“Should acupuncture needles hurt?”

It should not. Please find a skillful acupuncture practitioner for your treatment if you are afraid of needles.

Some patients will feel a little pinch. Most patients fall asleep after a treatment.

Yours in Health,

Angie

Hello & thank your for your question! No, acupuncture should not hurt. The insertion of the needle may feel like a pinch or a mosquito bite, and should go away within seconds. Some points may be more tender than others based on location (ie hands & feet) or on your presentation. You may also feel a sensation of "de qi" which is the activation of the acupuncture point, and may feel like a mild ache, tingling, moving, warming, or deep and dull sensation. This follow-up sensation is considered a good sign because your body is receptive to the stimulation of the point, but is mild and should go away within 3-5 seconds. If you feel a sharp pain or continued needle discomfort, let your practitioner know so they can remove the needle or adjust it. You should feel comfortable during your treatment!

Hello! During the needle insertion, the acupuncture needles would not cause seriously pain. Typically, since we are working on the nerves, patients will exhibit numbness and tingling pain.

Actually, yes. But all depend on the technique used and on the problem in focus. Trust your Acupuncturist!
There are different types of pain, your Acupuncturist will ask you. But is this pain that will "awake" a special area in your brain.
Think this way: Better feel a bit of pain on the table and go home and have no pain, instead of feeling no pain during the treatment and go home with the same pain that you came to get rid of.

Be well, be confident, we can help.

It all depends on the technique the acupuncturist uses. Pain is a signal to your brain through the point in order to initiate the treatment work. The technology of making painless needles improved, so most of time, you will not feel pain.

There is not should or should not, some points will hurt based on the nature of their location, others will not based on their location. It will also be dependent on the practitioners needling style and skill. The needles will not generally be as painful as a hypodermic shot or blood draw, but can feel heavy. You can also sometimes feel a shooting sensation down the channel, or feel a muscle jump.

There are a variety of sensations that occur with needling in acupuncture, be sure to keep communication open with your practitioner because though there are a lot of sensations, none should actually be "painful" to a severe degree.

You may feel a prick or pinch when the needle is inserted, this is normal. If the needle feels sharp, if you feel a burning pain, or if the pinching doesn't subside, you must tell your practitioner right away. That pain is not normal but will resolve once they adjust or move the needle. That being said, there are some sensations that you will feel from needling techniques that are normal but can be very strong or intense. These sensations include, heaviness, pressure, aching, traveling, or spreading. If your practitioner also practices trigger point dry needling, you may feel what's called a referral pattern. This happens when a knot is released and it triggers the pain you normally feel. This is also normal and will subside once the trigger point is released.

Always keep a dialogue with your practitioner. If you are unsure if what your feeling is normal or if it's too intense, tell them. They can explain what is happening, why, and make adjustments when necessary.

Yes, sometimes it can cause pain. If you feel hurt, let the acupuncturist know, they will remove that needle or adjust it.

This can be a tough question to answer. Sometimes acupuncturists try to promote the procedure as "painless" which isn't technically true. Some points can be a little more sensitive, particularly on initial insertion of the needle.

In addition to this, there are several sensations which can occur, usually thought to be desirable, which can be confused for pain or discomfort by a first-time patient. These include: a dull ache or dull throbbing at the needle site, a short lived pins and needles sensation that propagates up or down from the needle, or a mild distending sensation around the needle. All these sensations should go away once the needles are removed.

The other thing that makes this question complicated is: there are a variety of other medical providers who can often legally provide an "acupuncture-like" service using acupuncture needles but who are often very ill-trained. Patients who see one of these providers can sometimes complain of painful after-effects that might have been avoided had they seen a licensed acupuncturist instead.

Lastly, I'm not sure if you're asking in the hypothetical, i.e. "I'm thinking of trying acupuncture and I want to know if the needles should hurt." Or if you're asking relative to a particular event, i.e. "I recently had acupuncture and now there's pain where some of the needles were. Is this normal?"

If it's the first case, some needles might pinch a bit on initial insertion, but that sensation should fade away rapidly. If the needle is still sharp and stabby feeling after a few seconds, you should speak up and have that needle removed or re-positioned.

If it's the second case, no, that's not normal. Your first step should be to contact whatever provider performed acupuncture on you and tell them what's going on. They may have a solution or may be able to point you in a good direction.

For the best results and the safest treatment, please make sure you're seeing a provider who is licensed as an acupuncturist in your state. If you're not in CA, they should also carry an NCCAOM board certification in acupuncture or oriental medicine. Do not be afraid to ask for these credentials and if your provider doesn't have them, find someone who does. A good resource for finding local licensed acupuncturists is the "Find a Practitioner" lookup at NCCAOM.org.