Vancouver financial planner Lynne Triffon suffered from chronic neck and shoulder pain for years. The vice president of T.E. Financial Consultants Ltd. was taking muscle relaxants almost every night. She stopped playing tennis, and visits to her chiropractor and massage therapist were providing only temporary relief.

Doctors were befuddled. “My general practitioner sent me to a neurologist and rheumatologist, both of whom told me that basically there was nothing they could do,” she says. So when her massage therapist referred her to a physiotherapist who practiced a technique called “intramuscular stimulation,” Triffon figured she had nothing to lose.

The procedure uses hair-thin acupuncture needles to release tight, painful muscle bands commonly found in patients who suffer headaches, lower back pain and a variety of overuse conditions. Unlike acupuncture, however, IMS isn’t considered part of traditional
Chinese medicine. It relies on strict anatomical guidelines and a full physical examination to determine at which points the needles are placed.

Scientific research on exactly how IMS works to relieve pain is limited but ongoing. One theory suggests inserting the needles into the tightened muscle actually creates a microscopic injury at the site of penetration, triggering the body’s healing mode. The brain releases pain-relieving endorphins and a natural inflammatory process begins, sending blood to the site of the “injury” and consequently loosening tightened muscles.

“The muscle is like a fist, holding the nerve,” says David Lawson, chiropractor and clinic director at Calgary-based Downtown Integrative Health Group. Most patients feel no pain when the needle passes through the skin, although a slight ache follows. “When you stick the needle into the fist, it initially tightens up even more, creating a dull pain. When we pull it out, we can feel that the muscle is getting softer,” he says. “It’s like when your computer screen freezes and you hit the reset button.”

Another theory is that the needles create a small electric current across the tiny wound. Known as the “current of injury,” it mimics a properly conducting nerve and so the muscle relaxes.

In a typical treatment, the needles go anywhere from a quarter-inch to three inches deep, depending on the site of the pain. Generally speaking, patients who have suffered from tight muscles for years will require more treatment than those whose injuries are less severe. On average, it takes eight weekly hour-long visits to realize the benefits, although this varies from patient to patient.

“I had immediate results,” says Triffon who began treatment in June.
Like Triffon, more and more patients are seeking alternative health care when modern medicine fails them, particular in the treatment of chronic pain, Lawson says.

“Western medicine shines in the emergency ward, and that’s about it,” he says. “But with chronic conditions [lasting between 60 and 90 days], Western medicine doesn’t do much except medicate them.”

Diana Hughes, a physiotherapist at the Oakridge Physiotherapy Centre in Vancouver, agrees: “Most of my patients have undergone chiropractic treatment and physiotherapy and haven’t seen results.”

Hughes has been practising IMS for three years and says the treatment appeals to those who have tried other therapies and are hesitant to continue taking prescription medication. She most commonly treats neck and lower back pain, although conditions including tennis elbow and Achilles tendonitis are also receptive to IMS.

Risks include infection (although the likelihood of getting an infection from an IMS needle is on par with getting one from a flu shot, Hughes says) and, in very rare instances, pneurothorax or collapsed lung. Side effects may include mild bruising and soreness.

Lawson stresses IMS alone isn’t a cure-all. “Like any treatment, the patient has to participate in the long-term benefits,” he says. Lawson encourages patients to supplement treatments with regular exercise and a diet rich in Co-enzyme Q10, an antioxidant that helps to maintain good tissue health.

People working in offices are particularly prone to developing chronic neck and shoulder conditions. Lawson recommends stretching after two hours of sitting.

Patients looking for an IMS practitioner are urged to do their homework, as provincial laws vary on what type of health-care providers are licensed to use needles in their practices. In British Columbia, for instance, only physicians and physiotherapists are permitted.

Fees range from $40 to $80 a visit, and costs may be covered by provincial and/or private insurance plans.
For qualified IMS practitioners, visit www.istop.org/infopages/practitioners.htm. IE