Has anyone used acupuncture to successfully manage TN pain?

Posted by brendanordstrom @brendanordstrom, Aug 8, 2023

I recently had to go off Tegretol due to liver issues - my pain was well managed with Tegretol and Baclofen. Now the pain is back with a vengeance. I was referred to a pain management physician who uses acupuncture. Unfortunately, my insurance won't cover acupuncture (unless it's done by physical therapy as part of their plan of care????) Anyway, the cost is $100 a session and the sessions start out being weekly then progressing to 10 days then 2 weeks. The cost is adding up quickly.

So my question is - has anyone had their pain managed successfully using acupuncture? If it works, then I will definitely pay whatever it takes but I don't want to just throw money out the window.
Thank you!

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I get dry needled which is similar to acupuncture on my RTS. Insurance used to cover it as part of therapy but now doesn’t . I get it done by my PT. My question is is it just acupuncture or dry needling because there is a difference.
You can check with PT to see if you can get it done cheaper. For dry needling I pay $66 for 30 minutes every 3 weeks.

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@dmk

I get dry needled which is similar to acupuncture on my RTS. Insurance used to cover it as part of therapy but now doesn’t . I get it done by my PT. My question is is it just acupuncture or dry needling because there is a difference.
You can check with PT to see if you can get it done cheaper. For dry needling I pay $66 for 30 minutes every 3 weeks.

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Thank you! I did some research on the difference between the two and it seems there is a lot of controversy surrounding it. What is RTS? Is it musculoskeletal? I'm asking because I read that dry needling is mainly used for muscular pain as the needles go directly to the pain site, relieving the "knot" or spasm in the muscle. Trigeminal neuralgia is nerve pain with the injury site in the base of the brain. Does RTS involve nerve pain that is relieved by dry needling?
Thank you for your response! I really appreciate any insight you can provide.

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RTS is reverse total shoulder. Yes am using it for muscle aches and arthritis. The muscles that have taken over for not having a rotator cuff and previously tendon removal get angry and dry needling does wonders. Also helps A/c joint that ortho couldn’t fix which has osteoarthritis in it. It keeps me off anti inflammatory meds. Also use taping

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Yes,acupuncture. Do check their training.

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@brendanordstrom

Thank you! I did some research on the difference between the two and it seems there is a lot of controversy surrounding it. What is RTS? Is it musculoskeletal? I'm asking because I read that dry needling is mainly used for muscular pain as the needles go directly to the pain site, relieving the "knot" or spasm in the muscle. Trigeminal neuralgia is nerve pain with the injury site in the base of the brain. Does RTS involve nerve pain that is relieved by dry needling?
Thank you for your response! I really appreciate any insight you can provide.

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Acupuncture has been helping with my trigeminal neuralgia pain. I also started cold laser therapy for my back.

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Wow does it help headaches n pain in the neck?

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I tried it 3 times and felt nothing. Medicare will cover for chronic pain up to 20 sessions but I have to do the billing myself. 100 Lyrica 3 times a day is lessening my pain.

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