Intramuscular Stimulation (IMS)
Patient Information Sheet
IMS is a similar technique to acupuncture and uses fine needles to treat tight muscle bands that
are implicated in many chronic and painful conditions such as neck and back pain as well as
many other soft tissue injuries. However IMS differs from acupuncture in its application
because the needle insertion is indicated by physical signs as opposed to the non-scientific
meridians of Chinese acupuncture. IMS is based on known scientific, neurophysiologic
principles.
Pain that shows no obvious sign of tissue damage or inflammation such as headaches, backaches
“tennis elbow”, “frozen shoulder”, chronic muscle pain and a host of other soft tissue complaints
are difficult to treat with traditional methods. The concept of “neuropathic pain” can help to
explain this type of pain. Typically this occurs when nerves malfunction following minor
irritation. Nerves and nerve endings become extremely sensitive and cause normal, harmless
signals to be exaggerated and misperceived as painful ones. This is known as supersensitivity.
The result is pain even when medical tests show there is “nothing wrong”.
The most common cause of nerve irritation and neuropathic pain is spondylosis, which means
degeneration in the spine; this can be the result of normal wear and tear to the discs and the joints
of the spine. These wear and tear changes create narrowing of the discs and joints. Less space at
the joints can cause irritation at the nerve roots. Thus spondylosis can lead to neuropathy and
supersensitivity with resultant muscle spasm in the muscle groups supplied by that nerve.
Chronic muscle spasm can lead to muscle shortening which produced pain by pulling on tendons
and straining them as well as distressing the joints they move. Muscle shortening also increases
wear and tear and contributes to degenerative changes such as tendinopathy and osteoarthritis.
Supersensitivity cannot be operated on and muscle shortening from the supersensitivity cannot
be readily stretched out. Painkillers and anti-inflammatory medication only mask the pain. The
goal of IMS is to release muscle shortening which presses on and irritates the nerves.
Supersensitive areas can be desensitized and the persistent muscles released with IMS.
The needle insertion into your skin is often not felt and if your muscle is normal, the application
is painless. If, however your muscle is supersensitive and shortened you will fell a sensation like
a cramp or a Charlie horse as the needling causes the abnormal muscle shortening to intensify
very briefly and the release. This is a distinctive type of discomfort caused by the muscle
grasping the needle which then very quickly disappears and is followed by a feeling if relaxation
in the muscle. It is important to experience this sensation in order to gain lasting relief. The
effects of IMS are cumulative – needling stimulates a certain amount of healing, until eventually
the condition can more fully recover and pain dissipates and muscles loosen.
Treatments are usually once a week but can spread out to two week, to allow time between
treatments for the body to heal itself. The number of treatments you require will vary depending
upon several factors such as the duration and extent of your condition, the amount of scar tissue
there is and how quickly your body can heal. The rate of healing depends on the condition of
your nerves and the amount of previous nerve irritation. If the pain is of recent origin, one or
two treatments may be necessary. More chronic problems will probably require more
treatments. In published studies of patients with low back pain, the average number of IMS
treatments required was 8.2.
Holywood clinic: 10–12 Hibernia Street, Holywood BT18 9JE
Esporta clinic: 106 Belfast Road, Holywood BT18 9QY
t: 028 9042 1188 f: 028 9042 1611 e: info@activehealthsolutions.co.uk
www.activehealthsolutions.co.uk