How many acupunture treatments before I get hip and leg stiffness relief?
I’m sorry to hear about your experience with Western medicine, but I wouldn’t be quite ready to write it off yet. Some perspective here: my father has practiced acupuncture, PT and chiropractic for over 20 years. Like many doctors, I think he’d say that treatment duration (and effectiveness) can be especially tricky to calculate with a condition such as yours. I don’t know specific details on your condition, but especially if you’re experiencing crepitus or have pannus formation in the hip capsule, it’s possible that surgery may be necessary sooner than anyone would like, even with the best possible acupuncture. The reason for this is simple: tendons aren’t particularly good at healing (in part, because of circulation relatively lower than other tissues in your body). That said, I think what you’re doing is worth a shot: it’s possible that the acupuncture may provide some relief from pain and inflammation, and allow you to get as much mileage as possible out of the ailing hip socket. I
