Audio Interview with Edo Zylstra - Functional Dry Needling

In this interview Edo talks about the state of Functional Dry Needling, advances made in his courses, as well as progress being made at the national and state levels within the PT scope of practice. Edo will also discuss some little known trigger point referral patterns that really benefit from treatment, the benefits of electrical stimulation as well as the best times to use it, the benefits of the local twitch response, using the SFMA in conjunction with FDN, and more...

Members can download this interview HERE

For more on Edo and Functional Dry Needling, head on over to Kinetacore.com or email with questions to [email protected]

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Interview Notes

Trigger Point/Functional Evaluation Discussion

Muscles can cause pain

Innervation of joint -- most don't have a direct innervation, most often a branch off a larger nerve.

Articular branches that come off the muscles that overlie the joint -- into capsule and into synovial tissue to protect the joint and keep it healthy.

Articular nerve fibers from cutaneous tissues -- dermatomes

Hydrodissecton? -- peel away fibrotic tissues around nerves

Reset function of the neuromuscular system -- don't just evaluate/treat for trigger points and pain

Must recognize that these TrP referral patterns are neurologic

Dermatomal/Myotomal testing is a must

Segmental muscles, i.e. multifidi, are critical to treat

Short head biceps femoris (peroneal innervation) and single joint muscle, powerful knee flexor

Compare to long head which has tibial innervation, two joint, and multiple duties

Psoas -- understand what it is compensating for, i.e. rectus femoris not doing its job;

Treat segment that leads to psoas (L2 and maybe another segment or two), hit the rectus and see what has changed functionally. May be a better strategy than directly going for the psoas (very tricky anyway).

Teres Minor -- one of the only muscles that has innervation to the inferior capsule of the shoulder, can have an impact on anterior instability of the shoulder (support and eccentric control)

Tricep (all 3 heads) --

Pec major -- different innervations different heads

Has branch of pec that goes into rectus abdominus -- innervated by nerve that also innervates the intercostals. Superficial front line???

Positive FABER on the L, toned up pec on the R -- may be something to consider treating

E-Stim

still want to get a good twitch response

frequency will change based on muscle

intensity will depend on patient comfort

i.e. ant/post deltoid -- low hz (i.e. 1 hz) to start then decrease intensity/increase frequency

Prime mover/fast twitch/easier to fatigue -- want lower hertz and good contraction

Time? Feel consistent contraction, more muscle contraction to the point it's getting uncomfortable, or feel the contraction decrease with same input.

Postural muscle (multifidus in this case)

Bias toward higher hertz in the end -- start low to get motor response, then start to drop intensity but increase hz

To point the patient feels less sensitivity, reproduction of symptoms (good thing)

Retraining model with multifidus -- have patient contract muscle with e-stim

Treating abdominals can be very important -- treat obliques and TA together (treat lumbar multifidus and abs) -- pre/post-test with ASLR

Periscope app. _________________________________________________________________________

BIO

Audio Interview with Edo Zylstra - Functional Dry Needling

Edo Zylstra, PT, DPT, MS, OCS, IMSp

Founder, Owner, CEO, Lead Instructor -- Functional Dry Needling®

Edo Zylstra was active in developing the current standards for Dry Needling (aka Trigger Point Dry Needling) training in Colorado. He has taught over 50 Dry Needling courses internationally and is currently developing more advanced techniques for therapists experienced in this manual therapy technique.

Edo Zylstra received his Master of Science degree in physical therapy from Regis University in Denver, Colorado. In 2005 Edo opened his clinic, KinetaCare, previously Sport & Spine Physical Therapy Brighton, in Colorado. Prior to opening his clinic he spent over four years working in a chronic pain clinic specializing in manual therapy utilizing Intramuscular Stimulation (IMS), and Trigger Point Dry Needling. He received his certification for Dry Needling from The Institute for the Study and Treatment Of Pain (iSTOP) in Vancouver, British Columbia. Edo then took a second series of training courses through Pain and Rehabilitation in Bethesda, Maryland, where he learned Travell & Simons' techniques for diagnosis and treatment of myofascial pain and trigger points. Edo was instrumental in the process of getting Dry Needling accepted as a treatment technique within the scope of practice for physical therapists in Colorado, and continues to do the same for other states that do not currently have Dry Needling within their physical therapy scope of practice.

In 2006 Edo developed and began instructing both Introductory and Advanced Trigger Point Dry Needling courses (now Functional Dry Needling®). In 2007 he joined Robert De Nardis to instruct Dry Needling courses in Australia, and in 2008 Edo and Robert founded GEMt, Global Education of Manual Therapists. As of 2010 the North American Branch was renamed KinetaCore®, of which Edo became the sole director, while Robert De Nardis serves as the director for the Australian branch, still named GEMt. Edo has a passion for functional dry needling and hopes to continue to educate therapists across the globe in this amazing technique so that patients who once had no access can now find a provider in their city and benefit from this treatment.

Edo received his board certification as an Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist in 2011 and this past December, completed his Doctor of Physical Therapy degree through Regis University. Edo hopes that through his education and his passion for educating others, by the year 2020 the field of physical therapy will have elevated to the respected level it deserves.