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?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Neuropathy Support Group.

@bustrbrwn22

@marksmom Dry needling worked great for me for my nerve pain from sciatica. I had the pain in my right buttocks, right hamstrick, outside of both shins, and the bottom of both feet. He PT dry needled in my buttocks region where he believe the S1 nerve pain originated from. It took about an hour and was very painful but IT WORKED. At least for a couple of months and it was not that expensive. He since moved on and I have not been able to find another PT with his level of skill, unfortunately.

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Thanks so much for your information about acupuncture helping you! I have right S1 Radiculopathy. I have been researching licensing and certification here in Massachusetts! You are right in your opinion that excellent training and skill is extremely important! Will keep looking until I can find someone who has successfully treated Neuropathy. Thank goodness so far I have no pain, but numbness that sometimes drives me crazy! Thank you again and many blessings to you for taking the time to reply!

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@colleenyoung

Marksmom, I'm encouragd to hear that your neurologist is considering complementary therapies like acupuncture and massage for neuropathy.

I moved your question about acupuncture to this discussion that @judypall started a while back and has received loads of comments. See
- Anyone tried Dry Needling or Acupuncture for Pain or Neuropathy? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/dry-needling-or-acupuncture/

Several members like @scgraham @greenacres @momalin @ken82 @hypotemusea @teslachan @jetsetter @jack57 @carlossierra1287 @runnergirl @pogo and many more share their experiences. Some found relief while others didn't. Everyone is different of course. 🙂

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Thank you so much Colleen for sending me replies from members regarding the benefits of acupuncture etc. It is wonderful having some support and information instead of dealing with this upsetting problem alone!

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Just read of studies using Botox for drop foot . Anyone know about this?

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I think the answer could depend on what’s happening with your discs. Personally, I viewed sciatic pain (glutes, hips, top of outside of calf, to muscle between ankle and shin) as muscular pain. I viewed neuropathy as numbness in foot. I viewed my sciatic pain from herniation of disc, which probably simultaneously collapsed the disc onto nerves. With that said, dry needling definitely helped with releasing the tension/stiffness/knots within the muscle which allowed me to get more upright/vertical and walk normally, but, the neuropathy actually increased when I got vertical. I think when I got the curvature of my lumbar spine back, the curvature pressed against L5 and pinching the nerve. Back pain decreased and is now gone (with the help of dry needling), but, I have nerve root compression and increasing neuropathy. Neuropathy to me means either reducing inflammation where it’s getting pinched, creating space for the nerve by surgery, or do PT salvaging whatever space you have around nerve so your muscles absorb daily tasks.

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I did try acupuncture with several treatments last spring. I'm a BK Amp. Didn't do anything for me but I had very great results with severe back pain 20 years ago and was able to get off all pain medication! It's worth a try.

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My Daughter a Dr. In PR CARE and dry needling study’s , has moved on to more physical therapy. Why?
Dry needling is NOT well understood and the REWARDS/ RESULTS ARE EXPECTED IN HRS. Me included. 😉
Not the reality . Therefore, the search must be intensified to locate one with the HANDS ON EXP. right?

Alternative?
SWIMMING… LAPS … nothing competitive. Thus it also strengthens our CORE. And endurance and is LOW IMPACT

AFTER 8 weeks 1-2 x a week or less…. It Has been a challenge. 45 mins max in the pool. Cold or hot your preference: me? 60 F. Just jump in… 👻.

Anyway,
Try this. Just do it … ooooh? Go slow… get a few swimming classes. Man!!! I was WAYYYY off on anything I thought I knew to swimming.

Blessings

Ps
NEEDLING NIT IN THE HUNT FOR NOW. Or acupuncture. Just don’t give up.

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@awag

Before I was finally diagnosed with PMR in my hips, I had a course of physical therapy, which included dry needling. It made my hip pain MUCH worse!! However, dry needling worked miracles on a shoulder injury I had last summer.
The ONLY thing I have found (except prednisone) that gives me any relief for my PMR hip pain is high quality CBD lotion. You have to make sure to know how much CBD is in the lotion as some of the stuff on the market is worthless. I am using a lotion that contains 100MG CBD. When I get hip pain in the middle of the night, I rub in some lotion and within 5-10 minutes I am PAIN FREE and can go back to sleep.

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Where do you purchase CBD?

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You see CBD products available at a lot of places these days. However, the quality and potency varies wildly. Mine came from a store in a state where marijuana is legal, so the products (including CBD oils/lotions) are highly regulated/certified for content. If you don't live in such a state, perhaps you could ask your pharmacist for recommendations.

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I find acupuncture extremely helpful for my neuropathy. If I have a big nerve really kicking off, I sometimes draw round the pain area (usually a triangle) and she then can work on it more precisely. Because of this, I know that the area has more than halved by the next day and usually continues to shrink over the next few days till I get a small numb patch at the epicentre which eventually goes.

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I have neuropathy in my hands and feet, mostly due to several spine issues, and despite having C3-C6 ACDF last January.
I have tried both myofascial release massage from a PT as well as dry needling (also by PT) and neither helped me at all. YMMV.

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