Is acupuncture painful?
Acupuncture is not at all like getting an injection or taking blood. Acupuncture needles are about the diameter of a hair and are very fine and flexible. People experience acupuncture needling differently. Most patients feel only minimal pain as the needles are inserted; some feel no pain at all. With proper placement techniques, the needles do not hurt and are painless after placement.
The acupuncture needles are made of stainless steel and are very slender (as thin as a strand of hair). Acupuncture is generally painless. Most people do not even feel the needles going in, or they may feel a very small prick. Following the insertion of the needles you may feel a sensation of tingling, numbness, ache, radiating warmth, or heaviness-this is the qi moving. Many people find the treatments very relaxing and will sometimes even nap during them. You may feel more energetic in the days following the treatment.
Due to the fact that acupuncture needles are hair-thin and are not hollow like a syringe, they cause very minimal, if any pain at all. Once needles are in place, patients have reported feeling very relaxed, a warm or cool sensation running throughout the body, a tingling sensation, energized, or sleepy.
It is said that acupuncture is more painful to onlookers and less painful who experiences. Usually you will feel a slight prick. Weather it is painful or not depends entirely on you. Emotion is very strong component of pain. If you are very afraid of needles you may feel it more than others. Actually the feeling is much less than having an injection or being pricked by a sewing needle.
Acupuncture bears no resemblance to the feeling of receiving an injection, since the main source of pain from injections is the larger diameter, hollow needle and the medication being forced into the tissue by pressure. Acupuncture needles are very fine and flexible, about the diameter of a human hair. In most cases, insertion by a skilled practitioner causes no discomfort. You may experience a sense of heaviness or electricity in the area of insertion. Most patients find the treatments very relaxing, and many fall asleep during treatment. In some cases, your practitioner may also recommend dietary, exercise, or lifestyle changes and an herbal regimen.
