Acupuncture for Chronic Pain

[PainGo1]

What is the general consensus about acupuncture? Has anyone had any positive results after having had a course of acupuncture for chronic pain?

[rabbits65]

I’ve only ever heard good reports about acupuncture . I had some about 30 years ago !!! Too long to remember the details . Worth giving it a try I say.

[PainGo1 in reply to rabbits65]

I get the impression that it really is a short term pain relief treatment but doesn't work for long term pain but maybe it does for some people. Can a course help with chronic pain?

[rabbits65 in reply to PainGo1]

I would give it a try if I were you , if you don’t you will always wonder what it’s like .

[Hellytheelephant]

I had a course of it years ago. I found it worked brilliantly in the short term...but the effects wore off after a few hours. BTW: the needles were comfortable and not unpleasant to have in.

[Grandmumma]

I had acupuncture at the beginning of the year before I had my hip replacement I the summer. I used to limp in there and walk out, no pain for 3 weeks. Best invention ever!

[Canarylady]

Good morning painGo1,

I used to have acupuncture regularly up until I couldn’t find a good doctor or privately run person.

My doctor used to do acupuncture and it was a relief to be in less pain,I shall be finding someone else next year,I hope!

It really did help me,spine,shoulders neck.

It doesn’t help everyone but it does in most people,I would say give it a try,if it does work on you then your be in less pain,I m sure you know but do a course of treatment that way you can feel the difference in between not having it done.

My mother used to have it done also,she too found it amazing,as she can’t take any pain relief.

Let us know how you get on.

Best wishes

Ruth

[PainGo1 in reply to Canarylady]

Yes I will try it again

[dinkic]

I use it as regularly as I can afford, helps me.

[Emma2017]

I used it years ago for headaches and it worked reasonably well. I also tried it more recently for my referred pain from sciatica, had very little success there. Worth a try in my opinion.

[PainGo1 in reply to Emma2017]

yes it seems to be different for everyone.

[cyberbarn]

My son tried it and it didn't work. Then his GP refused to refer him to secondary care, but happily told us to try acupuncture and gave us his friend's contact details. Son refused to go (rightly so!) but I talked the person anyway, and he said that he finds that it doesn't work for people with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

[Depressedmelb]

My husband has had it on his back and it did help him when he couldn’t move which was a couple of years ago but she wouldn’t touch me as too much wrong.

[PainGo1 in reply to Depressedmelb]

Thank you for your experience Mel.

[koffeekat99]

Hi. I have acupuncture for trigeminal nerve damage. It keeps the pain at a more manageable level. As its nerve damage that can’t be repaired I have acupuncture every two months to maintain the pain relieving effect. The break in treatment due to Covid restrictions means I can say that acupuncture does have a good effect for me.It depends on the condition you’re having it for and having someone well trained to administer it.

I’ve not had ill effects other than occasionally some tiredness and a headache the day after treatment, which isn’t unexpected for my condition. These occasional effects are well worth it for the general relief I get from the nerve pain itself.

In the UK the most recent NICE guidance recognises some positives of acupuncture. That’s pretty good as it’s difficult to do double blind clinical trials with acupunture and it’s thse trials that NICE want to rely on.

[Konagirl60]

I have neuropathy. It didn’t help me after weekly treatments for over two months. Just being honest.

[Jenles]

I had acupuncture for chronic pain several years ago. I was sceptical about its efficacy and expected no results from it. However, it unfortunately made my pain worse although hearsay suggests it works for some. (This was at a specialist NHS hospital)

[PainGo1]

I wonder if it is like a placebo and you want it to help and you imagine it is working when it might not actually be doing much at all medically. I still don't understand how it works at all, even after explanations.

[koffeekat99 in reply to PainGo1]

Apparently in some cases there is a possible placebo effect. This would only last for a few sessions apparently. There is also an effect that is more long lasting but is not fully understood.

[CDPO16]

My husband has had acupuncture for chronic pain and didn't get any pain relief at all.