Does acupuncture hurt?

It depends on the location of the needle.  Some of the needles you will not feel, some might feel achy, throbbing, pulsating.  All these sensations are good.  Once the needle is placed into a point, most of the sensations subside to the point where the patient can take a nap while the needles are retained.

How many treatments will I need?

Acupuncture is a therapy.  While there are times when one treatment is all that you need, for most people that is not the case.   The number of treatments will depend on whether the ailment is acute or chronic, what are your current inflammation levels in the body, how well does one sleep, etc.  On average for most people, acute issue could be resolved within 6 treatments, chronic can take 12 treatments or more.

How is Sports Acupuncture different from Traditional Acupuncture?

All acupuncture is not equal.  While most acupuncturists practice just TCM, at Sports Acupuncturist we are looking at the body from Western and Eastern perspective.

At Sports Acupuncturist we practice orthopedic acupuncture as well as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) acupuncture.  While TCM is great at reducing pain, improving circulation, and treating the constitution of the person, Sports Acupuncture takes the person’s posture into account.  During the intake, muscles will be tested to see which ones are engaged and working properly and which muscles are turned off, meaning not working as they should be.  These muscle imbalances can cause a myriad of issues such as back pain, elbow pain, hip pain, shoulder pain, etc.  Through orthopedic acupuncture, a point, called Motor point is stimulated, which engages the muscle that was previously not working properly. 

How often should I be getting acupuncture?

For acute or chronic ailments, it is recommended to get acupuncture twice a week for 2-3 weeks.  From there, depending on how well the person is doing, drop it down to once a week until the issue is resolved.  Once the issue is resolved, it is recommended to get acupuncture once a month.  This is called the maintenance stage.  At maintenance stage, we test muscles to ensure that they are working properly, which is important in avoiding injury/pain.

What should I expect post treatment?

Some people feel completely normal right after treatment.  For some, the pain might be diminished right after treatment, for most it takes about 24-28 hours to feel the full effect of the treatment.  Some people might feel soreness in the areas where the muscle was stimulated.  The soreness should go away within 24 hours.