“Is this normal after acupuncture?”
Female | 29 years old
25 Answers
AcupuncturistAcupuncturist
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Michael
After treatment, people might feel their muscles are relaxed and painless. If that is what you are feeling, this is a good result. If you feel no strength at all, please call your acupuncturist ASAP.
Thanks,
Huan Wen Jonathan Fang
There are several feelings after an acupuncture treatment. One is to relax you and release tension from your body. If you have any other questions, please contact your acupuncturist.
Thanks for this question as it comes up a lot in practice. After receiving acupuncture patients may feel a variety of different sensations and feelings, from feeling energized to very drained/fatigue and what you mention as feeling like you've taken a muscle relaxer, some may liken it to feeling like they drank alcohol or smoked cannabis. This reaction is completely normal and it tends to be more significant and noticeable with a person's first few treatments then is less significant. This feeling is due to the dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins that the body releases during treatments, also the balancing of the energetic properties of the body, mind and spirit contribute to this feeling. As always, it's best to listen to your body and take it easy if need be (if you're able), and plan for a little recovery window if you notice this happens frequently for you. Drink plenty of water and enjoy the decrease in pain!
Dr. Kim Peirano, DACM LAc
Usually this effect is not as bad by the second or third treatment. To prevent recurrence, try to make sure you have a little something on your stomach (small meal or light snack) just prior to or just after your session.
One of the things acupuncture does is stimulate the "rest and digest" portion of the nervous system. This typically has the effect of calming people down and can sometimes result in grogginess. If a patient happens to be a classic "Type A" personality, this move towards the middle can be a little uncomfortable.