What is the first question a new patient usually asks?

“Do the acupuncture needles HURT?”

We are acupuncturists.  We put needles into people’s bodies for a living. We should be professionals at needle insertion.  The answer to this question should be “no”, “you can hardly feel it”, or “very little”.

Needle technique is vitally important to the success of your practice.  I have had countless referrals just on needle technique alone.  I have also had hundreds of clients tell me they switched from a previous acupuncturists or stopped going because it was hurting them.  WOW… this is not focused on enough in most Chinese Medical schools or in trainings and continuing education.  We, as acupuncturists, must make an effort to get feedback from our clients and colleagues about our needle technique. The clients are often too nice to tell you if it’s hurting, or they are so loud about it that we blame it on their sensitivity.

In my opinion, acupuncture should not hurt or be painful. Explain to your clients that it can be minimally uncomfortable upon insertion, but that it should not cause pain after that. Ask them for their honest feedback and to communicate with you immediately if they are experiencing pain with your treatments. Solicit their feedback about the other acupuncturists in your clinic as well.   Clients will tell other perspective clients about your needle technique and you want to have a good review about this aspect of your skill set. If your clients mention to you that they barely feel the needles or your technique is amazing, ask them to write this in a testimonial or google review for you.  You will get great response from this type of review.

We can’t cure every condition every time, but we can strive to make acupuncture a non-painful and positive experience for our clients overall. This will not only help our individual practices, but the profession as a whole.