Has anyone tried acupuncture? I've had this awful pain in my shoulder for longer than I can remember. It used to be on and off. Nothing helps it anymore. No matter how much I stretch it it hurts. I changed to a better purse (I thought maybe my other one was too big and heavy and causing it), switched pillows, even got a new mattress (I needed a new one anyway, it wasn't just for my shoulder). I know my dr does acupuncture but I've never tried it before. I'm thinking about asking her for it, I've heard it can help for back and shoulder pain. I was just wondering what other people's experiences are

Sure,I have had it for tenon/musculature problems in my arm and for neck pain.

Can't say it was totally effective,it lacks the finality of surgery,even with repeated visits/treatments.

It did stop the pains for a short time,say a few hours,but in the long run,I had to have the surgeries.

My shoulder rotary cuff was a minimal scope surgery,requiring an outpatient visit,3 stitches for the scope's entries,and one return visit for the removal of them.

They removed 3 bone spurs and replaced the bone with nylon,I still feel where the nylon was placed,not in any negative way,just aware of it, it's foreign still after 6 years.

My friend also has had repeated visits(many more than me) to her therapist,needles she calls him:p,but,again,like me,she hasn't been convinced that it does lasting relief.

I trust my medical providers to make the right call for my problems, although slow to finally get them to agree with surgery,I have had 4 procedures which might have been addressed with acupuncture rather than surgery, but in the end,they have all required a more aggressive approach.

I've tried everything EXCEPT acupuncture. It's not that I'm against it, it's really because it wasn't covered under my insurance. Plus, as an addict(pills), if it didn't have a buzz involved, it wasn't going to "work" for me. Now that I'm clean and sober (10 months), I am considering it. Even out of pocket. I am still in recovery for core decompression surgery on my hip. I still have daily pain. Some days excruciating pain.

I am willing to try it. I am now seeking any non-narcotic pain relief for long term use. I've had so many needles in my body, especially my spine, that a few more won't hurt me.

If you do get/do it, let us know how it goes. It's like most things, I'm sure, some swear by it, and some don't get any relief at all.

I wish you luck.

Thanks for the input guys. All I've really seen about it is mostly on TV. And I'm always at least a little skeptical. Whether my insurance will cover it and how much it will cost if it doesn't will be a big deciding factor when I see my dr next week. I'll definitely be back here to let you guys know what happens

I've had it more than once for different things.
I'm a firm BELIEVER in it!

Dg, do you mind if I ask what some of the things you've tried it for were?

Try bowen therapy - it's brilliant for this kind of problem

I spent about 6 months researching acupuncture and there can be no question that it works. It has been been used for centuries in the orient for all types of medical conditions, pain relief, even anesthesia during surgery. But the looming question is where to find a knowledgeable practitioner in the US, particularly amongst those that have been trained in Western medicine. I would have no problem with acupuncture if I were in Hong Kong but there is no way of certifiying MDs, or other practitioners.

Acupuncture derived from holistic beliefs (mind-body all one unit) while Western medicine evolved from the Allopathic model, dating back 170 years ago. I'd love to find someone trained and knowledgeable in the practice but these are very different principles.

I went to a shiatsu practitioner and acupuncturist for three years. He was Caucasian, had been wounded in Viet Nam, and was flown to a base in Japan where he received conventional medicine as well as shiatsu and acupuncture. Once home in the States, he decided to return to Japan for training in shiatsu and acupuncture, and ended up with a thriving business in the Chicago area. After only a few months under his care, I was very pleased that the aches and pains in my low back and knees began to disappear.

About 15 years ago, one of my brothers had balance problems and felt like he was always drunk and walking on mattresses. Conventional medicine couldn't help him. He went to an acupuncturist who was also a chiropractor. After a few acupuncture treatments, he felt like someone had pulled the plug out of a drain in his head. After that, he followed up with one or two more treatments, and has had no problem since.

Yes, I believe acupuncture works, but check the practitioner's credentials, find out where he got his training and how long he's been doing acupuncture. Getting a referral or a few references wouldn't hurt. I read somewhere that many insurance companies are more open to paying for alternative treatments nowadays.

Works OK, again won't replace some long lasting issues, but they may also look at other issues in your life, diet and more if you want to really think about it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nakshatra

It involves the direct insertion of needles deep in to the layers of the skin.

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No, NOT deep. The needles are very thin and fine and very short.There is no deep insertion.

"The efficacy of acupuncture treatment tremendously differs from one practitioner to another this entirely depends on the knowledge and clinical experience of the acupuncturist, therefore, there is no universal formula of points selection and stimulation techniques that can be used for a particular disease."

The foregoing is my problem with the practice in the US.

I have chronic bursitis and your pain symptoms sound so much like mine.
Check this out.I hope it helps.
Bursitis | Causes, Symptoms, Treatment | PDRHealth

[No question that it works-but not for everything. It seems to be particularly effective with nerve related ailments like sciatica. It is based on the idea that the body is basically electric and has energy meridians (pathways) and when a meridian becomes blocked you have problems like pain and some diseases.
There seems to be two (at least) ways of administering it-needles only and needles attached to an electric current. I have experienced both methods and find that the electric one is much more effective.
Apparently, the way the blockage is eliminated is that when the needle is inserted the body senses it and rushes blood to the area-which increases the healing potential-but also the lymph glands kick into high gear and drain at a much increased rate which then seems to increase and improve the energy flow along the blocked meridian.
Hope this helps
Dwilyn