Acupuncture does not always hurt. It is however not always painless. The sensation of acupuncture can feel different for everyone and there are good sensations and bad ones. A good sensation is a slight sting upon insertion of the needle and then a gradual pressure as it remains in. A bad sensation would feel like you hit your funny bone and it isn't going away. However, people often report barely feeling the needles at all.

This varies depending on diagnosis. However, it is appropriate to for everyone to receive 4-6 acupuncture treatments in a row in order for their bodies to feel a change in their chief complaint and a sense of mind/body balance. After these 4-6 treatments, receiving bi-weekly or monthly acupuncture is customary for maintenance.

Needle size varies based on their intended use. Some needles are several inches long while others only a centimeter, some are thicker than others as well. One can however fit upwards of 40 acupuncture needles in 1 hypodermic needle (the ones you get shots with), to give you an idea.

Depending on your condition, acupuncture can help as quickly as within 1-2 treatments or as slowly as within 12+ treatments. The longer you've been dealing with something, the longer it's likely to take to see some change. Generally speaking though, after 4 treatments, you should notice a change in your symptoms or general well being.

Acupuncture is a broad and in depth theory of the whole body. It encompasses treatment of a wide variety of conditions ranging from the common cold to chronic pain. Dry needling is aimed at releasing muscle tension directly by sticking a needling into a tight muscle or knot with the goal of releasing it. Dry needling is within the scope of acupuncture but acupuncture is not within the scope of anyone who performs dry needling.

I am happy to help you with this if you are interested in moving through it. We can do many things face down so the needles are not seen which usually helps. But I also offer several different needle-less services like cupping, gua sha, moxa and Hara massage which is an abdominal massage aimed at moving stuck energy in the abdomen. These adjunct only appointments are slightly shorter and cost slightly less. If you're interested in learning more, don't hesitate to reach out!