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For individuals affected by Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMD), the search for relief from the discomfort can seem never-ending. TMD is the 2nd most common musculoskeletal pain, with low back pain being the first. About 33% of the population has at least one TMD symptom, and 3.6 to 7.0% of the population has TMD with sufficient

Dry needling is a powerful tool that physical therapists, athletic trainers, and chiropractors can utilize to address musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction. While teaching dry needling courses for Structure & Function Education®, one of the most common questions I get is how dry needling works. Dry Needling is a technique that involves inserting thin, monofilament needles

The holiday season is a time for singing songs, making cookies, and catching up on studies. Forget the five golden rings; we are opening something more critical this year. Twelve days of cutting-edge dry needling research. Consider this your gift guide for enhancing patient care in the coming year! Like the 12 Days of Christmas,

Dry needling has emerged as a popular intervention for musculoskeletal pain. This technique, involving the insertion of fine needles into anatomic locations around nerves and muscles, aims to alleviate pain and improve function.1–3 However, for individuals living with diabetes, this practice isn’t without its considerations and potential risks.4 Let’s delve into six critical factors that

Introduction to vibration therapy’s physiological impacts Vibration treatment works primarily through mechanical stimulation of muscle and neurological components. Whole body vibration (WBV) and focal vibration (FV) therapy are both types of vibration therapy that differ in how they deliver vibrations to the body and have differing effects.1 When administered, these vibrations cause rapid and repetitive

Insights from the 6th International Conference on Concussion in Sport and the recent NATA’s Bridge Statement on Management of Sport-Related Concussion. As we approach the beginning of football season, we must review our EAPs and the recommendations for the care of our high-contact athletes. As athletic trainers and sports medicine professionals, staying current with the latest guidelines and best practices is crucial for providing the highest standard of care. The 6th International Conference on Concussion in Sport, held in Amsterdam in October 2022, has brought forth significant advancements in concussion management. This was quickly followed up by updates by the NATA through their bridge statement on the management of sports-related concussion. This blog will highlight key changes and offer practical tips for preventing and managing concussions in football.

As the summer winds down its important to remember arm care for young athletes for summer sports, especially for baseball and softball. These sports offer great competition and teamwork for young athletes but they also increase the risk of arm injuries. This is particularly true in young throwers. Understanding the epidemiology and etiology of these injuries is crucial for preventing them and ensuring long-term health and success for our young athletes.

Neck pain is a real “pain in the neck”. Recent case studies have demonstrated the use of dry needling for neck pain treatments in patients. In 2016 low back and neck pain had the highest health care spending in the United States, with an estimated $134.5 billion being spent on spinal pain-related conditions. Neck pain is a multifactorial disease with various modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors. There are psychological, musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, occupational, and behavioral factors among these modifiable risk factors.

Superficial vs. Deep: Does it matter when dry needling? Dry needling is a commonly used intervention for the management of various painful conditions. Pain conditions can manifest in many forms. However, pain management is a common treatment goal when dry needling. The physiologic mechanisms at play, mechanisms of pain relief, and the overall efficacy of

2020 seems to be the year of baking and cooking, due to COVID and the lockdown, and we want to share some of our teams’ favorite holiday recipes and treats. Many of us haven’t been able to connect with family as we would have liked to, but sharing a meal together (near or far) is always

A question I often get asked by students in class is “can I use dry needling to help my post-stroke patients with spasticity?” The short answer is yes. There have been three articles recently written regarding the use of needling procedures to treat spasticity. These have sparked an interest in this area and I wanted

Jill Wosmek has completed the dry needling certification and have received the SFDN designation! She has been part of our community for a long time and is dedicated to her work. She currently works in an integrated sports medicine clinic within Sports Academy and is part of the leadership to help influence and grow the clinic.

Jennifer Hallquist has been a physical therapist in Arizona since 2002 and has worked in a variety of settings. During her years of practice, she found that she really enjoyed and thrived in outpatient orthopedic settings the most. While working full time at an outpatient clinic, she started a private practice in 2014 called Lift

Jaime Huestis has been a member with us since the very beginning. She has taken a handful of our dry needling courses and has recently completed our dry needling certification, obtaining the SFDN designation!

A recent publication has provided insight into one of the rationales for dry needling we discuss in our courses, treating scars. Scarring of the skin affects millions of patients and in sports medicine, we often deal with post-surgical scars with our patients.

He’s officially SFDN Certified! This month Dr. David Ehrmantraut has completed all of the requirements for our dry needling certification program, including multiple courses, case studies and exams, and has obtained the SFDN designation! Learn about Dr. Dave and how he uses the S&F Pentamodal Method in his practice and why he chose to get certified with

Dr. Leslie Churchill is a Chiropractor in Omaha, Nebraska at Mid City Chiropractic, a private clinic that she opened in 2006. She focuses on the treatment of musculoskeletal pain of the spine and extremities, with an emphasis on soft tissue manipulation, especially IASTM and dry needling. She treats a wide variety of different ages and

Sue and I often discuss the techniques we teach and how to teach them in the safest yet effective manner.  There are some recent studies that I want to review for you and also discuss what they mean for dry needling safety. Safety: Spinal Needling A recent article was written by Mansfield and colleagues1 that was very

Rachel Lampros has been part of the S&F family for many years. Last February she the Advanced Dry Needling Concepts: Comprehensive Approach to the Lumbo-Pelivc-Hip Complex (SFDN-LPH) course and is working on her last case study to get SFDN Certified!  She has been practicing physical therapy for 12 years and currently work at Massachusetts General

In athletic and military populations ankle sprains are a common occurrence that could result in significant time loss due to injury. The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) estimated that between the years 2002 and 2006 that 3,140,132 ankle sprains reported to Emergency Departments in the United States. [1] It is estimated that the annual

Cervicogenic headache refers to a headache of cervical origin1. The International Headache Society (IHS) has classified headaches as primary, where there is no other causative factor, or secondary, where the headache occurs in close temporal relationship to another disorder to which it is attributed2. A cervicogenic headache is a secondary headache caused by a disorder

Trigger Finger Trigger finger is one of the most prevalent causes of hand disability 1. About 2.6% of the population will suffer from trigger finger across their life span2. Although trigger finger is considered a mild hand pathology, it has a wide-ranging impact on hand functioning, daily activities and quality of life 3. It can be caused

Lateral epicondylitis is the most common overuse syndrome in the elbow. The use of dry needling to manage the inflammatory process and stimulate tissue regeneration and healing provides a reasoned rationale for the treatment of lateral epicondylitis.

For the time that I’ve been using dry needling as a modality for recovery and performance enhancement, I’ve learned that many people have questions about the practice. Is it the same as acupuncture? What is it used for? Etc.

My mom hates that I go by the name ‘Sue’. My entire family calls me Susan. And like everyone else, when I was really in trouble, it was first and middle name. I was Susan Ann.

First, we need to look at dry needling the way we look at manual therapy. There are many wonderful manual therapists teaching different forms of soft tissue mobilization, mobilization and …

S&F Education was started in September, 2016 by Sue Falsone. It was started out of a need to create an integrated and welcoming space for physical therapists, athletic trainers, chiropractors ..

Dry needling has become one of my most used modalities in my clinical practice. The more I learn about it, the different techniques, the physiology and how to apply it to injury, performance …

Dry Needling is NOT the same as acupuncture. We use the same tool (a fine, filament needle) but the similarities stop there. Acupuncture is rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine.