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! She has owned and operated her own practice, True North Athletic Therapy, in Great Falls, Montana for over three and a half years and is currently working to open a new clinic in Bozeman, Montana mid-summer/early fall of this year.
She specializes in athletic injury, evaluation, and treatments and is also a part of a diverse sports medicine team that provides services to the ESPN X Games Aspen. Jaime’s main focus is to help the active population in her community find the underlying root to their injuries, educate them on why it is happening, help them incorporate strategies and adjustments into their current training programs in order to manage the problem. She spends an hour at a time with her clients and her goal is to create as much “buy-in” and give education, so they fully understand their injury and what needs to be done together to help them recover.
1. Jaime, when did you first become interested in dry needling?
I heard amazing things about dry needling and Sue Falsone from colleagues in my profession and have looked up to her as a clinician and trailblazer in the Athletic Training world. When I discovered she was starting her own company and teaching her own dry needling course, I was in 100%. I attended the very first Foundations class that Structure & Function held at EXOS in Arizona! Also, I really connected with the sport performance and orthopedic rehab focus S&F put on the course, as it fits in perfectly with my passion to help athletes.
2. Why did you choose to get your dry needling certification with Structure & Function Education?
I am passionate about continuing my education in dry needling because of the positive impact it has on my clients and also because it truly fascinates me. Structure & Function is consistently adding specialized courses to provide an outlet to continue learning and growing as a practitioner. The choice to pursue SFDN Certification was simply the logical next step for me and I am so grateful for the opportunity.
3. How do you currently use dry needling in your practice? And how do you combine dry needling with manipulation or other treatment modalities?
I use dry needling every day in conjunction with IASTM, muscle energy techniques, cupping, e-stim, therapeutic exercise, along with some other traditional modalities. I have found it very effective for the athletic population to “pop” them out of pain so we can focus on the bigger picture of their injury.
4. Tell us about how the Pentamodal method has influenced your dry needling practice.
Using the Pentamodal method has greatly influenced my DN practice, allowing me to better think about the big picture and more effectively treating my clients as a whole person. With every time I place a needle, I am not only aware of the anatomy, but of the effects I’m sparking in our amazing bodies at the local, peri-neural, fascial, PPTP, and spinal level. The concepts are incredibly exciting for me and drives me to continue to learn and grow as a practitioner.
5. Is there anything else you would like to share about your experience with Structure & Function Education?
S&F continues to add courses and online material to help practitioners connect the dots on the workings of the amazing human body. The concepts and techniques I have learned through Structure & Function Education has greatly impacted me as a practitioner and after 20 years of being in the sports medicine world, has provided an amazing platform for me to continue learning, studying, and growing in this field.
Click here to learn more about Jaime and her practice at True North Athletic Therapy.
Jaime, thank you for your continued support and for trusting us with your continuing education. We are so honored to have you as part of our community and family. Thank you for all that you do for your community, and for your hard work and dedication to your practice and patients.
