“Why does acupuncture hurt sometimes?”

NO, acupuncture very safe .

It depends on the kind of pain. An ache, tingle, throb, heaviness, weird sensation are all considered good in acupuncture. i don't like a sharp pain or burning sensation. Acupuncture needles can be found in different sizes. I find that the thinnest and most gentle needles are the Japanese needles. It can also depend on the technique of the acupuncturist. Some techniques are more vigorous than others. I think that sometimes the body doesn't want a needle in some spots.

Common reason: Patient is too nervous, or needling on hair pole, blood wall, etc.

Hello! Acupuncture may hurt due to the needle being inserted directly a nerve. In order to minimized the pain, the practitioner would re-angle the needle and the pain will quickly diminish.

Sensitive areas will respond differently, especially areas with less muscle.

Yes, if you are cold and your muscles are tight, you're going to feel the needles more than if you're warm and your muscles are relaxed. Also, sometimes the needles can touch nerves when they are very sensitive. Some acupuncture locations, such as the wrists and head and ears are more sensitive than other parts of the body.

Some areas on the body are more sensitive than others, for example, thin-skinned areas like the hands, feet, ears. But some people tend to be needle sensitive anywhere. I use a guide tube that the needle comes encased in to insert the needle, which helps with the uncomfortable sensation. But a skilled acupuncturist will try different methods to ensure that the needling is as painless as possible or use fewer needles. They can also use pressure points on the acupoints or utilize other modalities such as magnet therapy, press tacks and so on.

Acupuncture hurts sometimes because the point nerve can be overcharged with bio electronics. So, when the needle is placed, there are more sensations or more pain.

It might hurt sometimes, it depends on the conditions. We readjust the needle to relieve the pain, that’s it.

Hello,

There are a variety of factors that contribute to differences in sensation and pain throughout the body. As you know, some areas of the body are more sensitive than others owing to the thickness of the epidermis, dermis and subdermis layers as well as differences in regional nerve innervation. This can be exemplified by differences in heat and cold perception in different areas of the body.

Additionally, acupuncture needles come in different thicknesses and lengths. Therefore, a thicker and or longer needle can theoretically elicit a stronger sensation.

With that said, acupuncture points can be more sensitive owing to the particular clinical condition with which one presents. Sensitive points in general are the points directly related to the underlying condition and, despite some discomfort, are beneficial to the treatment.
I hope that answers your question.

Best Regards,

Dr. Cecere

People are frequently dehydrated. Drink at least 8 oz’s of water within a half hour of your appointment and that usually takes care of the problem. Sometimes a particular point that treats the chief complaint may hurt. Another cause is Time. Frequent treatments causes the points to become sensitive. In China, they want all the insertions to hurt every time. In Japan, they want no points to hurt. Americans are more sensitive than Chinese and less so than Japanese. It is different for different cultures as to what constitutes painful.

Sometimes your first acupuncture treatment will be more painful than your following treatments. This could be because certain energy points on your body are being activated for the first time. Your symptoms may worsen slightly before they get better. Pain isn't a negative thing, but you don't want it to last.

Acupuncture should not hurt. There are more sensitive areas where the the skin is thinner, less muscle tone such as hands and feet. Ultimately, acupuncture treatments are a safe, minimally invasive procedure that can truly benefit you. It can relieve many ailments that you may have.

The insertion of the needles can be uncomfortable if you have tension in the body. If you haven't had a good night's sleep, are premenstrual, have anxiety, anything that causes the tendons, ligaments or muscles to tighten.

For the most part, acupuncture is painless. But sometimes you may feel an achy sensation, which means that the needle is doing its job. The needles will sometimes cause a stinging sensation. If this happens, let the practitioner know and it can be removed and reinserted. It normally will not sting the second time. All this said, some people are more needle sensitive than others. If you can relax, it will help make your experience better.
Hope this helps.

Mary Hills, DACM, LAc

I don't mean to be flippant in answering you, but... someone is putting sharp needles into your body. Some are going to be sensitive. Most are not. Often times in my experience, the more a person needs a point stimulated, the more ouchy the points tend to be... so this often gets much less painful with regular balancing treatments.... and hurts the worst in the beginning.

Please don't trust it a lot. If you meet good doctor, it will help you a lot. If you meet a bad one, acupuncture hurts sometimes.

The reason why depends on the type of sensation you're feeling.

The needles themselves should never feel uncomfortable. If it feels sharp, pinching, or burning, then it must be removed and a new one inserted.

If you're feeling heavy, aching, penetrating, spreading, or traveling sensations, this means that the point is activated. These can feel intense but breathe through them and allow your body to do what it needs to. If it's ever overwhelming, let your practitioner know so they can ease up and support you through it.

It can be due to the patients sensitivity as well as the health and well being of the patient. Also different forms of acupuncture some which require a stronger stimulation. Practitioners also have different training and some are more gentle than others.

There are many factors to contribute to infrequent pain sensation during acupuncture.
#1, significant local inflammation will decrease a pain threshold of acupuncture points
#2, the direction of needle insertion and skills of needle insertion
#3, the gauge of the needles
#4, hypersensitivity of some patients (mentally and physically)
#5, locations: face, hands, and feet are full of sensory nerves are quickly feeling needles than back and buttocks, etc.

The needle might be too big for you. The practitioner may have poor needle technique. Japanese acupuncture has a wonderfully gentle needle technique and they use smaller needles. I highly recommend going to see someone who practices gentle needling if you are found to be sensitive. That being said, do not mistake a deep or strong aching, or even a slightly electric aching to be pain. These are acceptable signs that the treatment is working. If the needle feel sharp or stabbing or uncomfortable in any way I would say that's a poor needle technique and its not necessary to be in pain during acupuncture because of the needles.

Good question, I'm not sure I can answer it though. Unfortunately, US acupuncturists have tried to market the procedure as 'painless' and that's not, strictly speaking, true.

First off, we like to think that body structures, particularly those under the skin, are static. They aren't. Depending on temperature, time of year, hydration levels and so on things like vessels and small nerve branches can shift around. Since we're not using x-ray vision when placing needles, it can be hard to know precisely where things are. Most acupuncturists are well trained in gross anatomy, but if a patient is mildly dehydrated and things have shifted slightly as a result, it's difficult to predict what might be in the way. This can lead to a point that wasn't painful previously being painful at the current treatment.

Secondly, I often see acupuncturists using the thinnest possible needles under the mistaken assumption that thinner will cause less pain. It seems paradoxical, but this isn't true. Part of the pain (or lack of pain) in needle insertion is related to how fast the needle gets through the first fractions of a millimeter of skin. Thinner needles are more bendy and will spend more energy on flexing rather than getting through those first few fractions of a millimeter, which makes thinner needles much more likely to be less comfortable relative to a thicker needle (we're talking very small differences here. My standard needle is 0.25mm in diameter. Many acupuncturists I know will use 0.18mm or 0.16mm needles. Generally speaking, I've found these thinner needles to be very uncomfortable relative to a thicker 0.22mm or 0.25mm).

The last reason you may be experiencing undue discomfort is: you might not be seeing a board certified and state licensed acupuncturist. Right now in the US many states will allow chiropractors, physical therapists, and sometimes athletic trainers to perform a procedure that uses acupuncture needles. I like to refer to these folks as providing "acupuncture like" services. Most of the time their training consists of 100 hours or less with zero hours of supervised practice. These folks are often allowed to advertise their services as "acupuncture" which causes a great deal of public confusion. A board certified, state licensed acupuncturist has a minimum of 1,900 hours of training in acupuncture and Chinese medicine with somewhere between 500 and 750 hours of supervised practice. Most of us have much more than this. There is often a big difference between seeing someone who offers "acupuncture like" services under the scope of some other licensure and someone who actually trained and is board certified in acupuncture and Chinese medicine.

Is acupuncture "painless"? No, it isn't and we shouldn't be marketing acupuncture this way. It's very normal to have a very short lived sharp pinching sensation during initial needle insertion. This should fade in a second or two - if it doesn't, you should let your provider know and have the needle removed or repositioned.

There is a list of sensations that are considered normal or even desirable during needle insertion and retention. These include: a dull aching or dull throbbing, a short lived pins and needles sensation that propagates up or down from the needle site, or a mild distending sensation around the needle (somewhat like someone is blowing a balloon up under the skin).

If any of these sensations are too intense or distracting, tell your provider so the needle(s) can either be removed or repositioned. Do not just lay there in discomfort and don't let any provider, acupuncturist or not, guilt or shame you in to not addressing any needles that might be painful or too intense.