Are you always bombarded with satisfaction surveys and questionnaires, yet you rarely get feedback or changes from the surveys?? At T.O.P.S. we’d like to break this cycle! We find great importance with having you fill out the surveys to better dictate your treatment. “Why?”, you may ask… Here’s a great read about a patient who is very well spoken about his injury and utilized the outcomes measures to demonstrate his great improvement from dry needling at T.O.P.S.
We would love to discuss the results from your data as well. And for us to do this, we need you to fill out at least two surveys as honestly as possible, so the data can be accurately calculated and assessed. And from that, we can help get you back to your activity as quickly as possible!
2017
Over the past several years I have done what most former male athletes do when they begin to suffer musculoskeletal pain in their mid-thirties, they operate on the premise of denial and neglect. Although this worked a short while for me, the occasional icing after basketball became a constant icing after every physical activity. I eventually took it upon myself to develop and administer a treatment and rehabilitation plan. As a practicing athletic trainer for 20 years I had a couple of treatment options in my tool box and I was able to get enough relief to continue to participate in the recreational activities of choice. However, after years of self-treatment and no permanent relief, I began to suspect that something more serious may be wrong with my knee.
I discussed my case with Grand Canyon University’s team orthopedic physician, Dr. Maddox, and he recommended that I have an MRI done on my left knee. The results came back and he diagnosed me with left quadriceps tendinopathy. Essentially, I was suffer from a chronic degenerative connective tissue disorder of the tendon that inserts into the top of my left kneecap.
I began to utilize instrument assisted soft tissue massage, prolonged passive stretching and eccentric strengthening to my benefit. I also sought a colleague of mine to perform a functional movement screen with me, which identified a few muscle imbalances that I was able to correct. In spite of all of these efforts however, I was still suffering from chronic pain just above the left knee cap, particularly when I would mountain bike, hike down steep inclines, and sometimes after playing basketball.
So finally after years of denial, neglect and self-treatment I turned to a friend for help. I sought out the expertise of Amy Brannon, DPT at T.O.P.S. Physical Therapy. Upon Amy’s recommendation I begin receiving treatments of electro dry needling on my left knee. I was very interested in knowing how effective this treatment approach would be for me, therefore prior to our first treatment I assessed the overall function and pain in my knee using two reliable outcome measurement tools. I continued to assess the outcome of the 5 treatments received over a period of 4 weeks. The results of my assessments are below:
| 0 Tx’s | 3 Tx’s | 4 Tx’s | 5 Tx’s | 4 months post Tx | |
| Aug 10th | Aug 17th | Aug 23rd | Aug 30th | 1/9/2017 | |
| Total Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score(KOOS) | 88.7 | 92.3 | 92.9 | 97.6 | 93.5 |
| Total IDKC Score | 78.2 | 90.8 | 95.4 | 96.6 | 93.1 |
It is apparent from the data above, and my current physical activity level, that I benefited from a very significant improvement in the overall function and pain in my knee. I am grateful for the wisdom and care which Amy Brannon provided. I give her my highest recommendation for anyone looking to improve their quality of life through optimal treatment and advanced musculoskeletal care.
Thank you Amy.
