St. Albert
Superior Performance Centre
780-458-2669
IMS - Intramuscular Stimulation
IMS is for clients who have suffered with soft tissue injuries and subsequently developed
myofascial pain syndrome and/or neuropathic pain.
Although IMS uses implements adapted from traditional acupuncture, it is based on scientific
western medical neurophysiological principles. The acupuncture needle used is very thin.
Patients are unlikely to feel it penetrate the skin, and if the muscle is normal, the needle is
painless. However, if the muscle is supersensitive, shortened or dysfunctional, a peculiar
sensation ensues – like a muscle cramp, dull ache or Charlie Horse. The result is a release of
tense shortened muscles and desensitization of pain that arises from “neuropathy.”
Pain confuses most professionals: IMS treats unwell nerves!
Doctors and other professionals are frequently perplexed by pain that shows no sign of tissue
damage or inflammation – chronic headaches, whiplash, backache, neck tension, tennis
elbow, frozen shoulder, rotator cuff tendinitis or even recurrent pulled hamstrings. This
is a difficult area of medicine, since medical tests often prove inconclusive and its underlying
cause is not broadly understood.
This type of chronic pain, known as neuropathic pain, typically occurs when nerves
malfunction following major or minor irritation or injury. The term Neuropathy literally means
“nerve that is unwell.” When this occurs, the nerves and nerve-endings become extremely
sensitive and cause innocent, harmless signals to be exaggerated and misperceived as painful
ones. (This characteristic is known medically as supersensitivity). The result is pain, even
when extensive medical tests show there is “nothing wrong.” These sensitive nerves cause,
among other things, contraction of muscles or muscle shortening (myofascial pain).
The tightness in the skeletal muscle system and its connective tissue, as well as the
pain arising from this tightness, is called myofascial pain.
Is this you? Patients with this kind of pain commonly complain of:
·
Loss of range of motion
·
Tightness in their muscles
·
Tenderness to touch in the muscles (muscle knots and trigger points)
Pain may occur immediately following injury and persist for months to years, or it may have a
delayed onset, such as after a motor vehicle collision when the pain seems to appear days to
weeks after the incident.
Unfortunately, supersensitivity and muscle shortening cannot be operated on and “cut away”.
Painkillers and other analgesic pills only mask the pain, solving the brain’s perception of the
pain but not the source. Exercise often aggravates these patient’s problems as they are
recruiting muscle fibres that are in a persistent activated state. The goal of IMS treatment is to
release muscle shortening, desensitize the nerve and create a new healing process. With
Gunn IMS, supersensitive areas can be desensitized and the persistent pull of shortened
muscles released. This is the “awwww, feels good” part. Exercise becomes effective and
essential once the nerves and muscles are functioning normally again.
Even when massage, joint adjustments (manipulation), active release, exercise and
other physical therapies have failed, this little needle and our skill can get to the
source…
What causes this kind of pain?
In short… life! The most common cause of nerve irritation and neuropathic pain is
“spondylosis” or degeneration in the spine, which can be the result of normal wear and tear
and affects us all universally. Ultimately, this wear and tear causes the very irritation that
leads to neuropathy – supersensitivity – muscle shortening and finally myofascial pain. Since
spondylosis is nearly universal, we are all susceptible to developing this type of chronic pain.
It is likely the reason that this type of pain is so prevalent and continues to be a silent
epidemic.
Edmonton
Royal Glenora Club
780-761-1160
At Leading Edge
Physiotherapy, all of our IMS
practitioners have
undergone extensive postgraduate training from Dr.
Gunn’s Institute. Since IMS
at our facility is performed
by registered physical
therapists, treatments are
eligible for reimbursement
by 3rd party insurance with
physiotherapy benefits.
WHAT CAN IMS TREAT?
Whiplash
Headaches
Neck pain
Torticollis
TMJ
Upper back pain
Frozen shoulder
Rotator cuff syndrome
Tendinitis and bursitis
Spondylosis and
degenerative disc disease
Lower back pain
Sciatica
Tennis elbow
Achilles tendinitis
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Piriformis syndrome
Ischial bursitis
Chronic sprains and strains