle also causes a small injury that draws blood to the area, initiating the natural healing process via platelet-derived growth factor; three, the treatment creates an electrical potential in the muscle to make the nerve function normally again.
It may sound intimidating to read about, however, rest assured that our physiotherapists at Equilibrium are highly trained in the use of IMS treatment to relieve persistent myofascial pain conditions.
What Pain Conditions Can IMS Treat?
IMS through dry needling has a solid foundation in its radiculopathic model of pain, which is now supported by a growing body of research and experts in the field of pain management. According to ChoosePT, “preliminary research supports that dry needling improves pain control, reduces muscle tension, and normalizes dysfunctions of the motor end plates, the sites at which nerve impulses are transmitted to muscles.” This can help speed up a patient’s recovery time and allow them to resume doing the activities they love.
A few conditions that IMS can treat are as follows:
- Frozen shoulder
- Whiplash (for example, as a result of an auto accident)
- Back pain
- Tennis elbow
- Headaches
- Chronic pain
- Decreased range of motion
- Muscle and joint stiffness
Contact Equilibrium In Victoria, BC Today
Here at Equilibrium, one of our licensed physiotherapists can properly assess your condition, and create a specialized treatment plan for your recovery. They will also be able to decide whether or not IMS treatment would be beneficial for you, and help you feel as comfortable as possible during the process. Give us a call at one of our three locations or use our convenient online booking portal to book your own appointment online. We’re looking forward to your call so we can help you book your IMS treatment and be on your way to complete recovery.