What Is Gunn IMS?
Do you suffer from joint and muscle pain or have a limited range of motion due to a chronic pain condition? Does your pain persist no matter what you do? There are several treatments available to you here at Global Physiotherapy in Sherwood Park, AB, and Gunn IMS is one that may be successful in treating your pain problem.
Gunn IMS, or intramuscular stimulation, is grounded in Western Medical Science. This treatment approach is based on a “neuropathic model of musculoskeletal dysfunction developed by Dr. C. Chan Gunn.” IMS treatment involves dry needling of affected areas of the body (using a sterile acupuncture needle) without injecting any substance.
What To Expect With IMS
Gunn IMS is a full body assessment and treatment approach to chronic muscle tightness with impaired nerve function. The assessment looks at movement in both the upper and lower quadrants of the body. Nerve testing is essential to determine if IMS is the right treatment choice.
With certain types of treatment in the physiotherapy world, there is a good bit of hearsay about what is and isn’t considered painful in terms of treatment options. With IMS treatment, penetration of a normal muscle is virtually painless; however, a shortened, hypersensitive muscle will ‘grasp’ the needle in what can be described as a cramping sensation. During treatment, the goal is to cause one of two reactions:
- A deep ache caused by the chemical reaction when the needle is inserted into a shortened muscle
- A muscle twitch or contraction
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 via platelet-derived growth factor; three, the treatment creates an electrical potential in the muscle to make the nerve function normally again.
It may sound intimidating to read about, however, rest assured that our physiotherapists at Global Physiotherapy are highly trained in the use of IMS treatment to relieve persistent myofascial pain conditions.
What Pain Conditions Can IMS Treat?
IMS through dry needling has a solid foundation in its radiculopathic model of pain, which is now supported by a growing body of research and experts in the field of pain management. According to ChoosePT, “preliminary research supports that dry needling improves pain control, reduces muscle tension, and normalizes dysfunctions of the motor end plates, the sites at which nerve impulses are transmitted to muscles.” This can help speed up a patient’s recovery time and allow them to resume doing the activities they love.
A few conditions that IMS can treat are as follows:
- Frozen shoulder
- Whiplash (for example, as a result of an auto accident)
- Neck radiculopathy
- Hand tingling and numbness
- Back pain
- Sciatica
- Foot tingling and numbness
- Tennis elbow
- Headaches
- Chronic pain
- Decreased range of motion
- Muscle and joint stiffness
Contact Global Physiotherapy Center In Sherwood Park, AB Today
Here at Global Physiotherapy one of our registered physiotherapists can properly assess your condition, and create a specialized treatment plan for your recovery. He or she will also be able to decide whether or not Gunn IMS treatment would be beneficial for you, and help you feel as comfortable as possible during the process.
Contact our office today to set up an appointment with one of our trained physiotherapists to learn more about IMS, and how it can help relieve your pain condition.