Saturday News

Contents of This Week Saturday News:

• Headline - Dry Needling

Dry Needling is the use of either solid filiform needles or hollow-core hypodermic needles for therapy of muscle pain, sometimes also known as intramuscular stimulation (IMS). Acupuncture and dry needling techniques are similar but not the same. A definition from Wikipedia and video clips from YouTube / Vimeo.

• Eclectic - Many articles from many Guest Bloggers about Stroke
• Medical Establishment
• [Guest Article] Acupuncture and Stroke Recovery
• Acupuncture Doesn't Seem to Help
• Last Thursday...
• Garbage Can Send You to a Nursing Home
• 12 Tips to Prevent Caregiver Burnout!
• Brain + Comfort Zone = No Gain
• 50 Shades of Stroke – Setbacks
• Comfort Rots the Brain
• Weekly Columnists
• Musing: Effectiveness of Acupuncture Combined With Rehabilitation for Treatment of Acute or Subacute Stroke: a Systematic Review
• Sunday Stroke Survival: Dry Needling - The New Hope
• Caregiver: Caregiving X 2
• Jackie The Jester: Heaven...
• TED Talks - Daniel Kish: How I Use Sonar to Navigate the World
• Rick Mercer Report: Rick and Brett Kissel
• Laid-Back Administration: No Posts This Week
• Daily Comics: FB Or FW, Dilbert, Mayes, Doonesbury

Definition: Dry Needling

Dry Needling From Wikipedia,
         the free encyclopedia

Acupuncture and dry needling techniques
are similar but not the same

Dry needling is the use of either solid filiform needles or hollow-core hypodermic needles for therapy of muscle pain, sometimes also known as intramuscular stimulation (IMS). Acupuncture and dry needling techniques are similar but not the same.

The origin of the term “dry needling” is attributed to Janet Travell, M.D. In her book, 'Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: Trigger Point Manual', Dr. Travell uses the term "dry needling" to differentiate between two hypodermic needle techniques when performing trigger point therapy. The two techniques she described are the injection of a local anesthetic and the mechanical use of a hypodermic needle without injecting a solution (Travell, Simons, & Simons, 1999, pp. 154–155). Dr. Travell preferred a 22-gauge, 1.5-in hypodermic needle for trigger point therapy and used this needle for both injection therapy and dry needling. Dr. Travell never used a filiform needle (aka “acupuncture” needle). Dr. Travell had access to acupuncture needles but reasoned that they were far too thin for trigger point therapy. She preferred hypodermic needles because of their strength and tactile feedback:“A 22-gauge, 3.8-cm (1.5-in) needle is usually suitable for most superficial muscles. In hyperalgesic patients a 25-gauge, 3.8-cm (1.5-in) needle may cause less discomfort, but will not provide the clear “feel” of the structures being penetrated by needle and is more likely to be deflected by the dense contraction knots that are the target… A 27-gauge needle, 3.8-cm (1.5-in) needle is even more flexible; the tip is more likely to be deflected by the contraction knots and it provides less tactile feedback for precision injection” (Travell, Simons, & Simons, 1999, p. 156).

Video: Dry Needling

Contents

There many, many YouTube available about “Dry Needling”. I put only a sample and you can investigate more if you want to...

1. Introduction
2. Foot
3. Thigh
4. Back
5. Chest & Abdomen
6. Arm

1. Introduction

Dry Needling: A Brief History and Demonstration

Published on Mar 17, 2012

History of Dry Needling explaining the difference between it and acupuncture. Video includes and explanation of the term Dry Needling and a demonstration of the technique.

Standard YouTube License @ Troy Sammons

Eclectic Stuff

Definition: Eclectic(noun) a person who derives ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.

Medical Establishment

Amy Shissler
My Cerebellar Stroke Recovery

July 3, 2014

I received an email yesterday from someone whose family member recently had a stroke and he was looking for information.  He has looked into some alternative treatments and said this…

“I’ve been researching such treatments as hyperbaric oxygen therapy as well as Chinese Scalp acupuncture to treat her paralysis.  However, I’m a little leery because those methods have not been endorsed by the medical establishment.”

This was my reply…..

“Unfortunately anything that will help is not endorsed by the medical establishment.  You’re going to have to let go of the thinking that doctors are now the most knowledgeable people and the ones to go to for help.  That’s not the place to depend on for information.  It was very irresponsible of her doctors to say that there will be no more recovery.  I highly highly recommend getting her involved with some sort of meditation practice.”

I remember the days of scouring the internet and writing emails to people hoping for some help.  All of my emails were to the wrong people.  If you or your loved one is within the first year, maybe 2 years of a stroke, you don’t know yet.  You don’t know that doctors, particularly neurologists, will not help you.  You have to find your own ways to get better and it doesn’t involve Western Medicine for the most part.  Neurological injuries are a bitch and a half.  It takes a hell of a lot more than going to some doctor and therapy appointments to even remotely overcome something like this.

See the original article:

Medical Establishment

in

My Cerebellar Stroke Recovery

[Guest Article] Acupuncture and Stroke Recovery

Pamela Hsieh
Rehab Revolution

31 May 2012

image yoinked from
http://bit.ly/JZJ3KS

My name is Cara, and I am a 22 year-old stroke survivor who suffered from left-side paralysis and have tried various healing methods in hopes to reach a full recovery: I’m an avid reader of this blog, and I honor its mission to never limit one’s healing. I have tried mostly a mixture of both Western and Eastern healing methods. I would like to describe my experience with an Eastern form of medicine and healing method — acupuncture. It has been almost four months since I had my stroke, and I have gotten almost 60% mobility back on my left side as of today. In my experience, most of my mobility was regained in a short amount of time (two weeks) after receiving acupuncture.

Now, what exactly is acupuncture? It’s a set of procedures that involve stimulating anatomical points on the body by various techniques. The different techniques I have gotten done on my body by my acupuncturist are needles, cupping, and acupressure. Acupuncture needles are the most commonly known, where thin needles are placed on various points of the body to bring pain relief and energy balance in the body. Cupping is where glass cups are placed on the body and a vacuum is created inside the cup, sucking the skin into the cup where blood flow rushes to the area, improving circulation. Lastly, acupressure is basically acupuncture without the needles, where the acupuncturist manually applies pressure to specific points on the body using fingertips. For today, I will focus on acupuncture needles and my experience with this.

Acupuncture Doesn't Seem to Help

Jeff Porter
Stroke of Faith

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

I've always been a little skeptical of acupuncture - even though for all I know, it might work for some people in some circumstances.

However, for those recovering from a stroke, according to Reuters Health, acupuncture might not be helpful: 

"Our meta-analysis of data from rigorous randomized sham-controlled trials did not show a positive effect of acupuncture as a treatment for functional recovery after stroke," Dr. Jae Cheol Kong of Wonkwang University in Iksan, South Korea, and colleagues conclude in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ). 

Some recent studies have found no benefit for acupuncture when it is compared to sham acupuncture, a placebo version of the traditional Chinese medicine technique that can involve needling non-acupuncture points, penetrating the skin shallowly, or not penetrating the skin at all.

See the original article:

Acupuncture Doesn't Seem to Help

in

Stroke of Faith

Last Thursday...

Barb Polan
Barb’s Recovery

8th August 2010

Last Thursday I went to another meeting of the Addison Gilbrt stroke support group and had the pleasure of talking with those happy optimistic people about alternative therapies. They suggested: acupuncture, horseback riding, aquatherapy, and Botox(!) injections. They also highly recommended the therapists at AG.

Friday, my PT consisted of having a WalkAide sales rep fit me and program a session specifically for me using a WalkAide, which straps on just below my knee and gives me an electrical stimulation each time I lift my left foot, to eliminate "foot drop" and improve my gait. By the time I finished that day, I was exhausted, then waited for Tom to arrive on his way home from work. Unfortunately, I must have left my phone there at the rehab hospital because I haven't seen it since I texted Tom "finished" at the end of the session. I hate to call the rehab hospital Monday to check on my phone because about a month ago I was sure I must have left it there and they spent time searching for it, when it turned out that I had lost it inside our car. This time, though, Tom checked the car and said it didn't ring when he called it from inside the car.

Yesterday was the Gloucester Gig Rowers race that I had signed up to participate in when a survey went around at the beginning of the sea on, but I couldn't row in it because my therapists said I would not be ready. The winners made it around the 5.5 mile course in 40 minutes. It is approximately the same distance as the Head of the Weir race I am approved to row in in October. To be ready, I am using a rowing machine to train and I am currently at 10 minutes at a time, just finishing 4 times this past week. My goal is to go for an hour, which is the length of the training rows actually, it's the length of all rows, but some are less intense than others. Conditioning and race-training rows are the most demanding, while recreational and instructional rows are less so. When I use the rowing machine, I can feel my left arm pulling, but I struggle to keep my left hand around the handle. Each day Tom has a new way of attaching my hand to the handle - today's version included wiring closed the splint holding my hand onto the handle. It's not a long-term solution because I could not get my hand attached by myself.

See the original article:

Last Thursday...

in

Barb's Recovery

Garbage Can Send You to a Nursing Home

Rebecca Dutton
Home After a Stroke

April 3, 2015

I live alone so I cannot stay in my home if stinky garbage piles up on my patio.  People would call the health department.  After my stroke a neighbor took my garbage to the curb for a month.  However, I do not want neighbors to think if they help me for a short while they have volunteered for life.  Paying a nursing home $8,000 a month is a really expensive way to get rid of garbage (Genworth Survey of Long-Term Care).  Here are adaptive devices that make me independent.

Garbage. I use Hefty Ultimate garbage bags.  They have an elastic drawstring built into the top of the bag which grips the top of the garbage can in my kitchen.  I place the full garbage bag on the seat of a kitchen chair so I do not have to lean down very far to tie a knot in the drawstring with my teeth and sound hand.  Once the bag is tightly sealed I kick it down my front steps without any spills.  I put the bag in a rolling garbage can to take the garbage to the curb.  I learned not to push the garbage can by tilting the can and rolling it on the wheels.  The first time I did this I almost fell when the garbage can got away from me.  By putting the wheels in front (see arrow) I can push it like a rolling walker.

CAUTION: I used to drag a cane in my hemiplegic hand so I could walk back to the house.  Now my balance is good enough to walk back without a cane.

Recycling. My town recycles glass, metal, and plastic containers.  The short yellow container I was given is too heavy and awkward for me to carry to the curb.  The photo shows the Devault Plant Dolly.  Six casters under the dolly make it roll smoothly.  To pull the dolly back to the house, I threaded a long strap through the central hole that is designed to let plants drain.

See the original article:

Garbage Can Send You to a Nursing Home

in

Home After a Stroke

12 Tips to Prevent Caregiver Burnout!

Kate Allatt
Stroke Recovery Tips

March 28, 2015

It’s hard caring for a loved one and can be very rewarding, but it has considerable stress.

Juggling life as a sole carer, with a job, the kids, perhaps even ailing parents or an illness yourself is very very demanding.  So is it any wonder that family carers are some of the people most prone to burnout?

Perhaps you feel..?

• You are gaining or losing a lot of weight
• You are losing interest in activities you used to enjoy
• Overwhelmed or constantly worried
• You are abusing alcohol or drugs, including prescription medications
• Easily irritated or angry
• Sleepy
• Tired most of the time
• Sad
• You are having frequent headaches, bodily pain or other physical problems.

Brain + Comfort Zone = No Gain

Peter G. Levine
Stronger After Stroke

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

The key to recovery is challenge. Heck, the key to learning anything new is challenge. (For stroke survivors movements that need to be re-learned are "new.")

So how much challenge is needed? Let's put it this way, one of the treatments used to improve quality and speed of walking that seems very promising is called "speed dependent treadmill training." How challenging is it? Check this out…

The survivor gets on a treadmill and harnessed to the ceiling with a strap around their chest, just under their arms. The strap doesn't do anything – it's just a safety belt so if they fall, they don't fall- if you fall oh. (heh heh- still got it!)

The speed of the treadmill is turned up until either the therapist or the stroke survivor freaks out. Trust me, I'm only nominally paraphrasing here.

The "freak out" speed is considered the survivor's top speed. The survivors then rests for about five minutes. Then he gets back on the treadmill, harnessed again, and the speed of the treadmill is brought to half of his top speed for two or three minutes – as a warm-up.

50 Shades of Stroke – Setbacks

Sas Freeman

April 5, 2015

I am posting this blog to update all Sas’s friends, followers and readers that unfortunately she was taken back in to hospital last Wednesday with an abnormally high blood pressure and very strong chest pain. Although it would appear at first glance to be a step backwards, Sas is viewing it as an opportunity to progress further with her recovery.

The Doctors and Consultants had been carrying out tests in order to identify the problem but unfortunately due to staffing shortages over the Easter period a different Doctor, who was not treating her, sent her and others home on Thursday evening. Sas was told to return on Tuesday 7 April where she will be expected to stay for at least 3 days.

Sas would like to wish you all a very ‘Happy Easter’ and apologises to all her Twitter friends for not feeling well enough to tweet at the moment. She is missing you all.

See the original article:

50 Shades of Stroke – Setbacks

in

Sas Freeman

Comfort Rots the Brain

Tim Seefeldt
Brain Food Cafe for the Mind

Posted March 29, 2015

Comfort kills.

It rots, it mutes, it makes us benign.

Kevin Spaceys’ character Roger ‘Verbal’ Kint nailed is in the great movie, The Usual Suspects. He said:

“The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.”

When we think there’s no devil, there’s nothing to keep us sharp. We get soft. Or as Pink Floyd perfectly put it, we become comfortably numb.

Rage against the devils that mute us, I say!

It took me stroking out and having to reboot my brain to get hip to this trick. It doesn’t have to go so far.

I’m convinced that we’ve become wired today to make us think that the early struggles and challenges of life are supposed to lead us to a land of milk and honey where we can finally just sit back. So we get to a point where we can do our job in our sleep and go on autopilot to handle the other things in our lives.

That’s when we’ve made it, baby.

Except that we haven’t.

Weekly Columnists

Musing: Effectiveness of Acupuncture Combined With Rehabilitation for Treatment of Acute or Subacute Stroke: a Systematic Review

Dean Reinke
Deans’ Stroke Musing

Saturday, April 4, 2015

I don't see how they can come to the conclusion that acupuncture helps at all in treating stroke. Energy meridians have never been proven to exist, the only proof ever given is an appeal to antiquity which is totally worthless. By combining therapies you can never prove which one is effective. Effectiveness of Acupuncture Combined With Rehabilitation for Treatment of Acute or Subacute Stroke: a Systematic Review.

1. Larissa Vados1,
2. Alberto Ferreira1,
3. ShouFa Zhao1,
4. Rafael Vercelino2,
5. Shu Wang3

+ Author Affiliations

1. Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
2. Department of Pharmacology of Pain & Neuromodulation, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde-ICBS, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul–UFRGS, Tianjin, China
3. First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China

1. Correspondence to Larissa Vados, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 88 YuQuan Lu, TianZhong BinGuan Room 1124, Tianjin 300193, China; lvados@icloud.com

• Accepted 13 March 2015
• Published Online First 31 March 2015

ABSTRACT

Objectives To determine whether the combination of acupuncture and rehabilitation produces better results in the treatment of acute or subacute stroke sequelae than rehabilitation alone.

Acupuncture Treatment

Methods A systematic review was carried out. A search was conducted in March 2014 using PubMed, Medline, the Cochrane Library, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure database (CNKI) and Wanfang databases. English and Chinese language articles published within 10 years of the search were reviewed for inclusion. Randomised control trials comparing combined treatment with acupuncture and rehabilitation and rehabilitation alone in patients with acute or subacute stroke (onset until 3 months after stroke) were included in this review. Three review authors independently checked the titles and abstracts of trials for inclusion based on selection criteria. Studies measuring changes of motor function, activities of daily living, neurological deficit or spasticity/range of motion during the treatment period and at the end of follow-up were included.

Results 17 trials met the inclusion criteria, of which five were of good quality. 14 trials had results favourable to acupuncture combined with rehabilitation, compared with conventional rehabilitation treatment alone.

Conclusions Acupuncture in combination with rehabilitation may have benefits for the treatment of acute and subacute stroke sequelae in comparison with rehabilitation alone. However, many of the studies were at risk of bias. Future studies should focus on reaching a consensus about the most appropriate modality of acupuncture intervention, and the appropriate length of treatment for both interventions, to maximise the potential synergistic outcomes.

See the original article:

Effectiveness of Acupuncture Combined With Rehabilitation for Treatment of Acute or Subacute Stroke: a Systematic Review

in

Deans' Stroke Musing

Sunday Stroke Survival: Dry Needling - The New Hope

Jo Murphey
The Murphey Saga

Sunday, April 5, 2015

It seems I can't quit talking about dry needling. It has been my greatest blessing so far this year. It has almost consumed my blog since December 2014 and I first heard about it for post stroke spasticity.  Yes, it is still considered "voodoo therapy" as my old occupational therapist calls it. There are no concrete studies to categorically prove that this works for post stroke spasticity  patients. Studies are currently being done. BUT for me it's working. That's saying a lot!

Before the dry needling, my spasticity was BAD and almost constant even with 400cc of Botox (350 units in just my arm alone). When the Botox wore off before the next series of injections, I was in horrendous pain. Try bending your wrist with finger clenched into a fist, and then cock it inward until you fingers touch your inside forearm. Now bring the whole forearm up to your chest and hold it in that position. Bet you can't do it for long.

Caregiver: Caregiving X 2

Diane
The Pink House On The Corner

Sunday, November 23, 2014

So, I knew this was coming, but as always it seems to happen too fast.  Boomer, my beloved, best friend, best buddy, Great Dane/German Shepard/lovable mutt and 12 year companion, recently turned 13 years old. And man, he is showing it.

I had the vet come to our house last month for a check-up, as Boomer is really slowing down and his appetite has been picky/poor. She diagnosed severe arthritis and also neurological problems caused by the arthritis, including loss of sensitivity to his rectum, which is why he sometimes, you know, looses control of his bowels while he is asleep and, of course, the big dog hip dysplasia...

Boomer in his favorite spot on our front porch.

Surgery could correct the hip problem, but the vet thought that would be too risky at his age. And now, it's down to "keep him comfortable" and happy and quality of life issues and take it day by day...

Soooo -- Boomer has been prescribed doggy hydrocodone (WHICH IS A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE! GA! So once again I am on the "try-to-find-this-pain-med" trip, but now for the dog!) and Gabapentin, plus glucosamine supplements (he was on these before) and recommended daily walks (which I have been doing for 12 years, so no problem there). So I am popping pills down this poor dog's throat several times a day... not fun for either of us.

Also, she suggested acupuncture and hydrotherapy.  Oh-kay -- I'm starting with the pharmaceuticals and we'll see how it goes. I guess I might have to put a pool in the back yard at our new house, not only for aqua therapy for Bob but for Boomer!

Jackie The Jester: Heaven...

Jackie Poff
Stroke Survivors Tattler

On their way to get married, a young Catholic couple were involved in a fatal car accident. The couple found themselves sitting outside the Pearly Gates waiting for St. Peter to process them into Heaven. While waiting they began to wonder; Could they possibly get married in Heaven?

When St. Peter arrived they asked him if they could get married in Heaven. St. Peter said, "I don't know. This is the first time anyone has asked. Let me go find  out," and he left.

The couple sat and waited for an answer... For a couple of months.

While they waited, they discussed the pros and cons. If they were allowed to get married in Heaven, should they get married, what with the eternal aspect of it all? "What if it doesn't work? Are we stuck in Heaven together forever?"

Another month passed. St. Peter finally returned, looking somewhat bedraggled. “Yes," he informed the couple, "You can get married in Heaven."

"Great!" said the couple. "But we were just wondering; what if things don't work out? Could we also get a divorce in Heaven?"

St. Peter, red-faced with anger, slammed his clipboard on the ground.

"What's wrong?" asked the frightened couple.

"Oh, Come On!" St. Peter shouted. "It took me 3 months to find a priest up here! Do you have ANY idea of how long it'll take to find a lawyer?"

TED Talks - Daniel Kish: How I Use Sonar to Navigate the World

Published on Mar 31, 2015

SSTattler: Excellent speech...

Daniel Kish has been blind since he was 13 months old, but has learned to “see” using a form of echolocation. He clicks his tongue and sends out flashes of sound that bounce off surfaces in the environment and return to him, helping him to construct an understanding of the space around him. In a rousing talk, Kish demonstrates how this works and asks us to let go of our fear of the “dark unknown.”


Standard YouTube License @ TED

Rick Mercer Report: Rick and Brett Kissel

Published on Mar 25, 2015

Rick helps out on country star Brett Kissel’s family cattle ranch in Flat Lake, AB.



Standard YouTube License @ Rick Mercer Report