“Can acupuncture cause pain?”
I will get acupuncture treatment for my headaches. Can acupuncture cause pain?
15 Answers
Nope
It shouldn't cause pain unless your skin is very sensitive. Combined with herbs, and sometimes massage, acupuncture can help you get rid of headaches.
Lejla Fazlicic
Acupuncturist
Unlikely
Inserting a needle into any where on the body always hurts a little but when it leeads to good treeatment result, it is a very small price to pay. u.
As much as I know no.
Acupuncture can easily cause pain or damage if the practitioner is negligent or untrained. Pain can be from the skin grabbing onto the needle or the needle touching a nerve and/or worse. As an acupuncturist, we have the ancient knowledge to avoid medical anatomical risks.
A most common associated injury is pneumothorax, where the needle has pierced through the skin and even farther internally into the lungs creating a hole that releases the needed pressure in the lung cavity to escape and the lung fails to inflate. Many states have stopped physical therapists & other lesser professionals untrained and/or licensed for acupuncture in order to prevent any more injuries like this. A good pain felt during an acupuncture treatment is known as ‘De Qi.’ Deqi is the gathering of life energy/circulation (qi) at an acupuncture point during treatment and is commonly felt as a dull, pulling ache at the site. Ideally, it’s best to get that sensation at all the acupuncture spots but even if you’re too sensitive to it you can let your practitioner know & they will ease the pressure. Check with your primary to make sure alternative medicine is a good option for your condition.
A most common associated injury is pneumothorax, where the needle has pierced through the skin and even farther internally into the lungs creating a hole that releases the needed pressure in the lung cavity to escape and the lung fails to inflate. Many states have stopped physical therapists & other lesser professionals untrained and/or licensed for acupuncture in order to prevent any more injuries like this. A good pain felt during an acupuncture treatment is known as ‘De Qi.’ Deqi is the gathering of life energy/circulation (qi) at an acupuncture point during treatment and is commonly felt as a dull, pulling ache at the site. Ideally, it’s best to get that sensation at all the acupuncture spots but even if you’re too sensitive to it you can let your practitioner know & they will ease the pressure. Check with your primary to make sure alternative medicine is a good option for your condition.
yes acupuncture can help with headaches.
there is usually a pinching feeling when the needles are inserted but overall acupuncture is considered to be a pain free process
there is usually a pinching feeling when the needles are inserted but overall acupuncture is considered to be a pain free process
Yes, acupuncture can cause pain, palpation of tender spots and tight muscles can be painful, while not terribly common, the needles going through the skin can be painful. Talking with your acupuncturist and communicating when things are uncomfortable is important, this will
minimize the pain it causes, but there is no way to guarantee that there will be no pain.
minimize the pain it causes, but there is no way to guarantee that there will be no pain.
Mr. Anthony James Lorenzo
Acupuncturist
While administered or after treatment? Give me some info....?
There may be slight discomfort while the needles are inserted but it will not cause long lasting pain
Sometimes pain will move or intensify for a short time after a treatment because we move energy (qi) and when qi hits a block it causes pain. But it is temporary and goes away quickly if it happens at all.
Only mildly in cases of neuropathy.
Yes, some acupuncture will cause pain.
The insertion of hair thin needles is almost pain free. After the treatment your headache will disappear. My treatments have had great results.
I'm unclear as to whether you're asking if the needles might be painful or if the procedure in general might cause or increase pain. I'll answer both of those questions.
Acupuncture needles are solid and we aren't injecting any substances. Acupuncture needles are also roughly the diameter of a cat whisker - so fairly thin. Does this mean they're painless? No. Patients might feel a slight pinching sensation on initial insertion. This feeling should fade in a second or two. If the sharp feeling remains then that's usually a sign the needle needs to be repositioned or removed; giving feedback to your provider is essential here so that you can remain comfortable during the treatment.
A dull aching sensation, a mild distending sensation, or a short lived tingling/pins and needles sensation that propagates up or down from the needle site are all normal. Again, if you're experiencing anything odd or unusual, speak to your provider about it to make sure needles don't need to be replaced or repositioned.
Can the procedure, in general, cause or exacerbate pain? The answer is, again, yes - but with a caveat. In the US acupuncture is currently in a weird position in that there are people who offer 'acupuncture-like' services without having actually been trained in Chinese medicine. Imagine if a podiatrist woke up one morning and decided they wanted to be a neurosurgeon and you get the general idea. These folks are well intentioned, some of them can achieve a decent level of skill, patients have no way of sorting the good practitioners from the bad. I've seen lots of patients who had 'acupuncture' from a chiropractor or 'dry needling' from a PT and those procedures either created new pain or made existing pain worse. In other words - if your acupuncture provider doesn't really know what they're doing, yes, acupuncture can cause pain or make existing pain worse.
Happily, there is a simple solution to this problem - always make sure you're seeing a nationally board certified, state licensed acupuncturist. There are two credentials potential patients are looking for: either a Dipl AC or Dipl OM national board credential combined with an L.Ac. or R.Ac. state credential. People with these have attended and graduated from an accredited school of Chinese medicine and passed a series of board examinations.
To find a provider like this, you can go to NCCAOM.org and use their 'Find a Practitioner' link. Most states also provide a facility to look up licensing for healthcare providers.
Acupuncture needles are solid and we aren't injecting any substances. Acupuncture needles are also roughly the diameter of a cat whisker - so fairly thin. Does this mean they're painless? No. Patients might feel a slight pinching sensation on initial insertion. This feeling should fade in a second or two. If the sharp feeling remains then that's usually a sign the needle needs to be repositioned or removed; giving feedback to your provider is essential here so that you can remain comfortable during the treatment.
A dull aching sensation, a mild distending sensation, or a short lived tingling/pins and needles sensation that propagates up or down from the needle site are all normal. Again, if you're experiencing anything odd or unusual, speak to your provider about it to make sure needles don't need to be replaced or repositioned.
Can the procedure, in general, cause or exacerbate pain? The answer is, again, yes - but with a caveat. In the US acupuncture is currently in a weird position in that there are people who offer 'acupuncture-like' services without having actually been trained in Chinese medicine. Imagine if a podiatrist woke up one morning and decided they wanted to be a neurosurgeon and you get the general idea. These folks are well intentioned, some of them can achieve a decent level of skill, patients have no way of sorting the good practitioners from the bad. I've seen lots of patients who had 'acupuncture' from a chiropractor or 'dry needling' from a PT and those procedures either created new pain or made existing pain worse. In other words - if your acupuncture provider doesn't really know what they're doing, yes, acupuncture can cause pain or make existing pain worse.
Happily, there is a simple solution to this problem - always make sure you're seeing a nationally board certified, state licensed acupuncturist. There are two credentials potential patients are looking for: either a Dipl AC or Dipl OM national board credential combined with an L.Ac. or R.Ac. state credential. People with these have attended and graduated from an accredited school of Chinese medicine and passed a series of board examinations.
To find a provider like this, you can go to NCCAOM.org and use their 'Find a Practitioner' link. Most states also provide a facility to look up licensing for healthcare providers.
