I’m not going to lie here. Yes, sometimes, for a moment. The needles are very thin, literally hair thin, and most of the time you may feel a very slight prick as it touches your skin. That feeling is very momentary, and sometimes you don’t even notice that..
Other times, especially on the hands and feet where there is more nerve supply, the needle may feel a little sharp, but again, that is fleeting. Taking a deep breath into your belly, and breathing out slowly will ease any needle insertion, and decreases the sensitivity of the needle dramatically. The point is to feel the needle sensation (also knows as “de qi”), and to prompt your body to make a change, though we want to do this as comfortably as possible. After the initial insertion, the more important sensations you may notice could be a tingling, radiating or dull heavy feeling. If I am working on deeper ligaments you may definitely feel a more prominent dull ache. This is good. This is the feeling of energy, or qi, moving, and this is the point (eesh) of acupuncture, to move qi. Once the qi can move, blood will follow. That new blood in the area is what starts the healing process.
