If It Hurts, Poke It With A Needle

I started IMS treatments this week for my knee. It's basically acupuncture but they stick the needles directly into the injured muscle, push them in deeper, and wiggle them around. No, I'm not kidding.

This is sharp.

The physiotherapist working on me did a great job of explaining what he was doing and making me feel comfortable. But there's only so much you can do - he's still poking sharp needles into my leg. He used about 30 needles in various spots along the inside of my calf up to my knee and just above it.

If you've ever had acupuncture, you'll know that the needles don't really hurt. The practitioner kinda flicks them in and that's basically all it feels like - someone flicking your skin with their fingers. For the first 29 holes I barely felt it, with maybe two or three that were a little more tender.

Then there was the last needle. Um, OW.

Right now my leg just feels sore as if I had a good workout, so we'll see if I get any nice bruises for tomorrow!