Does Acupuncture Hurt?

One of the most common reasons some people avoid acupuncture is that they thought it would be painful. This is a common assumption. But to those who have already taken the plunge and underwent acupuncture, they were amazed by the fact that it doesn’t hurt. Although there’s still a sensation, you won’t feel any pain.

In some instances, recipients don’t feel a thing when needles are inserted. This is especially true if the needles used are extra thin. But most acupuncture needles produce a certain kind of sensation at the site where needles are inserted.

How does acupuncture feel like?

Some would describe it as having a weight being placed on certain areas of their body. The heaviness spreads throughout the body where the needle was placed. However, this type of feeling is calming, instead of being oppressive.

An achy sensation may also be felt at the needling site. But this sensation usually disappears after a few seconds. You may also describe it as if you’re being zapped or a traveling jolt that disappears quickly.

You may also experience a warmth sensation that is felt around an acupuncture point. It occurs a minute or two after the needles have been inserted. The sensation is more like a pleasant feeling. It’s like having an internal heating pad applied on a certain body part.

The level of skill of the acupuncturist can make a bid difference in the patient’s experience of this type of treatment. Our trained acupuncturists have years of experience in this field so most of our patients would say that they hardly felt that the needles were inserted in their body parts.

Does it cause bleeding?

You may think that this treatment option can cause bleeding. After all, it involves insertion of needles. But, generally, acupuncture doesn’t cause bleeding because the needles used are extremely fine in diameter.

Slight bruising may occur. This is especially true if your blood vessels are fragile. However, this is just a mild reaction and there’s no cause for concern. At Back to Wellness Center, we only use sterilized and disposable lancets. This means that the needles are sealed and they’re used once. Our acupuncturists will first cleanse the area with alcohol to sterilize the site where needles are inserted.

The main goal of this procedure is to restore the healthy function of your body without any type of negative side effects. This Chinese medicine treats you as a connected whole, instead of an isolated symptom.

To get in touch with us and schedule an appointment for an acupuncture session, please call (818) 985-2559