What does acupuncture feel like? Is it painful?
A. Acupuncture needles are very fine and flexible, about the diameter of a thick hair. In most cases, insertion by a skilled practitioner is performed with a minimum of discomfort. However, if the practitioner has obtained the correct stimulus of the needle, the patient should feel a dull ache, heaviness, distention, tingling, or electrical sensation either around the needle or traveling up or down the affected meridian. These sensations are the presence and movement of Qi. Despite these sensations, most patients find the treatments very relaxing and many fall asleep during the treatments.
