What is Dry Needling/Intramuscular Stimulation (IMS)?
Functional Dry Needling or Intramuscular Stimulation (IMS) is an advanced needling technique that focuses on using needles to release tension, tightness, and trigger points in muscles.
A small filament needle is inserted into the muscle eliciting a small twitch response and then relaxing the muscle. The twitch response acts to “reboot” the muscle to help improve muscular function, increase blood flow, and normalize the nervous system.
Benefits of Dry Needling
Dry needling or IMS is an effective treatment for acute and chronic pain, rehabilitation from injury, and even pain and injury prevention.
What to Expect
Most patients will not even feel the needle penetrate the skin, but once it advances into the muscle, the discomfort can vary from patient to patient.
Usually a healthy muscle feels very little discomfort upon insertion of the needle; however, if the muscle is sensitive and shortened or contains active trigger points, the subject may feel a sensation much like a muscle cramp, often referred to as a “twitch response.”
Many patients experience dramatic pain relief and improved function in just a few treatments.
Practitioner Training
Dr. Janzen and Dr. Turner have taken additional training to become certified in Dry Needling, otherwise known as IMS or Intramuscular Stimulation.
They have both completed the necessary training hours and passed both a written and practical examinations to meet the World Health Organization’s standard for practicing Acupuncture or Dry Needling.