When my Physio recommended acupuncture to help with my ankle and foot problems I will admit I was a bit sceptical and a little bit scared. The part where he said “I have had a few people swear at me” alarmed me somewhat and I have to admit, I’m a bit of a wuss when it comes to this sort of thing.. sticking needles directly into my muscles with the intention of on-setting a severe cramp is not the most appealing proposition. But, I did a bit of research, and Duane did a great job of explaining exactly why he thought it would help me. My ankle problems were continuing to niggle away so I decided to give it a shot.
I went in on Wednesday after a particular trying day in the office and the thought if a little bit of inflicted pain was actually quite appealing, but I would be lying to say that I was looking forward to the treatment. The plan was to stimulate my left soleus muscle to free up the movement of my left ankle joint and also the peroneus longus muscle in my right leg which had become tight due to a change in bio mechanics of my gait and compensation for the left ankle.
Muscles of the lower leg
I started with the much smaller muscle on the right leg and could barely feel the needle being tapped into my leg. When the needle hit the muscle it was just a small contraction, similar to that you would feel if a small electronic pulse was sent through it. And that was that, I barely felt anything. My soleus was a different story, being a much larger muscle the contractions were more intense but not unbearable and actually felt really nice. I could definitely feel a release in both muscles pretty much instantly after the treatment.
My legs did feel a bit sore for about 24 hours after, much like they were worked in the gym, a bit of a dull ache, but the feeling again was kind of nice. The release of tension felt great and my ankle was moving easily and I could instantly feel an improvement just walking down the street.
I would definitely recommend this treatment to anyone in a similar situation with short, tight muscles that need a good release. The feeling is great, and is a great instant way to release any tension in the muscle as opposed to massage and stretching.
Details of the treatment can be found here: www.istop.org
And a brief description below:
The treatment involves dry needling of affected areas of the body without injecting any substance. The needle sites can be at the epicenter of taut, tender muscle bands, or they can be near the spine where the nerve root may have become irritated and supersensitive. Penetration of a normal muscle is painless; however, a shortened, supersensitive 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. Three, the treatment creates an electrical potential in the muscle to make the nerve function normally again. The needle used in IMS, by stimulating muscle spindles, essentially becomes a specific and unique tool for the diagnosis of Neuropathic Muscle Pain.
The goal of treatment is to release muscle shortening, which presses on and irritates the nerve. Supersensitive areas can be desensitized, and the persistent pull of shortened muscles can be released. IMS is very effective for releasing shortened muscles under contracture, thereby causing mechanical pain from muscle pull. IMS, in effect, treats the underlying neuropathic condition that causes the pain. When competently performed, IMS has a remarkable success rate, as proven by the amelioration of symptoms and signs, even for chronic back pain with root signs.