Acupuncture reduces arthritis pain and improves mobility.
Many of the people who see me for help with arthritis pain tell me they don’t like taking pain medications. The good news is that acupuncture is a proven way to reduce pain and use of pain medications. Acupuncture is among the oldest healing practices in the world, and is a safe and effective option for people looking for non-drug options for treating arthritis pain.
When can I expect to see results? Most people experience some pain relief during their first treatment. The effects of acupuncture are cumulative, so you can expect the degree and duration of your pain relief to increase with each treatment.
How will I know I’m getting better? You’ll likely feel a significant decrease in you pain, and at each visit, I’ll ask you to rate your pain on a scale of 1 to 10. We’ll keep track of these numbers to give you a good indication of your progress.
How many treatments will I need? For just about any issue I recommend clients plan to come in for 6 weeks of once-a-week treatments to start with, though you will probably feel improvement from the first or second treatment. People with arthritis usually find receiving acupuncture every week or so on an ongoing basis helps them manage their pain and improves their quality of life.
What are the side effects of acupuncture? Unlike medications, acupuncture does not cause negative side effects, but you’ll likely experience positive effects like better sleep, a sense of calm and enhanced well-being. Also, when people receive acupuncture treatment for one symptom, they often find other symptoms improving. Don’t hesitate to tell me about symptoms that you are experiencing in addition to your pain because I can usually address them all in one treatment.
Is acupuncture safe if I’m on pain medication? Definitely! There are no contraindications for acupuncture with medications – in fact, people often use acupuncture to help them decrease or stop taking pain medications.
Why doesn’t my doctor recommend acupuncture or think acupuncture works? MDs are generally not educated or well informed regarding alternatives to what they learned in medical school, i.e. drugs and surgery. However, research shows that acupuncture can be better than medications for reducing pain, so I would say that anybody who doesn’t think acupuncture works, particularly for pain, probably hasn’t had personal experience with it or looked at the research with an open mind.