Gunn IMS Certification Program
​University-Accredited Dry Needling Training

Setting the Standard for Safety and Effectiveness

Now offering full certification in Calgary

No out-of-province travel required!

Reserve Your Spot Now!

Look beyond trigger point dry needling to address the cause of persistent musculoskeletal pain!

Are you frustrated treating patients who flare up or get worse regardless what approach you provide?
Do you have patients who don't respond "as they should" to exercise or manual therapy?
Are you interested in learning a unique approach that can help your patients reduce pain and return to function?

Our 3-part course will teach you:

• How to understand and identify underlying nervous system dysfunction
• How dry needling can positively alter nervous system sensitization 
• To look beyond local tissues when treating orthopaedic conditions​​​

You will gain these skills:

• ​​A thorough and cohesive assessment method to guide your treatment
• Safe and effective dry needling techniques to treat 110 different muscles
• The rationale to choose appropriate dry needling "dosage" to optimally alter neuropathic dysfunction​

What is Gunn Intramuscular Stimulation (Gunn IMS)?

Dr. Chan Gunn was a visionary in understanding how alterations in the nervous system can lead to complex musculoskeletal dysfunction. He demonstrated that intramuscular dry needling can beneficially effect the sensitivity of the nervous system and improve treatment outcomes for musculoskeletal pain syndromes. Through decades of refinement, his rationale and treatment techniques are used today by thousands of medical doctors and physiotherapists with remarkable success.

Gunn IMS offers treatment and rehabilitation solutions for patients with persistent musculoskeletal pain conditions. You will learn to recognise and treat both the myofascial and neural (wiring) component of the musculoskeletal problems you face in your every day practice. Our comprehensive training prioritizes patient safety in all dry needling techniques, while maintaining maximum effectiveness. The program also provides a thorough evidence-informed assessment and treatment rationale for effectively integrating dry needling into your practice.

The Gunn IMS program sits within UBC's Division of Sport and Exercise Medicine in the Faculty of Medicine. The theory and practical components provided on this course will help therapists successfully treat clients that frustrate and mystify with other management approaches.

Course Format

Gunn IMS training consists of three parts:

1. Part 1A - self-paced and completed online (Jan 17, 2022, enrolment - to be completed by March 17, 2022); includes lecture material, demonstration of assessment techniques, and assessment components (anatomy exam, theory exam and case presentation).
2. Part 1B - two in-person practical training days (Jan 17, 2022, enrolment - April 30-May 1).
3. Part 2 - two further in-person practical training days (Jan 17, 2022, enrolment - June 25-26).

On successful completion of all parts of the program, participants will be awarded certification in UBC Gunn IMS by the UBC Faculty of Medicine.

Course Content

The course will  cover education regarding Dr Gunn’s neuropathic model of myofascial pain syndromes, the effects of dry needling, and contraindications and safety considerations for dry needling including avoiding serious complications. You will learn how to conduct and interpret an assessment based on the neuropathic model to determine the cause of myofascial pain syndromes, which can then be used to devise a treatment plan using the Gunn IMS model. You will also learn to safely and effectively dry needle muscles of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine; shoulder and pelvic girdles; upper and lower limbs as well as muscles surrounding the TMJ. As the course progresses you will improve your clinical reasoning related to the application of the neuropathic model of treatment.

Prerequisites

In order to assure your success in the program there are several prerequisites required to attend. Please review our prerequisites in detail here.

Included with your course tuition you will receive:

• Online training in assessment and clinical reasoning
• 4 days of in-person training
• Instruction by expert dry needling practitioners with combined experience teaching thousands of students
• Low student-to-instructor ratios to ensure every student receives thorough instruction and supervision
• Detailed illustrated course manual that thoroughly outlines all treatment techniques taught on the course
• 1 year of access to ongoing practitioner support from our Members Website including:
  • Client education tools
  • Needle technique updates
  • Communication bulletins
  • Clinical forms
  • Online exams to test your knowledge
  • Annotated research papers
  • Video content
  • An ‘Ask an Instructor’ section to submit questions and read past responses

Location: 
Calgary, AB (exact location yet to be determined)

Dates:
Part 1A – Online and self-paced starting on January 17, 2022
Part 1B - In-person training, April 30-May 1, 2022
Part 2 - In-person training, June 25-26, 2022

​Cost:
Part 1A - $1125, Part 1B - $1200, Part 2 - $1200

Reserve your spot now!

Reservations will be given 7 days to submit their required documents with no obligation should you change your mind.

Complete Certification Course Details

Interested in completing our training at another location?
Spring 2022 Training Calendar

Location	Part 1B	Part 2
Vancouver, BC​	April 9 - 10	June 4 - 5
Ottawa, ON	April 23 - 24	June 11 - 12
Calgary, AB	April 30 - May 1	June 25 - 26
Halifax, NS	May 14 - 15	July 9 - 10