The Art of Tricking the Body into Healing Itself

Apart from the typical massage, exercise and stretching I have always associated with physical therapy, I've been exposed to many other interesting forms of treatment at the clinic here, and I have begun to notice a consistent theme: the ultimate goal, regardless the method, is to trick the body into just taking care of itself. After all, our bodies are absolutely brilliant in their complexity and intuitiveness, so who better to fix us than ourselves?

Allow me to share with you my own novice understanding and experience regarding the wholistic medicinal approach implemented here at the Sports & Pain Clinic.

Dry Needling

This is a technique utilised by the physios to loosen up tight muscles when the stiffness cannot be released effectively through massage. The thin needles are inserted directly into muscular knots in an effort to release the clump of minerals that have built-up in the area due to tightness or overuse. Through a chain reaction, often causing an involuntary twitch, spasm or cramp, the knot is loosened, allowing for proper flow of minerals and blood through the tissue. The introduction of a foreign object into the body also promotes a healing response, resulting in increased blood flow to the area, further loosening up the muscles and mending the abused tissue.

I was dry needled in my hamstring, iliopsoas and piriformis, each of which resulted in small twitches, though my hamstring was the worst due to its tightness. The needles produced a deep kind of ache where they were inserted, and I could almost feel my muscles clenching around them as the needle was jabbed around the area at multiple angles. The back of my leg was sore for the remainder of the day, feeling as though I had done a heavy leg session at the gym, but come Friday, I was good as new.

Acupuncture

Similar to dry needling, and using the same needles mentioned above, acupuncture involves the insertion of needles into knots throughout the body, as well as other areas to promote increased blood flow, relaxation and healing. The needles are left in for a longer period of time, giving the body time to send an immune response to the area and begin doing its work to mend in any way it can. In addition to loosening up tight muscles, I have seen it used to promote skin clearance, decrease anxiety, and treat nerve pain.

I have been treated with acupuncture twice, once in my back and once in my left shoulder around my rotator cuff, and the sensation is quite different to dry needling. Instead of poking around, the needles were left to sit for 10 minutes, allowing the initial ache to diminish and the muscles to loosen up from their originally tense state. Had I not been tight, I wouldn't even feel the needles, but I had several twitches with both treatments, indicating that I was significantly more tense than I thought. Our acupuncturist had offered to treat my shoulder after I explained the clicking I felt with overhead exercises, and the clicking has not happened again since treatment, so there you have it!

Cupping

This method is used when the muscle tension is more widespread across an area, rather than localised in knots that can be targeted by needles. Alcohol-soaked cotton is lit on fire and briefly inserted inside the cups, sucking the oxygen out and creating a negative pressure in the glass cup which allows it to suction on to the skin. When muscles fibers get tight, they create a net that collects dead blood cells and toxins, trapping them in the muscle and creating discomfort and increased tension. The suction of the cups draws these toxic substances to the surface of the skin, giving the body's lymphatic system the opportunity to sweep them up and flush them out. The marks left behind over particularly tight muscles are then treated as bruises, resulting in an influx of white blood cells to the area for repair and maintenance, further enhancing the healing process.

When cupping was used on me, I felt as though I was being attacked by an octopus? Or maybe being softly bitten by several puppies? The sensation wasn't painful, but it was strange. After several minutes, the uncomfortable pressure wore off as my muscles got the memo that they needed to relax, but I could still feel the heaviness of the glass cups clinging to my skin. I'm not sure how effective the treatment was on me, as I received it in concurrence with acupuncture, but I have witnessed enough positive reports from patients to be convinced its the real deal.

Shockwave Therapy

The clinic is one of only a few in the area to have a shockwave machine, and I have seen it used on countless patients for a variety of injuries and sources of pain. The machine sends electrical currents into stiff tissue to create micro-tears in the fibers, physically loosening up the area and increasing blood flow (again- the healing response). The frequency and duration of the shocks is decided based on the sensitivity and accessibility of the targeted spot, and it seems to be used most effectively on the plantar fascia, achilles and glenohumeral joint.

I have not personally experienced this treatment, but, as with each of the treatments I've described, I have seen the successful results in several patients.

In each of these methods, the goal, among other things, is to promote a natural healing response in the affected area. Our blood is chock full of nutrients, hormones, platelets and white blood cells eager to fix us up- they need only a reason to do so. While the theories behind shocks, cups and needles are all relatively similar, I have seen many patients respond better to one than another, suggesting that a wholistic approach to treatment is the most effective way serve the whole population. Human bodies are complex and diverse and unique, and we need to treat them as such!

My experiences at the clinic have opened my eyes to the authenticity of eastern medical practices, and I have a newfound respect for the effectiveness of such treatments that are less supported by standard methodology. It seems that the best way to approach physiotherapy is with an open mind and a healthy appreciation for the impressive capability of the human body.