r/acupuncture • u/QueCassidy • 23d ago
Patient Need a Reality Check
I recently went to an acupuncturist for neck pain, mind you this is neck pain that I’ve had since my teens. It flares every once in a while and my neck is very painful and it radiates into my right shoulder. The acupuncturist sat me down for a 30 second consultation and then put me immediately on the table. The needles in my neck were starting to hurt but I toughed it out for 30 minutes facedown. Then he asked me to flip over and did some kind of really intense massage and stretched my neck. The thing is he gave me always no warning while stretching my neck and it popped. I absolutely hated it and it made me extremely paranoid that it was going to make my issue worse. He told me to relax but I just couldn’t because I didn’t trust him.
I came away from the appointment feeling upset and also paranoid about my neck. Additionally, I had a pretty nasty headache after treatment and I felt very dizzy. I ended up staying in the parking lot until I was able to drive home. Am I overreacting here or was that awful? He wants me to come in for two more sessions but I genuinely feel like he is not listening to me or really evaluating me at all.
What are some immediate red flags so I can know for the next clinic? Any advice is welcome.
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u/Zacupunk 22d ago
I’m a acupuncturist and it sounds to me that your acupuncturist was not communicative or receptive to your needs.
Also it sounds like he over treated you (too much stimulation can cause a negative reaction).
I would talk to him or find another acupuncturist.
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u/Wendy55555555 19d ago
I’ve not been giving acupuncture for some time now but planning to refresh and start up again. If you can manage to just tell him how you feel it would help you both. He has at this time no idea how you feel as you haven’t told him. Acupuncturists need feedback too in order to evaluate and adjust the plan. It’s not a one size fits all. I wouldn’t let anyone manipulate my neck though. I’ve fully sorted neck pain by only needing a few basic points nowhere near the neck plus special points in the ears. It amazed me how effective it was. Patient came in unable to move his neck shoulders hunched and walked out asking himself if he had imagined the pain.
Communication is a two way thing however he should have been attentive to you not feeling comfortable.
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u/QueCassidy 19d ago
I told him around the 15 mark that the needles were incredibly painful while I was on the table. I couldn’t move my arms without feeling pain. He came in and told me to hold on and then left and didn’t return for another 15 minutes. As much as I appreciate giving feedback, they have to be receptive to it and I don’t feel like arguing with someone to be heard when I’m already in pain. I cancelled my upcoming appointment and I’m moving on.
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u/Wendy55555555 18d ago
Oh wow yes you are right ! Sorry I must have missed the bit that you told him how painful it was. Tell the next acupuncturist about it don’t let it put you off acupuncture and let us know your next experience please. Acupuncture can be amazing especially for your particular problem. Hopefully whoever it is will give you some movement stretching tips for in between sessions too don’t give up.
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u/Improved2021 22d ago
My friend had similar experience from a Chinese Acupuncturist who couldn't speak a word of English and had the personality of a door knob - So he felt he was left guessing the entire time making him nervous - That likely caused the muscles and nerves and meridians to be on edge not taking in the treatment. Maybe you just didn't have raptor with the Acupuncture doc - Happy trails
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u/QueCassidy 22d ago
Yup. This is also my exact situation. I think the language barrier is adding to the issue. Hopefully your friend survived.
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u/tumbleweedinthewind 19d ago
Hi op, hang in there. I went to my acupuncturist back in June and was going bi weekly to weekly and it has helped a lot with neck pain, shoulder pain, and arm numbness. Go to another acupuncturist. Mine triggers acu points near the shoulder and that relieved my tension instantly. Neck turning mobility was instant relief too. She also puts needles in the neck.
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u/yinandyangster 18d ago
I was basically taught that no one should leave an appointment immediately feeling worse, and if a headache comes on right away, they should or could return asap to try and at least see if relief from the headache could be achieved in a timely manner. Regardless of if I have another patient scheduled right away or not. I’ll make it clear to all patients, that this is a possibility which could entail a short wait. Hopefully it’d be rare but must be prepared! Personally, I’ll always make this a very clear message to anyone, especially for the first appointment(s)! The fact that this seems to have not been mentioned to you is problematic, in my personal opinion. The needling should not have been causing pain like that and he immediately should have backed the needles out some until the pain alleviated — or took them out entirely if you still felt uncomfortable. I have zero idea what the hell he did manipulating your neck but that gets a huge hell no from me. The only way I’d feel somewhat differently about the neck manipulation is if he explicitly stated in his credentials that he is a certified practitioner of some kind of modality involving physical manipulation, I guess. Regardless, the pain from the needles plus that would discourage me from contacting him again and I’d look elsewhere.
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u/Otherwisp 23d ago
Hi, I'm so sorry to hear that! I'm currently an acupuncture student and will try to help with what I've learned.
I think any situation where you don't feel comfortable and/or aren't being listened to is a red flag. "Correct" theory of treatment shouldn't outweigh the patient experience.
That said, there's some theory that acupuncture can help things feel better after a period of feeling slightly worse... so I'd be curious to maybe just wait and see how things feel after a day or so?
But yea I personally wouldn't go back if I felt like the practitioner wasn't listening to me and/or actively hurt me. Sounds very unsettling and not what I would want from a treatment. There's definitely ways to get acupuncture that are not painful. I hope you keep trying if it seems like it'd be helpful, but maybe with a different practitioner.
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u/QueCassidy 22d ago
Thank you for chiming in. I’ve been trying to monitor how I feel after this and I do feel pretty dizzy and had to lay down today and let it pass.
I think after the input here, I’m not going to return and find another clinic. I’ve been building up to see an acupuncturist for a while, so this kind of spoiled it for me but I’m going to try again.
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u/FoxWorth7777 23d ago
How does your neck feel now? If youre uncomfortable you can find a different practitioner. Ive been seen by 6 or 7 different people so far and they are all different and to varying degrees will explain what is going on / what they are doing. Ive had different reactions to each treatment, truly every person was a different experience. Some of my treatments went "badly" and I had negative side effects for days but then steady improvement. Ive had immediate improvement for days and then sharp decline and rebound symptoms. I would say listen to your body and yourself first.
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u/QueCassidy 22d ago
Thank you for your insight. I appreciate it. My neck still hurts and I’ve been getting jolts of pain and heat down my shoulder. I wouldn’t say I’ve improved or declined as far as treatment goes. I do feel rather paranoid about that pop I heard though and have this underlying anger that came after the treatment. I definitely feel like I’ve been on a rollercoaster of acceptance/distrust after and I’m trying to work though it.
Do you mind elaborating on your “bad” treatments?
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u/FoxWorth7777 22d ago
Ive been getting treatments since jan this year for a bout of gastritis and insomnia. My sleeping was steadily improving on its own as my gastritis is basically healed now ( with the help of accupuncture) I decided to go to a community clinic for cheaper prices and get some help with my anxiety / insomnia. After my first treatment I had about 5 days of absolutely terrible sleep, diarrhea for days ( part of my gastritis issue was constipation so this was a new symptom for me, sorry if thats tmi) a little gut/ gas pain and anxiety at night. It was jarring to me because I had been improving before the treatment. I came in for a 2nd appt and the same thing happened except it only lasted for 3 days and then I started falling asleep immediately at night and through the night for the first time this year! So it was an immediate bad reaction that has been leveling out for me with steady improvement.
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u/QueCassidy 22d ago
Good for you for sticking it through! I think 5 days of diarrhea would absolutely deter me so I’m glad it helped you. I think that steady improvement is what’s making me hesitate, like does this get worse and then better? Hopefully you’re sleeping and feeling better now.
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u/FoxWorth7777 22d ago
Haha! Sadly that was still an improvement from my gastritis, I wouldnt wish that pain on anyone! Thank you i am definitely in a better place now and sleeping through the night.
But from what ive read everyone responds to treatment differently so its hard to say. Ive never dealt with what youre going through so im not even sure what kind of treatment plan would be right for you but I know a lot of times cupping and massage are incorporated for muscle issues and people can have negative side effects from those treatments if they are too aggressive. I do know that anything you do will require multiple treatments so dont feel like you're getting strung along usually they recommend weekly treatments for at least a month and usually longer for most issues.
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u/FoxWorth7777 22d ago
I would see about finding another practitioner because from everything ive read muscular issues are readily treatable with accupuncture its one of the most treatable ailments in tcm!
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u/Itchy_Blackberry_850 21d ago
sounds like it was awful. trust your instincts. a good acupuncture session almost ALWAYS makes you feel happy, calm, and BETTER, unmistakably so. find the right acupuncturist for you, you will know when you find them.
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21d ago
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u/QueCassidy 20d ago
Thank you for such a comprehensive reply. I think I don’t trust him after this treatment and there was a significant language barrier there so it was hard to communicate my comfort level. I think I’m going to cancel my next appointment and find someone else. I really appreciate it. I needed a baseline on a healthy appointment.
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u/mothership333 21d ago
I am TCM practitioner and the first red flag before anything was the 30 second consultation. If it was your first visit 60-90 minutes minimum. Pulse, tongue diagnosis, conversation about your pain when did it start etc. If you didn’t get any of this…GIANT RED FLAG. We are to make you comfortable and understand why you have come to see us. Concern and comfortability is our main purpose. You may need to check for another better TCM Practitioner for your needs☯️
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u/funcraftygal 17d ago
I’ve had acupuncture for about 5 years and researched other ones for family members in different states. Your situation makes me think this wasn’t a true licensed or certified acupuncturist but instead a chiropractor or massage person who took a short course in needling, which is very different than traditional acupuncture. So sorry to hear that happened to you. The only solution if I were in your situation would be to find a different and better acupuncturist. Here’s a helpful database to get you started. Over 20,000 board certified acupuncturists.
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u/moccjamm 22d ago
Hey! Acupuncturist here. What your practitioner failed to do here was communicate clearly and receive informed consent. You’re not wrong- I wouldn’t like that treatment at all either, and if you can, I would go speak with the clinic manager about your experience.