IMS (Intramuscular Stimulation)

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Many people who suffer from chronic pain become frustrated & depressed when conventional treatments such as medications, massage, chiropractic, exercise, and even surgery do not provide lasting or significant relief. 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, because they involve “neuropathic pain.” Intramuscular Stimulation( IMS) is an innovative and effective treatment for chronic pain of neuropathic origin. IMS is a similar technique to acupuncture and uses fine needles to treat tight muscle bands in many chronic and painful conditions such as neck and back pain as well as many other soft tissue injuries. IMS is based on known scientific, medical principles. 

What is Neuropathic Pain?

Neuropathic pain occurs when nerves malfunction following minor irritation or injury. Nerves and nerve endings become extremely sensitive. The normal, harmless signals sent by the nerve are exaggerated and perceived as painful. The nerve becomes super-sensitive. The result is pain, even when medical tests show there is “nothing wrong”. The most common cause of neuropathic pain is degeneration in the spine (spondylosis). Degeneration 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. This can lead to pain and muscle spasm in the muscle groups supplied by that nerve. Chronic muscle spasm can lead to muscle shortening which produces 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 tendonitis and osteoarthritis. 

How can my Neuropathic Pain be treated?

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 pull of shortened muscles safely released with IMS treatment. IMS is based on scientific, neurophysiological principles. Your physical therapist will insert an acupuncture needle into specific trigger points in your muscles. The acupuncture needle used is very thin (much thinner than a human hair). The needles are inserted into the part of a shortened muscle where a nerve may be entrapped. The needle is reinserted several times to release the nerve and lengthen the muscle. 

What Can I expect with IMS treatment?

If your muscle is normal, the insertion of the needle is painless. However if your muscle is supersensitive and shortened, you'll feel a peculiar sensation - like an ache, a muscle cramp or a Charlie horse. This is a distinctive type of discomfort caused by the muscle grasping the needle. Patients soon learn to recognise and welcome this sensation. They call it a "good" or positive pain because it soon disappears and is followed by a wonderful feeling of relief and relaxation. The needle may still be in you, but because the muscle is no longer tight, you no longer feel it. What has happened is that the needling has caused your abnormal muscle shortening to intensify and then release. It is important that you experience this sensation in order to gain lasting relief.   

How many treatments will I need?

Treatments are usually once a week but can be spread out to two weeks, 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 all that is 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. IMS is effective and has few side-effects; the technique is also unequalled for finding and diagnosing muscle shortening in deep muscles. The effects of IMS are cumulative- needling stimulates a certain amount of healing, until eventually, the condition is healed and the pain disappears. Some patients treated with IMS have remained pain-free for over 20 years. 

For more information on IMS, or to determine if you are a candidate for treatment, please call us at(780)466-1104.