“Does acupuncture for neck pain hurt?”

There may be a pinch as it goes in the skin, and some ache, but it should not be painful and if it is let your therapist know asap so they can adjust the needle position to make sure you are comfortable.

No

Acupuncture with massage, and sometimes herbs can help relieve or treat neck pain gradually.

I was trained in the Japanese “no pain” technique of needling, so my style is gentle for even children. Pain can also be a subjective phenomena. I find many adults who are afraid of needles have had uncomfortable experiences as children with shots or blood tests. The big difference between a Western shot or blood test is that a hyper dermic needle is used to enter the blood vessel which anatomically is surrounded by nerves. Acupuncture needles do not enter blood vessels and they are not hyper dermic needles. My acupuncture needles are like a piece of hair that slides through a guide tube.

No! Acupuncture should not hurt. A pinprick sensation is common (they are needles after all) and a dull ache around the needle, like deep pressure with a massage, is normal but it shouldn't hurt in a bad way ever. Get acupuncture!

Hello!

Contrary to popular belief. Acupuncture is a relatively painless, effective and gentle treatment option for neck pain. Often times, patient's aren't even aware that the needles have been inserted. There are also other modalities that are used, depending on the root cause, such as cupping, tuina, guasha, and moxibustion as well as the topical application of herbal liniments and plasters.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or would like to discuss it further.

Acupuncture for neck pain shouldn’t hurt, provided you have a skilled practitioner. It would help if this practitioner would guide your breath so that you exhale upon insertion.

That is an awesome question! Yes, acupuncture does help both acute and chronic neck pain by bringing blood flow into the area and also reducing inflammation. Since acupuncture builds on itself, it will take more visits if it is chronic than if it is acute. Don't wait!

Acupuncture is overall painless but sometimes there is a little pain during insertion. If the needle is uncomfortable, please, inform the practitioner immediately and he should remove it.

yes

Thank you for your question about acupuncture for neck pain. In fact, acupuncture is very effective in treating neck pain. Although every acupuncturist has her/his own style and technique, it should not be painful.

Acupuncture may be painful when the needles are inserted but is usually subsides with in seconds. Acupuncture is generally considered a pain free modality

Yes acupuncture treats all types of pain

It depends on the Acupuncturist and their needling style, but Acupuncture does not have to hurt in order to work.

Yes, acupuncture does good for neck pain hurt.

Usually, yes. Not really enough detail for me to answer this with any authority.... Most importantly, since you are thinking about doing acupuncture, do find a qualified and real acupuncturist! Anything less would be you not really trying this system of healing. Find a fully trained professional in Chinese medicine, possessing a master's degree AND 5+ years experience in this field. Medical Doctors, Osteopaths, Chiropractors, and even Physical Therapists (dry needling) are able to do what looks like acupuncture (but isn't) with a couple weekends of training or less. I would NOT let any of these inadequately trained people NEAR ME. :-)

That will depend on your acupuncturist. If they practice traditional Chinese style, they will try to get a strong sensation called du qi. Also, ask if they use Chinese or Japanese needles. You want someone who does NOT look for the du qi sensation and who uses Japanese needles, which are much smaller than Chinese needles.

Define 'hurt'.

There are a variety of sensations which can occur as a result of having an acupuncture needle inserted. For someone who has never had acupuncture before, some of these sensations may be new and it's possible to confuse them with pain or discomfort.

In and of itself, acupuncture is relatively painless. I say relatively because different people have differing levels of sensitivity and different pain thresholds. It's a mistake on the part of most acupuncturists to refer to the procedure as 'painless' because that's not always true.

There may be a mild pinching sensation on initial insertion of the needle. This should fade in a second or two. If the 'sharp' or 'pinching' sensation doesn't fade fairly quick, tell your provider and have that needle removed or repositioned.

Normal sensations include a dull aching or dull throbbing around the needle. Sometimes there is a short lived electrical sensation (like pins and needles) that propagates up or down from the needle site. There also might be a mild distending sensation, like someone blowing a balloon up under the skin around the needle.

If you're unsure about any sensation you're noticing after needles are in, talk to your provider about what you're feeling.

In pain management cases, I always assume patients ask this question because the location in question already hurts and they're wondering if the addition of needles in that spot is going to make things worse. If this is your concern, I'd suggest trying to find an acupuncturist that practices mostly distant or distal acupuncture. Painful areas of the body can often be treated without having to place needles in the painful location. I've found that, in most cases, it's actually better not to place needles in the painful location.

In this case, you'd be looking for someone who practices Tung or Tan acupuncture. Depending on where you are located finding a skilled practitioner of these systems can be challenging. You can start with NCCAOM.org and use their 'Find a Practitioner' lookup to get a list of local, board certified providers. Then call around to a few and see who practices Tung/Tan.