The first treatment I received, I was fine with the situation- dimly lit room, soothing music, calming fragrance in the air- until I heard the acupuncturist unwrapping the needles. I immediately sat up, and let the questions fly. "Wait wait wait, does this hurt? How deep do they go? How big are the needles?"My questions were soon answered. The needles are tiny, no thicker than a human hair. They go as deep as they need to go, the acupuncturist can feel when they've hit their mark. And as far as hurting, it depends on the location of the needle, and whether or not that specific point on your body has anything to do with the problem for which you're receiving treatment. I usually get three needles in the back of my neck, 10 to 15 across my entire back, and one or two in each leg, directly above the ankle or above the knee.
The pain level ranges from a zero, where I can feel the needle going in, but feel no pain associated with it, to maybe a 3 out of 10. The worst pains I've felt were in my lower back, and inside my thighs, just above the knee. For some reason my whole back spasmed when needles were placed in those locations. The discomfort leaves within a few minutes, and after that you can't feel the needles at all. Other than the minor discomfort when the needles are placed, it's a very pleasant experience.As soon as the acupuncturist starts placing the needles, I get almost giddy. I have to physically restrain myself from laughing out loud at nothing at all. It's really strange, I know. Once the giddiness subsides, I feel very calm, and very relaxed. In every session but one, I've fallen asleep for nearly the entire 45 minutes, and wake up feeling extremely rested. The pain and stiffness in my back and neck is always gone as well.
It's been a foreign experience for me, as I think it would be for most people in our culture, but once I got over the initial trepidation, it's been a very rewarding experience. I'd recommend it to anyone!
3 comments:
This is so bizarre. I actually have had what I think is a pinched nerve in my neck the last couple of days. I woke up this morning and it was gone, but I am now left wondering if it could have been gone much sooner if I'd have been turned into a pincushion.
I've just reached a milestone. I know essentially normal people who do acupuncture. Essentially.
Although I haven't quite let go of the mental image that acupuncture is freaky Asian hippie black magic.
I'm glad that it's working for you, Matty! I don't know that I could do it ~ but it took me several months of regular chiropractic adjustments before I'd allow my doc (and also my boss) to adjust my neck. The thought just freaked me out. But once I got the first one out of the way, I was totally on board! I hope your neck keeps feeling better!
And congrats on your first blog post!!!
I would pass out!
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