[tcherasaro]

I can supply my own anecdata here.

I recently went through 6 weeks of PT for injured tendons / tendinitis in my arms with 0 results.

The therapist suggested we try dry needling + electric stimulation for another 6 weeks. So we did that and I recovered 90% in the second 6 weeks of therapy.

There were side effects but they were minimal and completely gone now.

It looked a little like this except on my arms:

https://youtube.com/shorts/pTEPMgDdy2A?si=MSx7YnmUbApsigWe

I was skeptical but sold on the benefits and relieved to have an effective therapy option to fall back on when it happens again as it does every couple years. Unfortunately, my insurance doesn’t pay for it.

[froobius]

Without a twin with the exact same injury and no intervention, to compare with, we don't know from this whether it was just the six extra weeks of healing that made the difference.

[b112]

I do wonder if the first 6 weeks did the work, and the results appears in parallel with the alternate therapy. Of course, this sort of conversation is a prelude to "let's try alternate therapy first, for science!" with volunteers, so there is benefit.

[aklemm]

Indeed, the takeaway I get from this is how we tend to underestimate how long healing takes. People expect major injuries to be healed in 6 weeks, but it often takes that long to simply turn the corner toward full healing.

[fluoridation]

I mean, GP did open up by saying it was an anecdote, not that it was evidence that electrotherapy works.

[nickff]

Even with a twin, you still wouldn’t “know”, because there might have been a difference in either their injury, their ability to heal (people can heal at different rates for many non-genetic reasons), or other, even ‘random’ factors.

There is a well-known case study where a man ‘cracked’ each joint in one hand every day, and never ‘cracked’ any joint in the other hand for many years, to see whether it caused arthritis. He didn’t get arthritis in either hand. The only thing you can take away from that is that cracking the joints doesn’t necessarily cause arthritis for him.

The person posted an anecdote; you don’t have to rely on in, but your dismissal is shallow and unhelpful.

[stronglikedan]

> try dry needling

Yeah, that's a "no" from me dawg. My PT stuck the needle in, and I was fine with that. Then he moved it a little, and I turned pale as a ghost and started sweating. Same thing happened when I had my nerve conduction study - never again. Needles going in and out is fine. Needles moving around under my skin ain't gonna happen any more. (Except at the dentist, but that's what the laughing gas is for!)

[drjasonharrison]

My experience with dry needling was just in and out, no movement laterally or in depth after insertion. I'm sorry you experienced this.

[bwoah]

I had the same thing happen once, and it was as fascinating as it was unsettling. Very slight movement of one needle in what seemed like a pretty inconsequential part of my body produced a near-instantaneous full-body reaction involving many systems.

[ehnto]

I usually great with all kinds of pain, but I had to have injured fingernails removed and they put needles down the side of my fingers to numb them. Needles against the bone, not a feeling I want to experience again.

I didn't return for the other nail, I preferred to do it at home with a knife, it was less painful.

[weird-eye-issue]

Were you laying down or seated?

Laying down is fine for me. But if I'm seated I will start sweating, get really hot, feel nauseous, and almost pass out

This has happened during dry needling and just ultrasound therapy

[p1esk]

I had the same problem with my elbow, electrotherapy did not help. Turned out it was systemic inflammation in my body that was preventing it from healing. Change of diet fixed it.

[ojo-rojo]

I'm interested in what you changed in your diet that helped. Would you be open to sharing?

(I'm vegetarian, and eat a lot of salty and sugary foods I'm not too proud of, and would love to learn what works for other people.)

[naasking]

Tendons take a long time to heal, much longer than skeletal muscle damage. I'm sure electric stimulation helped, but it could have just taken 12 weeks for the tendons to recover.

[simmerup]

WHat were the side effects?

[glitchc]

I've had electro-acupuncture to as part of my recovery from shoulder surgery. One possible side-effect is that nerves can occasionally misfire or auto-fire. It could manifest itself as a tick or a twitch, where a specific muscle fires on its own without any stimulus (or the wrong stimulus). It goes away with extra physical training. I guess it is to be expected as the needle does cause some minor physical damage on insertion and removal.

[eth0up]

Do you have any opinion on tens units? I have found them ineffective, but perhaps one can be modified?

If you happen to be aware of a diy poor man's hack, maybe point me yonder. I gots lots o' problems. I'm also interested in zapping me 'ead, but that's more complicated and... seemingly expensive.

[ThePowerOfFuet]

Here's that YouTube link, but with playback controls and without the tracking: https://youtube.com/watch?v=pTEPMgDdy2A