Anyone tried Dry Needling or Acupuncture for Pain or Neuropathy?

Posted by judypall @judypall, Mar 22, 2019

Has anyone had any luck with either dry needling or acupuncture? I have tried each of them one time. But made my feet tingle more. The PT who was administering the dry needling said that it goes through a cycle of pain to get better. I wasn’t too sure on that. Anyone?

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lovetogarden | @lovetogarden | Feb 11 3:53pm

In reply to @danny5 "what is dry needling? i've never heard of this." + (show)

It's like acupuncture but after the needle is placed a tiny electric current is sent thru. It's not a very pleasant experience but an hour later my neck feels so good. But it takes a specialized person to do this. I get knots in my muscles because of damage to my spine. DN resolves those knots by the time I drive home.

danny67 | @danny5 | Feb 11 5:55pm

In reply to @lovetogarden "It's like acupuncture but after the needle is placed a tiny electric current is sent thru...." + (show)

they did something like this to me when i had my carpal tunnel surgery done on both hands. they put needles in my hands and at my elbows. then they shot electrical currents through them. when she did this, she said it would feel like someone snapping a rubber band on your skin. she didn't lie. that's what it felt like.

Cheryl, Volunteer Mentor | @cehunt57 | Feb 11 6:17pm

I’ve never heard of dry needling before this discussion. I tried acupuncture years ago at my daughter’s recommendation. I did not like it and didn’t notice any differences good or bad. Mostly I just didn’t want to commit to any further trials.

naomi2 | @naomi2 | Feb 12 7:57am

In reply to @artscaping "@mlross4508 Good morning. My experience has taught me that this treatment, acupuncture, does not last for..." + (show)

@artscaping

@mlross4508 Good morning. My experience has taught me that this treatment, acupuncture, does not last for certain types of issues. Actually, my insurance company insisted that I try the following before they would approve my reverse shoulder surgery. (The first two surgeries, rotator repair, and cadaver grafts had not worked for what my surgeon called the Grand Canyon of holes.) 1. PT, he knew me well and although complying, said my pain was beyond his ability to have an impact with something that severe. Told me to come see him after surgery. 2. Pain pills. My local PCP gave me an RX even though he knew I was totally against opioids and would not take them. At least he could say he tried. 3. Acupuncture. The therapist was also a friend and she told me she could give me about 24 hours and then the pain would come rolling back.

I remember that my surgeon called the insurance company and sat on the floor with the phone for all the delays until he could get approval for the reverse. He kept saying, “ tried that”. So what was the problem? I was too young.

At this time, 2009, the reverse shoulder was new in the US. It was developed in France. Although approved here, the insurance companies were only approving it for folks 80 and older. Hopefully, any complications would not have time to show themselves before the person passed from other causes and would save them $$$.

He got approval for me at 68.......perhaps the youngest ever at that time. Together we watched a video of the surgery. Insurance insisted that an engineer from the company be present during the surgery. It was like being a special guest at a party when they rolled me into the surgical room. And lo and behold, the party continued after recovery.

The anesthesiologist showed up in my room. The surgeon came after his daughters swim meet and sat with me until he was nodding off in the chair. A nurse was at my side until I slept, without Ambien.

One more fact about this surgeon......he would do no more than two surgeries a day. He felt that he wanted to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for his patients. I honor everything he stood for. He has been an amazing resource for me and I ended up referring several other folks who had fallen down a mountain or something else just as risky. They are all climbing again. May you all find resources that free you from suffering. Chris

Jump to this post

If I ever need surgery again. I want your surgeon to perform it on me. 😊

mannyk | @mannyk | Feb 12 11:16am

In reply to @danny5 "they did something like this to me when i had my carpal tunnel surgery done on..." + (show)

"BUT did it help with your condition.
That's the point of your story.

grkastronomer | @grkastronomer | Feb 12 1:45pm

Yes, I have and did not find it to be of any value with the degree of T2D induced neuropathy that I had at that point despite undergoing treatment for around 6 months. I will say that I know a few individuals that had positive or mixed results and in most cases the positive results were on neuropathic issues stemming fro causes other than diabetes, such as surgeries.

amw1 | @amw1 | Feb 12 7:37pm

I started acupuncture as soon as I was diagnosed with idiopathic Peripheral Neuropathy. My neurologist was not able to help me to find any treatments for the numbness, tingling and burning of my feet and legs. I did all my own research and read the information on the Mayo Clinic website that acupuncture is a treatment for PN. I started out with twice a week acupuncture sessions for about 5 months. After about 3 months, the burning on the bottom of my feet completely disappeared. I continue going to acupuncture once a week now and will begin skipping every other week soon. Acupuncture has been a lifesaver for me. I know that everyone is different, but if you have been recently diagnosed with PN, I would highly recommend that you try acupuncture.

danny67 | @danny5 | Feb 12 7:51pm

In reply to @mannyk ""BUT did it help with your condition. That's the point of your story." + (show)

the Carpel surgery helped. to a degree. 1st. it was so bad, that if i put my hands in hot water, i would not feel it. but my hands turned red. but now they are ok. 2nd. afterwards i found out how bad the arthritis is in my hands. which the surgery had nothing to do with. OK? sorry, i should have clarified it at first.

jenatsky | @jenatsky | Feb 19 8:05am

Acupuncture and dry needling are two totally different treatment methodologies and should not be compared against each other? One works on body meridians identified thousands of years ago by Chinese practitioners. Dry needling works directly on a muscle knot by insulting it with a needle to relieve pressure. Only trained and licensed practitioners can perform acupuncture while not so with dry needling.

lee47 | @lee47 | May 10 2:40pm

In reply to @jetsetter "I also want to try a acupuncture for my neck pain. I just found a local..." + (show)

Tried Acupuncture for 2 years with negative results yet going to try again in 2024 (12 appointments) because it can't hurt to try. You never know unless you try. Good Luck! I also had 4 lower back surgeries starting at age 40 (I'm now 76). Acupuncture hasn't worked for my back either.