Does Acupuncture Hurt?

This is the most common question when telling folks that I am an acupuncturist. The answer is, “Sometimes acupuncture hurts.” The thin needles are inserted just beneath the skin’s surface. Sensations vary by person from a dull ache to a tingling sensation. Any pain felt during treatment is momentary and quickly dissipates. Acupuncture needles are solid and slender —slightly thicker than human hair. Only the finest quality, stainless steel, pre-sterilized, disposable needles are used during treatment. The most consistently true answer is, "sometimes".  When patients ask, "Is this one going to hurt?"  I often say “Maybe.”  When I warn someone that a point is going to hurt, I rob them of the possibility that it will not hurt. It also distracts them from treatment and takes their attention to an irrelevant place.

The truth is that acupuncture hurts sometimes. When it hurts, the pain lasts for about 3 seconds and the sensation goes away. People come to me for treatment because it works. Does it hurt?  Sometimes. Is it worth it? I declare it is.  Your treatments include about forty minutes of rest time on the table. I use anywhere from four to twelve needles in a treatment (on average).  It is likely if you find some points painful, that half of the points will incur three seconds of discomfort.  This means that of forty minutes of rest time, on average, patients may or may not experience about six to twelve seconds of pain in total.  Chronic symptoms of back pain, headaches, menstrual cramps, anxiety, and depression are far more uncomfortable than these four to eighteen seconds out of a forty-minute treatment.  Remember that these seconds of discomfort are only a possibility, they are broken up and coordinated with the patient’s own exhale, which minimizes pain.  Some people do not feel pain, they feel a sensation beyond the initial insertion (the qi sensation, or dull ache I mentioned earlier). Others feel no discomfort during treatment. It is most important that you hold open the possibility that although discomfort may be, it is not always a negative thing. The discomfort is for a greater purpose.

Please email robin@bodypositiveacupuncture.com if you have any questions about acupuncture treatment. If you are interested, a journey of Intuitive Eating will help you find your exit ramp from diet culture and improve your relationship with food and your body. If you have questions about Intuitive Eating, please message Robin Harris through email at robin@bodypositiveacupuncture.com or submit through the contact page.