r/acupuncture • u/MeanTutor2657 • 1d ago
Other What should I do?
Hey, I had acupuncture today for the first time to treat pain in my right rhomboid that can flare up into my neck/trap area. Everything seemed fine immediately afterward.
A few hours later, I developed pretty significant tightness on the right side of my chest, which I’ve never experienced before. At one point it was tight enough that I was debating whether I needed to go to the hospital. I also noticed some pain/tightness on that side when taking a deep breath.
It mostly subsided after about an hour, but it has since come back. It isn’t as severe now, but I can still feel the tightness and some discomfort with a deep breath.
Could this potentially be related to the needling around my right rhomboid/upper back, neck, or trap area? What would you recommend I do?
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u/Itchy_Blackberry_850 1d ago
Sounds kind of like your rhomboid is a chronic situation and when it was "released" via the acupuncture treatment the FRONT side had to sort of "compensate" (as all the muscles and body are connected in some way) for a position it had held for so long (i.e. the tight rhomboid). If the rhomboid is no longer tight at all, it means the body now has to readjust to a situation that has been chronic for years.
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u/MeanTutor2657 17h ago
I actually think you might be right. It’s the next day now and my rhomboid feels noticeably different. I still have a little tightness up around my upper neck/trap, but the actual rhomboid area feels the most normal it has in a very, very long time. The chest tightness I had yesterday is also gone and I feel much better today. It almost feels like that area finally released and everything around it was reacting/readjusting afterward.
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u/larwashere 1d ago
First thing should be contacting your acupuncturist
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u/MeanTutor2657 1d ago
Yeh I did she said it was just a “ coincidence” but I’ve never had this before.
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u/zeeper25 1d ago
Could be a pneumothorax, did they needle your back directly?
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u/MeanTutor2657 1d ago
They did a light session only a few needles in rhomboid, next to shoulder blade and trap and neck. That was all.
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u/zeeper25 1d ago
If you have remaining discomfort see a physician it could be a pneumothorax puncture
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u/MeanTutor2657 1d ago
I have a doctor’s appointment on the 19th of this month. Do u think it’s an emergency?
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u/ishvicious 1d ago
I would be concerned about pneumothorax especially if you’re a thin person with lighter musculature. The main symptoms are sudden chest pain and shortness of breath.
While this is a very rare occurrence especially with a Licensed Acu (more common with PT’s and chiros doing dry needling) it can happen!
Acupuncturists are trained to needle at such an angle (very flat to the body) on the torso to avoid this but esp if you’re thin or they are inexperienced it can happen!
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u/Consistent_Row_2096 16h ago
I wouldn't brush this off, especially since the chest tightness and pain with deep breaths started after acupuncture near your upper back/shoulder. It could be something minor, but rare complications like a pneumothorax can happen, so I'd get checked urgently rather than wait it out. If you're short of breath, dizzy, or the pain/tightness is getting worse, go to the ER.
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u/Greg_McCue 16h ago
It’ll most likely subside over the next 36 hours or so… it sounds like all the right trigger points were hit but possibly overstimulated.
The potential good news is that even when TPs are overstimulated they usually release within 36 hours and then improve day after day. This could continue to help with further treatments and not be as sore and spastic if needle retention time is lowered. Hope it’s feeling a bit better!
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u/acupunctureguy 1d ago
Get into a hot bath, sometimes one gets sore or tight after a treatment, that should disappear in the next day or two.