“Is acupuncture for your neck safe?”

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“Is acupuncture for your neck safe?”

I am a 28 year old male. I want to know is acupuncture for your neck safe?

32 Answers

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**Christie Luu** Acupuncturist Westminster, CA · Accepted Answer

Christie Luu Acupuncturist Westminster, CA

Yes.

**Catherine Rahm Coudray** Acupuncturist Laramie, Wy · Accepted Answer

Catherine Rahm Coudray Acupuncturist Laramie, Wy

Yes

**Phavikone Sundara** Acupuncturist Kent, WA · Accepted Answer

Phavikone Sundara Acupuncturist Kent, WA

Yes acupuncture with massage and herbs can help!

**jungmin ahn** Acupuncturist · Accepted Answer

A licensed acupuncturist needs to have a graduate-level of schooling. Once we understand and visualize the muscles, nerves, vessels, lymph on the neck, it is safe. Plus, your major vessels and nerves are very strong than you think, it is hard to puncture and damage with an acupuncture needle. Don't worry. Go with an experienced acupuncturist who you can trust.

**Mrs. Ella Ashabi** Acupuncturist LAKE FOREST, CA · Accepted Answer

Mrs. Ella Ashabi Acupuncturist LAKE FOREST, CA

Acupuncture is the safest treatment available for any part of your body.

**Long Vi Vuong** Acupuncturist San Diego, CA · Accepted Answer

Long Vi Vuong Acupuncturist San Diego, CA

Hello, yes it's very safe for the neck.

**Poyuan (Kevin) Hou** Acupuncturist Pomona, CA · Accepted Answer

Poyuan (Kevin) Hou Acupuncturist Pomona, CA

Yes, it requires a good acupuncturist to do it.

**Cynthia Gallant** Acupuncturist Arlington, MA · Accepted Answer

Yes if done properly. You don't need large acupuncture needles to release tiny muscles in your neck like your scalenes or scm muscles. I do a great amount of neck acupuncture. I'm at the Water House Wellness in Arlington, MA if you can't find anyone near you. Otherwise, www.acufinder.com make sure they are state licensed and belong to the NCCAOM national certification organization for Acupuncturists.

**Elizabeth Perry** Acupuncturist Palm Beach Gardens, FL · Accepted Answer

Elizabeth Perry Acupuncturist Palm Beach Gardens, FL

Yes! Acupuncture is generally very safe! It can really help with neck pain and discomfort.

**Carolyn Shannon Sullivan** Acupuncturist Randolph and Stoughton, MA · Accepted Answer

As long as you go to a licensed acupuncturist and not someone who practices dry needling (non-licensed). Practitioners who have gone through a master's level degree program, who have had extensive training and have knowledge of anatomy have learned how to needle safely. Needles are inserted at the correct depth in the correct orientation as it is outlined in our training as acupuncturists. Generally, a half inch to an inch deep is sufficient to illicit a qi sensation resulting in a physiological change in the body's nervous system. This change can be felt as a burning, tingling, tugging etc, type feeling that one can expect before getting true benefit from treatment. So, again, as long as you are seeing someone who is licensed to perform acupuncture, needling anywhere on the body is safe.

**Roxene Bates DOM LAc ADS** Acupuncturist Logan, UT · Accepted Answer

Roxene Bates DOM LAc ADS Acupuncturist Logan, UT

Acupuncture for neck pain, when done by an experienced licensed acupuncturist, is safe.

**Kim Peirano** Acupuncturist Oakland, CA · Accepted Answer

Hello!

Yes, acupuncture on the neck is safe. Acupuncturists are trained in specific needling techniques and styles in order to assure the safety of the treatment, this is why seeking out a trained and licensed acupuncturist is important, as other professions who do acupuncture 'on the side' like MDs and dry needling, in the case of physical therapists, have a very tiny fraction of the training of licensed acupuncturists. There are certainly risks in needling the neck from puncturing veins/arteries and even the brain, these risks are mitigated by proper training and needling technique, so you have nothing to worry about when seeing a properly trained acupuncturist.

**Mr. Stephen Hoyle Dell-jones** Acupuncturist Brandon, FL · Accepted Answer

Acupuncture for the neck is very safe. First of all, many acupoints that are done to treat neck pain itself are not on the neck, rather, on the arms and legs, but they will treat neck pain. There are of course acupoints on the neck itself, and they are safe when done by a properly trained acupuncturist. I've been treating neck pain for 10 years, and I can tell you that it is very effective for chronic and severe neck pain.

**Beverly Lawrence** Acupuncturist Cottonwood, AZ · Accepted Answer

All acupuncture is safe when performed by a filly trained, licensed acupuncturist. There are other health care and medical practitioners that are barely trained (30-100 hours). According to the World Health Organization an acupuncturist needs at least 1,800 hours of instruction. In some states minimally trained people are allowed to do acupuncture. So look for LAc after their name. If they have this designation then you are safe.

**Ms. Yvonne R. Farrell** Acupuncturist Los Angeles, CA · Accepted Answer

Ms. Yvonne R. Farrell Acupuncturist Los Angeles, CA

Acupuncture for neck pain does not necessarily mean needles in the neck region. But even if it does, it is perfectly safe in the hands of a trained and licensed acupuncturist.

Yvonne R. Farrell, DAOM, LAc

**Neilly A. Buckalew** Acupuncturist Post Falls, ID · Accepted Answer

Neilly A. Buckalew Acupuncturist Post Falls, ID

Thank you for you question.

Yes, by a trained acupuncturist, acupuncture is safe for your neck. As with any acupuncture, there is the same risks of bleeding, infection, or trauma to a tissue. These are very low risks, making acupuncture a safe procedure overall.

Be well,

B

**Kathleen ODonnell** Acupuncturist Blue Ahs, OH · Accepted Answer

Kathleen ODonnell Acupuncturist Blue Ahs, OH

As long as you receive acupuncture from a trained and licensed acupuncturist, it is very safe.

**Zhen Hu** Acupuncturist Chandler, AZ · Accepted Answer

Zhen Hu Acupuncturist Chandler, AZ

You have to have a licensed acupuncturist practice for you.

**Mary Hills** Acupuncturist Alpine, CA · Accepted Answer

Mary Hills Acupuncturist Alpine, CA

Yes, it definitely is! I do treatments on necks a LOT!

Hope that helps!

Mary Hills, DACM, LAc

**David Chen** Acupuncturist Whittier, CA · Accepted Answer

David Chen Acupuncturist Whittier, CA

Good-morning,

In the licensed acupuncturist's hand, acupuncture is safe to treat a majority of different parts of the body, including the neck.

Have a great day,

David

**Ms. Ellen D. Leonard** Acupuncturist Grants Pass, OR · Accepted Answer

Ms. Ellen D. Leonard Acupuncturist Grants Pass, OR

Yes, we are very well trained, so acupuncture is safe on any part of your body.

**Kaiti Wang** Acupuncturist Baytown, TX · Accepted Answer

Kaiti Wang Acupuncturist Baytown, TX

Acupuncture for your neck is safe.

**Mrs. Liang Hui Peng** Acupuncturist Houston, TX · Accepted Answer

Mrs. Liang Hui Peng Acupuncturist Houston, TX

Yes it is safe for your neck. I treat many patients for neck pain and injury to neck from car accidents. Depending on the trauma it can take many treatments to recover.

**Daisy Dong** Acupuncturist Denver, CO · Accepted Answer

Daisy Dong Acupuncturist Denver, CO

It should be done by well-trained acupuncturists.

**Mrs. Qiong Wang** Acupuncturist Pittsburgh, PA · Accepted Answer

Mrs. Qiong Wang Acupuncturist Pittsburgh, PA

Yes, very safe.

**Dr. Rebecca Boros** Chiropractor BONITA SPRINGS, FL · Accepted Answer

Dr. Rebecca Boros Chiropractor BONITA SPRINGS, FL

Absolutely. The needles are inserted into specific points and at a specific depth. Patients get a lot of relief from neck Acupuncture.

**Rebecca Flack** Acupuncturist Indianapolis, IN · Accepted Answer

Rebecca Flack Acupuncturist Indianapolis, IN

Yes, a licensed acupuncturist can treat neck pain successfully and safely

**Ramona Whan** Acupuncturist Wildomar, CA · Accepted Answer

Ramona Whan Acupuncturist Wildomar, CA

Yes. There are many useful and powerful points in the neck.

**Ms. Qin Milla Mu** Acupuncturist San Jose, CA · Accepted Answer

Ms. Qin Milla Mu Acupuncturist San Jose, CA

Yes, it is safe, but you also need to find a good acupuncturist!

**Mr. Anthony James Lorenzo** Acupuncturist · Accepted Answer

That depends on who is inserting needles. :-) I don't do a lot of needling where the problem is physically located, for instance, and would probably not put a needle in your neck to treat your neck pain, so it would be perfectly safe at my practice. But make sure you find a fully trained acupuncturist with a master's degree level of training... or you won't be getting real acupuncture (the one exception being having been a practitioner since before that with over 30 years experience learning through apprenticeship).

**Jeff Rippey** Acupuncturist Saint Joseph, MO · Accepted Answer

Generally, yes. I say "generally" because I don't know if you're seeing a board certified and state licensed acupuncturist or some other provider who is offering "acupuncture" under the scope of some other licensing (like a chiropractor or physical therapist).

Certified and licensed acupuncturists are well trained in anatomy and physiology, particularly as those two things relate to acupuncture points. Any other provider's level of training is going to be a question mark - some will be quite knowledgable and some will not, and patients often don't have a reliable way of discriminating.

There is another variable in play - not all acupuncturists will treat a neck issue by placing needles in your neck. I typically get very good results with neck issues by putting needles in the ankles. It's complicated to explain, but it does work well. If you're nervous about having needles placed in your neck, you can call around and try to find someone who practices "distal" or "distant" acupuncture.

If you need help locating a provider, assuming you're not in CA, you can start at the "Find a Practitioner" link at NCCAOM.org.

**Andrea Cillo** Acupuncturist Bay Shore, New York · Accepted Answer

Andrea Cillo Acupuncturist Bay Shore, New York

Yes. So long as your treament is performed by a licensed or certified acupuncturist, acupuncture is safe throughout your entire body.

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