What does an Acupuncture treatment feel like? Does it hurt?
People often ask if acupuncture will hurt. Many practitioners quickly answer “No, of course not!” If Western MDs can get away with calling some of their procedures “a bit uncomfortable,” we can be excused for saying that acupuncture is painless. In general, most patients expect that they will feel the needles being inserted through the skin, but often you won’t feel that at all, especially if you are relaxed. On the other hand acupuncture is not without sensations. Once needles are placed you may feel a dull, distending, heavy feeling around one or more of the needles. You may feel some undefinable energy or temperature sensation moving in a limb or through your body. One of the needles may feel warm, while another feels cool. When the first needles are inserted you may feel a wave of warmth rising up in your body. There are all sorts of mild sensations that can be expected during a treatment. They are subtle. They are the effects of Qi.
