Can you feel acupuncture needles during a session?

Acupuncture has been around for thousands of years and is regarded as a safe and effective traditional Chinese medicine. Perhaps the biggest challenge that people need to overcome is the fact that it involves inserting needles into their skin. This leaves potential patients asking “does acupuncture hurt?”

A lot of people are scared of needles and think that it’s going to be a painful experience. To help set your mind at ease, we’re going to explain how acupuncture needles feel and why your specific sensations may be different from someone else’s.

Sensations You May Feel During Acupuncture

During an acupuncture session, very thin needles—thinner than a human hair—are inserted into specific points on your body by a licensed acupuncturist. Even though most patients will barely feel anything at all when acupuncture needles are inserted into their skin, some people may experience some type of sensation. The most common sensations that you may feel during a session include:

  • Heavy: In some cases, a patient may feel a sense of heaviness as if a weight is being placed where the needle has been inserted. However, this feeling typically spreads across the person’s entire body and creates a calm feeling.
  • Achy: If you feel an achy sensation, this is very likely to pass after a few seconds. There are certain sensitive areas, such as your hands and feet, where a dull ache may become more intense, and the needles will need to be adjusted by the acupuncturist.
  • Electric/tingly: Sometimes, patients report that they feel a slight sensation as if they’ve been shocked or zapped. Although these tingling sensations are surprising, they’re not actually painful.
  • Itchiness: Everyone’s body is prone to feeling itchy when something is touching it or has been inserted into it. This may occur at the insertion point or as the Qi moves throughout your body.
  • Warm: One of the most common sensations from an acupuncturist’s needle is the feeling of warmth at the insertion point. The good news is that this is typically described as a pleasant feeling by the patient.

Does Acupuncture Hurt? – Why Needle Sensations May Differ

It probably isn’t too surprising that some people are more sensitive to the insertion of an acupuncture needle than others. Here are some of the most common reasons why needle sensations may differ from patient to patient during an acupuncture treatment:

Location on the Body

As you’re probably very aware, some points on your body are simply more sensitive than others. For example, your fingers and toes have more nerve endings. If an acupuncture needle is inserted into an area that’s more sensitive, there’s a higher chance that you’ll have some kind of sensation.

Environmental Factors

It might sound kind of strange, but your body is simply different on different days. For some people, it comes down to external factors like the weather outside, how much they’ve slept, or their diet. If you’re feeling a bit hungry, dehydrated, or tired, you may be a bit more sensitive to acupuncture needles.

Function of the Point

There are many points throughout your body that invigorate the flow of Qi, which helps keep your body in balance. Some of these points are stronger than others, which makes them more sensitive because of their profound effect on your body. Whenever an acupuncture needle is inserted into one of these spots, the sensation might be a little more intense.

Degree of Imbalance

A basic rule of thumb when dealing with acupuncture is “the more it hurts, the more you need it.” In other words, whenever you have a high degree of imbalance in a certain part of your body, the more likely it is that the points needed to fix it will be sensitive.

Does Acupuncture Hurt? – When You Should Alert Your Acupuncturist

During an acupuncture session, you shouldn’t feel any level of discomfort or sharpness beyond the level of a mild mosquito bite. Your acupuncture session should be an extremely comfortable experience.

If you feel any level of discomfort, inform the acupuncturist. He or she can adjust the needles as necessary. This may include inserting the needle into a different area of the skin or removing it entirely. Keep in mind that all of these sensations are very rare, so there’s no reason to be concerned when signing up for a professional acupuncture session.

Contact East West Healing Solutions for Acupuncture Treatment 

East West Healing Solutions provides acupuncture therapy that can help you with physical, mental, and emotional ailments. If you have any questions about our acupuncture treatments or what happens during one of our sessions, call our staff at (727) 216-3972 today to schedule an appointment in Palm Harbor.