Acupuncture?

[Lynxie]

I just did a search, and couldn't find any preexisting threads on the topic... but has anyone ever been for acupuncture? What did you go for, and for how long? Did you find it helpful?

I had surgery nearly 6 months ago on my shoulder, and I'm still in as much pain as I was prior to the operation. The surgery itself was a success - the doc tightened up my ligaments to keep my shoulder from slipping out of its socket. He thinks the pain I'm having now may be a result of too much scar tissue built up. I'm getting really frustrated because I've been unemployed for nearly a year, and can't even consider finding work until I get this pain under control. Physical therapy didn't help. Anti-inflammatories don't help, narcotics don't help, and even cortisone injections don't help.

I'm tired of the waiting game with my orthopedic, and have been doing a little bit of reasearch on alternative treatments. I myself practice second degree Reiki (hands-off energy healing), but I'm in need of something a little more direct. I was hoping that maybe some of you had experience with acupuncture - any and all information is welcome.

 

[silverwhisper]

lynxie: a reiki practitioner, eh? that certainly explains your interest.

i know that my mother uses acupuncture and acupressure at times. of course, as asians, i suppose she and i are predisposed to like them. :> what i do know is that it appears to work for a time, but the efficacy of the treatment is probably situation and practitioner-dependent.

ed

 

[Lynxie]

lynxie: a reiki practitioner, eh? that certainly explains your interest.

i know that my mother uses acupuncture and acupressure at times. of course, as asians, i suppose she and i are predisposed to like them. :> what i do know is that it appears to work for a time, but the efficacy of the treatment is probably situation and practitioner-dependent.

ed

Thanks ed; I've emailed a couple local practitioners to find out about pricing and whether they charge for consultations. If I don't hear back over the weekend, I'll start with the telephone on Monday. I really wish my insurance would cover it - it'd make my decisions so much less complicated.

 

[Ms_Lilith]

I go for something called IMS: IntraMuscular Stimulation. It's basically the western versioin of acupuncture.. they use needles, and whatnot, but there isn't a focus on the direction or even existence of Chi. It's just the needles, doing physically, what the needles will do. Here's how it works: They push the needles into your muscle groups, which are tight, and causing pain. The invasion causes the muscle to contract (often hard enough to bend the needle a little), which first, causes blood to rush to the area, to heal it, and second, means that, as the muscle has contracted, it HAS to release, and most often releases past a point where it was before, causing relaxation.

I've been getting this done on my back, for a slipped disk, since... lemme think...8 months or so. For me, it's not necessarily that it is HEALING the problem, as it can't fix a slipped disk (which is what I'm going for), but it is really good for pain management. I get it done about every 3 or 4 weeks, depending on when I need it. The first time, I was terrified, and now, I look forward to it. It doesn't really hurt (if it does, you simply tell them to remove the needle, and they will), except there's this feeling that someone has reached inside you, and is holding your individual muscle groups.. not painful, but weird. When you're done, though.. or at least, when I'm done, I feel loose, relaxed.. sometimes tearful (exhaustion), and really want brownies.

Many physiotherapists can do this.. it's simply a course they are required to take. IMS. Good stuff.

 

[Lynxie]

Thanks Lilith, I hadn't heard of IMS before. I didn't realize that there was a westernized version of acupuncture. It sounds interesting, and I'll definitely do some more reading on it, but I'm still thinking the more holistic approach would be better suited to my needs. My chi's outta whack, and my Reiki self-treatments are only helping me survive.

 

[YellowStraw80]

Insurance

*****

 

[merrygoround88]

Well my experience for acupunture from pain management wasn't as successful as I wished. I have ruptured discs in my neck and pain in shl and upper back. I also starting having extreme headaches with this and then during a session was in total pain to bed rest for 3 days. I have had therapy,injections and am i on daily medication to help ease the pain enough to function somewhat. My biggest problem was this was through W.C. so alot of red tape to do. Most of the doctors have basically done all they can do. What started off from a strain to post trauma fibro with discs bulging. Have not been able to go back since 2001 with some trial light work but would be extreme pain. Hope you get better.It can be very frustrating dealing with long term pain.I do feel I continued to have an open mind to what ever therapy I was told might work. you never know something could work for that didn't work for others. Good luck

 

[boston_bbw]

I have done acupuncture for migraines on and off for years now. Have found it to be the only thing that really works for me. It is so relaxing.. I almost always just fall asleep. As a "side effect" my periods have been normal for the 1st time in many years and I have gotten off my insulin and gone to pills then down to just diet control for my diabetes. No one could have convinced me years ago when I was trying every pill under the sun that this would work .. I am still amazed.

 

[drummer34]

Accupuncture has been prooven to have an effect: it's called placebo. Those that believes it works can experience some effect
Go see a doctor my friend.

 

[Lynxie]

Accupuncture has been prooven to have an effect: it's called placebo. Those that believes it works can experience some effect
Go see a doctor my friend.

The doctors clearly aren't helping - I've seen dozens of them. I'd rather have a placebo that works than "clinically proven" drugs that don't do shit.

 

[SweetErika]

I've known a lot of people who have gotten relief from all sorts of things from acupuncture, though many others haven't had such stunning results.

Have you seen a pain specialist, Lynxie? That might be a good course of action first, especially financially. Maybe you can find a clinic that has alternative medicine specialists on staff or takes a more wholistic approach to pain management and can steer you in the right direction regarding acupuncture and other therapies.

Sorry you're hurting!

 

[Lynxie]

I've known a lot of people who have gotten relief from all sorts of things from acupuncture, though many others haven't had such stunning results.

Have you seen a pain specialist, Lynxie? That might be a good course of action first, especially financially. Maybe you can find a clinic that has alternative medicine specialists on staff or takes a more wholistic approach to pain management and can steer you in the right direction regarding acupuncture and other therapies.

Sorry you're hurting!

Thanks Erika... Right now I really am keeping my options wide open. I've been to numerous orthopedics and sports medicine doctors, one rheumatologist, physical therapists, etc. I haven't seen a pain management specialist yet. Why? I guess I'm still holding out that I can find a proper diagnosis/treatment for the underlying cause of the pain. But I suppose it's something I should look into, especially since 5 years and one operation haven't given me any real answers yet.

I'll give it some thought - I'm still a bit disillusioned by Western medicine at this point, but it happens to be what my insurance will cover. Maybe this would be a good first step to see what other options I have for controlling the pain until someone can figure out what's wrong with my damn shoulder.

Thanks to everyone who's posted and PMed me. It really means a lot to hear personal opinions, insight, and stories.

 

[drummer34]

The doctors clearly aren't helping - I've seen dozens of them. I'd rather have a placebo that works than "clinically proven" drugs that don't do shit.

Fine it's your money and like they say in the "alternative" business : "There's one born every minute"

 

[Quoll]

Just a thought.....

Have you tried massage therapy to break up the scar tissue?

 

[Lynxie]

Have you tried massage therapy to break up the scar tissue?

My orthopedic said, given the restrictions to my range of motion, that there's likely to a lot of scarring in my shoulder, spreading through to my pectoral muscles. I asked about deep tissue massage, and he said the pain would be excruciating. His recommendation for a next step is to put me to sleep and do some serious manipulation on it in the operating room. Normally I'd jump at the chance to get insurance-covered massages, but I believe him about the pain - as it is now, you just have to shake my shoulder lightly and I see stars from shooting pain.

After a few more days of thought on the matter, I've decided to try the acupuncture route. My husband and I did out our budget last night, and we could squeeze in treatments (especially if they do work, and I'm able to find a job because of it!). I'll be booking an appointment momentarily, and I'll stop back here to report from time to time.

 

[Quoll]

My orthopedic said, given the restrictions to my range of motion, that there's likely to a lot of scarring in my shoulder, spreading through to my pectoral muscles. I asked about deep tissue massage, and he said the pain would be excruciating. His recommendation for a next step is to put me to sleep and do some serious manipulation on it in the operating room. Normally I'd jump at the chance to get insurance-covered massages, but I believe him about the pain - as it is now, you just have to shake my shoulder lightly and I see stars from shooting pain.

After a few more days of thought on the matter, I've decided to try the acupuncture route. My husband and I did out our budget last night, and we could squeeze in treatments (especially if they do work, and I'm able to find a job because of it!). I'll be booking an appointment momentarily, and I'll stop back here to report from time to time.

Hope it works for you Lynxie.
Btw I don`t have a problem with acupuncture, was just looking at other options, but OUCH, good choice I think.

 

[Lynxie]

Hope it works for you Lynxie.
Btw I don`t have a problem with acupuncture, was just looking at other options, but OUCH, good choice I think.

That's part of why I posted - to see what other options people might suggest. It'll also be a good reference for me if I'm not satisfied with the results of the acupuncture, so I can plot out where to go from there. But hopefully I'll have some success - my first appointment is scheduled for Monday afternoon.

 

[Quoll]

That's part of why I posted - to see what other options people might suggest. It'll also be a good reference for me if I'm not satisfied with the results of the acupuncture, so I can plot out where to go from there. But hopefully I'll have some success - my first appointment is scheduled for Monday afternoon.

Well?

 

[Lynxie]

Well?

My first appointment was a success - I had a really horrible weekend, and yesterday started off pretty bad as well. But I had my first appointment yesterday afternoon, and I'm feeling considerably better today. I was at least able to get out and run some errands this morning, which is a big improvement over the last couple of days.

I'm really surprised at how painless the process is. I really didn't feel the needles at all, apart from a warm, pleasant sensation while they were in. I at least expected to feel a pinch or something when she put them in...but it was barely noticeable, and not painful in any way.

I'll be going back once a week (she'd like to see me twice or even three times a week, but my financial situation doesn't permit it at the time being). Since acupuncture treats health patterns, versus isolated conditions, she also expects that I'll see some improvement in my anxiety & depression, which I'm psyched about. If this can get me feeling more balanced and stable, and take away some of my aches and pains, I'll be able to get a job and live a normal life again. I haven't been this optimistic about my health in quite some time.

Thanks again for everyone who shared advice and stories to help me with my decision - I appreciate it.

 

[Quoll]

My first appointment was a success - I had a really horrible weekend, and yesterday started off pretty bad as well. But I had my first appointment yesterday afternoon, and I'm feeling considerably better today. I was at least able to get out and run some errands this morning, which is a big improvement over the last couple of days.

I'm really surprised at how painless the process is. I really didn't feel the needles at all, apart from a warm, pleasant sensation while they were in. I at least expected to feel a pinch or something when she put them in...but it was barely noticeable, and not painful in any way.

I'll be going back once a week (she'd like to see me twice or even three times a week, but my financial situation doesn't permit it at the time being). Since acupuncture treats health patterns, versus isolated conditions, she also expects that I'll see some improvement in my anxiety & depression, which I'm psyched about. If this can get me feeling more balanced and stable, and take away some of my aches and pains, I'll be able to get a job and live a normal life again. I haven't been this optimistic about my health in quite some time.

Thanks again for everyone who shared advice and stories to help me with my decision - I appreciate it.

Eeeeeexcellent, don`t you just love it when you get more than you expected.
Certainly some food for thought too.

 

[SweetErika]

Wonderful news, Lynxie!