Anyone tried Dry Needling or Acupuncture for Pain or Neuropathy?

Hi, @summertime4 - here is one discussion on lymphedema on Connect you might check out https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/lymphedema-in-legs. You may want to search for "lymphedema" on Connect (click on magnifying glass icon at the right top of any Connect page), as there are different discussions on it depending on what the source of it may be.

How are you feeling about continuing with acupuncture after you experienced the pain in your head from the needles? How did the second session go?

@lisalucier Thank you so much for steering me in he direction of the lymphedema site. I have already looked and will also join. Very good information from the group. Yes, I returned to acupuncture yesterday. It went very well. Tina, the therapist sat down with me and we talked about last week's session and how the week went. I told her her was feeling better, with more energy and lighter mood. I told her that I believed it was because I have been taking Melatonin and have been sleeping better. She smiled and told me she had worked on my anxiety and mood last week and feels that might have helped also. Ah, I said, maybe the combination of the two. I let her know that I preferred no needles in my head. She was fine with that and we preceded to acupuncturing me. I felt a little out of it when I left which may have been that I relaxed this time. I do not have an appointment next week because my daughter will be home for her vacation and spend a week with me. She lives in Ohio so I want to spend the time with her. I pray that adding acupuncture to the mix of medications to decrease my pain will do that. I will stay with it for at least the 6 weeks. I may have to space it out after that because insurance is not paying.

Does acupuncture or chiropratic care help peripheral neuropathy?

@20highlander14, My acupuncturist, who seems to be very knowledgeable, says he can help with pain but not fix the root cause which in my case is spinal stenosis.

@20highlander14 Check out the following link... https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/peripheral-neuropathy/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20352067
In that reading from Mayo they do note that Acupuncture could help, while Mayo does not mention Chiropractic.. there are all sorts of Chiropractic websites that say all sorts of things... That is the problem.. Can you believe any of them? . One needs to find Credible tests done in which measurable results can be defined.. My opinion of Chiropractic is not positive.. I live in Iowa where in Davenport, IA there is a bronze plaque that marks where the first Chiropractic adjustment was done to improve the hearing of a patient.. In that town there was/is the Palmer School of Chiropractic.. They owned the Radio Station and they advertised a lot back in my younger years.. K

Hello @20highlander14, I would like to add my welcome to Connect along with @californialen, @ken82 and other members. I feel the same as @ken82 on chiropractors being helpful for neuropathy but that's just my opinion. You may find another discussion on Connect helpful if you have neuropathy caused by nerve compression and spine related issues.

Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR) for treating compression and pain: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/myofascial-release-therapy-mfr-for-treating-compression-and-pain/

@greeneyes55, @artscaping and others that have experience with acupuncture may have thoughts or suggestions to share also.

@20highlander14, are you able to share a little more about your neuropathy diagnosis and any tests you've had?

Hi @johnbishop john I am from Pakistan. You guys are lucky to be living in the States. It is a real challenge finding a physiotherapist trained at MFR therapy in countries like mine. Based on MRI reports i was initially told by a Malayasia-based neurologist and subsequently by a Bangkok-based Neurologist in August 2017 that the burning pain and numbness at the bottom of my feet was the result of my lumbar spinal stenosis
triggered by degenerative disc disease until I visited Mayo Clinic in Rochester in June 2018 where they blamed it on small fiber neuropathy despite the fact that all the tests were negative for small fiber neuropathy. That is why they called it idiopathic. So, it would not have harmed me trying MFR therapy for my lumbar, if we had trained MFR experts in Pakistan. I thank you John and everyone in this group for supporting each others and sharing experiences.

Hi @nukhan
You say that "all the tests were negative for small fiber PN". Did you have a skin biopsy of the foot?

Hi @jeffrapp while I had all the blood work, xray, CT scan, nerve conduction, MRI, EMG and bone density, the team at Mayo didn't advise me the Skin biopsy. Based on their experience, they were quite confident that it was small fiber neuropathy.

Hi @nukhan
Yes, that approach is not unusual. The skin biopsy will almost certainly confirm the diagnosis that has already been made, and is therefore probably not necessary, when dealing with experienced neurologists. It is also expensive, and only done by a few labs, even here in the States.
I also have idiopathic small fiber PN. I beat up my neurologist until he agreed to do the test, which confirmed his diagnosis. As all of us are to an extent, I was desperate to find a treatable condition.
Unfortunately, nothing I have tried, including all the usual meds, helps very much, other than manipulating the environment that my feet live in.
What has been your experience?
Thanks
Jeff