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Acupuncture anyone?
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Anyone on here use acupuncture for pain management (or other reasons)?

Upon advice of PT scheduled an assessment back when the pain was really debilitating. Took almost two months to get in to see the acupuncturist. Pain from hip and back is more chronic than acute now.

My first session was more unpleasant and painful than I expected, but it did seem to loosen up my hip a bit. It really wiped me out though--I came home and fell asleep for over an hour, which is pretty unusual for me.

What have others experienced?

No coasting in running and no crying in baseball
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Re: Acupuncture anyone? [Tri3] [ In reply to ]
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I haven't personally but I had a friend die of colon cancer on Monday that used it for the last week of her life to relieve pain and apparently it helped.

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce
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Re: Acupuncture anyone? [Tri3] [ In reply to ]
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I have used acupunture a few times for foot and knee pain. It worked for a day or two until I was able to really get off my feet. The only unpleasant part of a session for me was when the acupuncturist forgot I was on the table and removed some of the needles myself. Pulling, not twisting is not a good thing. If I lived closer to the clinic, I would go more often when needed.


_____________________________________
DISH is how we do it.
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Re: Acupuncture anyone? [Tri3] [ In reply to ]
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I have positive experience with acupuncture. When I was pregnant with my third child I had a very severe sinus inflammation and it was not possible to use antibiotics. Basically I did not get any air in through nose and my head was heavy as hell. Acupuncture helped to relieve the situation and I healed quite quickly. Also I have used acupuncture for general immune system related issues - I live in cold damp climate and sometimes I have flus/colds every autumn, winter and spring month. The year I managed to squeeze in a 10 day treatment in august and 10 days in January I did not catch cold at all. I do not have experience with acupuncture in pain management but I am a firm believer in acupuncture in general.
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Re: Acupuncture anyone? [Kivisisalik] [ In reply to ]
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Do the needles sting you when they go in? And sometimes the needle would "zing" me sending a shock through my arm. Is that supposed to happen? Once the needles were in, it would hurt to move, even a little bit.

No coasting in running and no crying in baseball
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Re: Acupuncture anyone? [Tri3] [ In reply to ]
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Hi,

I've been going to acupuncture for migraines the past couple months. Quite often the location where the needles go in feels a zing or aches, particularly if I am having a sensitive day. The ones that go in my hands and a couple of the ones that go in my feet are the most likely to do that, but that is where I have most of the needles.


It seems like it is reducing my total number of migraines, but there are so many variables (dietary changes, supplements, medication changes, chiropractic work) it is hard to tell for sure.
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Re: Acupuncture anyone? [Tri3] [ In reply to ]
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Sometimes they do sting, it depends on the place they are inserted. Also, it depends a little on the therapist, I have been to two different ones and the one I used first inserted needles without almost any feeling for me. I would not dear to move myself once the needles are in already. I do not think I have even tried....
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Re: Acupuncture anyone? [maija] [ In reply to ]
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Thanks for the replies. I agree, it was the needles in my hands that hurt the most. When I told the acupuncturist he made some adjustments that helped.

A couple of days post-first session and I do think it helped. I go back for two sessions next week.

No coasting in running and no crying in baseball
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Re: Acupuncture anyone? [Tri3] [ In reply to ]
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I've been doing "dry needling" for a few weeks now. It's like acupuncture on crack. The PT inserts the same needle as acupuncture but then moves it through the muscle fibers to find trigger points. When he hits a trigger point, it jumps and pops. Sometimes he can get two or three at one pass. It's pretty unpleasant, but drastic times call for drastic measures. I'm getting some lumbar relief (and also less radiculopathy in the hips). Acupuncture by itself didn't really work on the pain levels. This does.

~~ kate
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Re: Acupuncture anyone? [dreaming~big] [ In reply to ]
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Yeah, from what I've read I think the dry needling is more comparable to a lydocaine trigger point injection than to acupuncture.

No coasting in running and no crying in baseball
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Re: Acupuncture anyone? [Tri3] [ In reply to ]
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Exactly so. Just no lidocaine. I read that there is a 92 percent overlap between the acupuncture "meridian" concept and the westernized "trigger point" concept. It does appear to be working on the chronic pain, as well as the more incidental acute stuff that I feel after long runs. Hope you find some relief. Chronic lumbar pain sux.

~~ kate
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Re: Acupuncture anyone? [JenSw] [ In reply to ]
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so sorry about your friend, jen.
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Re: Acupuncture anyone? [Tri3] [ In reply to ]
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An update: I've had five treatments and it definitely has made a difference. I haven't had to take any pain killers since starting and I feel as though I'm finally rounding the corner. It's pretty amazing. The acupunturist can find a sore spot on my back or hips, then insert some needles elsewhere (usually in arm or leg), and immediately the spot isn't sore anymore. The trick is holding onto that for more than a few days.

As it was explained to me (and this is my interpretation of what got said), the theory my acupuncturist works under is that when you're in chronic pain, your body limits blood flow to the injured area because it thinks something is really wrong (such as infection) and wants to "wall off" that area to protect the rest of your body. So at a time when a part of your body needs blood supply the most for healing, it gets the least. The needles "re-direct" the blood supply and organize your body to heal itself.

No coasting in running and no crying in baseball
Last edited by: Tri3: Aug 13, 13 6:41
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Re: Acupuncture anyone? [Tri3] [ In reply to ]
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Glad you are getting some relief. My little brother has cluster headaches (they're like migraines but far worse) and I wish we could get him to try accupuncture. He's needle-phobic and won't even give it a shot (no pun intended ;-) even though the accupuncture needles are so much different from the needles used to take blood :-(

maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD
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Re: Acupuncture anyone? [tigerchik] [ In reply to ]
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You can tell your little brother that this is coming from another "needle phobic." Seriously, when I was a kid I used to take out nurses that came at me with a needle. I still have to warn health care professionals when they come at me to take blood or give shots because I hold my breath and/or dissociate until it's over--which makes them really nervous if I don't warn them in advance.

The acupuncture needles can sting a bit, but it is totally different than shot/blood test needles.

No coasting in running and no crying in baseball
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Re: Acupuncture anyone? [Tri3] [ In reply to ]
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I have a girlfriend that absolutely swears by it for her back pain & about half of our combined network utilizes the same person for various other aches/pains/ails. I've not gotten brave enough yet but a few of them use acupuncture solely to treat their depression/anxiety. It's next on my list. So glad you're seeing the results from it too!

It's so fascinating to me how interconnected our body & systems are....

AW
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