Acupuncture

What Is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is a technique in which a licensed chiropractor will stimulate specific points on the body by inserting thin needles through the skin. Also, there may be an application of electrical stimulation at very precise puncture points.

How Does Acupuncture Work?

This holistic practice is based off Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that has been around for over 2,500 years. The body has energy flowing throughout it in channels called “meridians”. These are like highways that flow up and down the body transporting energy. The energy we are talking about is referred to as the bodies “Qi”, pronounced “Chee”. When the bodies Qi (energy) gets imbalanced or is not flowing correctly, that is when we feel pain or are prone to becoming sick.

Acupuncturists place fine, sterile, small needles into specific acupuncture points along the body’s meridians. The way the needles are placed, they help move the energy to help that meridian become more balanced. The acupuncture points are located in places where nerves, muscles, and body tissues can be stimulated to help increase blood flow to the area to balance and promote the body to heal. Acupuncture is based on a whole-body approach and treatment.

What Are The Needles Like? Do They Hurt?

People will have different experiences with acupuncture needling. Most patients only feel a slight pain during the insertion of the needles, and some don’t feel any pain.  The acupuncture needles are made of stainless steel and are very thin and solid (not hollow like a hypodermic needle) as a result, insertion through the skin is not as painful as getting injections or getting your blood drawn. Also, risk of any bruising and skin irritation is less likely to happen when compared to using a hollow needle.

There are no risks of infections from the treatment, the doctor uses single use sterilized needles.

Is Acupuncture different than Dry Needling?

Acupuncture uses a full-body mapping system, while dry needling focuses more on a specific area or location of treatment and is done for mostly muscular issues.  

Acupuncture can address many more issues such as: 

• Musculoskeletal Pain / Osteoarthritis
• Neck Pain / Headaches / Migraines
• Sciatica / Low Back Pain
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome / Tennis Elbow
• Asthma / Allergic Rhinitis / Hay Fever
• Dysmenorrhea
• Morning Sickness
• Overall Wellness

Acupuncture goes hand in hand with chiropractic treatments, so pairing the two can help improve and speed up the healing process. If you would like to give Acupuncture a try or have questions, call our office, 701-730-3867, or schedule online.  Dr. Kinzie Koch would love to meet you and discuss how Acupuncture may be able to help you move better, feel better, and be a better you.