I'm About to Bust With Joy!

So I went for my dry needling today and the therapist said he was starting with my leg. The therapist hit all the major spots causing my inverted foot to "shut down" the trigger point. I have to admit it did sting a bit because of the sheer size of my calf muscles and I let out a gasp or two before my controlled breathing took effect.

He took a measurement of the inverted foot of 32 before he started and a reading of 13 degrees of inversion after hitting about a dozen spots with the needle. To me, this was amazing. I joked with him about him turning me into a masochist because I kept asking him to do it again because I'm seeing and feeling results. Heck, I'm even paying him to do it to me. I know sounds kinky, doesn't it? You should hear the sounds coming from the room as I instruct him to the spot with the needle...

• "A little bit deeper."
• "You're just missing it."
• "You're getting warmer, warmer, that's it. It's on fire now."
• "That's it. You're almost there."
• And then, the painful sigh and a catch in my breath when he hits it.

Now that really sounds risque. I can only imagine what the people hearing me are thinking. But this kind of feedback helps both of us in hitting the exact trigger point of the spasm.

Anyhow to do my leg, he placed a wedge with the flat side against my buttocks and my legs sort of traveled down the incline. That way he could manipulate the leg to get all around it. I also can't see what he's doing. Not that it matters much. He talks me through it. I did warn him about the hyperactive reflex response that my chiropractor found. I'm glad I did because he hit one spot and I just missed kicking his ear.

He then moved up to the arm for stretching and needling. I did notice that he is getting less response now that the Botox is truly gone, but can still manage supination of the wrist with the elbow straight. It just takes more work to get it in that position.

As he needled on my bicep I noticed my foot drifting into its old inverted pattern. I was willing it to stop and go back to almost straight again. Most times it is a bust. I only think it can move but it doesn't. I always visualize to action I want it to be in even when it's passive movement on my part. I thought my foot moved into an upright position. I could have been imagining it though since I couldn't see it.

The therapist stopped poking me to get another needle. I asked him to look at my foot and sure enough the foot moved from inverted to straight. "It moved!" Then there was a flood of questions. Had this ever occurred before? Could he video tape it? etc.

This was the first time since my stroke I was able to move my foot out of the inverted position without physically repositioning it. He asked me to do it again for the camera and of course, the foot wouldn't comply. Twice was the limit, but we both expect it to occur more with practice and more needling. I'm begging for more at this point. I'll endure however many needles it takes for this kind of progress.

Now I'm shouting it from the rooftops! Post stroke spasticity? Try dry needling!