Page 18 - Treating pain with acupuncture FB

Does acupuncture hurt?

When most people think “needle”, they think of the

much larger hypodermic needle used to give them shots

as a child (and it looked even BIGGER when we were

small children). An acupuncture needle is about as thin

as a human hair. The needles are sterile and used only

once and then disposed of as medical waste.

Ordinarily the needles do not hurt. Once in a while,

one of the needles brushes by a nerve and it becomes

uncomfortable. The patient is instructed to tell me that a

specific needle is uncomfortable. That needle is

removed. The discomfort goes away in a few seconds

and a fresh needle is reinserted a millimeter away into a

spot that is more comfortable.

One of the goals of an acupuncture treatment is to

make you so comfortable and relaxed that you can have

a nice restful nap during the treatment.