AcupunctureVideo, 0:59
Sore After Acupuncture? What to Tell Your Practitioner
Short answer
A little soreness can happen. Mandy Tam, R.Ac, says you may feel mild tenderness, a slightly bruised feeling or temporary tiredness after acupuncture. Tell your practitioner if you are uncomfortable, and especially about significant pain, swelling, redness or anything unusual or not settling, so treatment can be adjusted.
From Mandy Tam, R.Ac, Registered Acupuncturist, Artemis Wellness Clinic, Richmond, BC.
In this video
- Mild tenderness and temporary fatigue
- Adjusting treatment to your sensitivity
- Reporting significant pain, swelling, redness or unusual symptoms
About this video
Talk about how you feel after treatment
In this acupuncture aftercare video, Mandy Tam distinguishes mild tenderness from an experience that feels unusually uncomfortable. She describes soreness around certain points or areas that were already tense, along with temporary fatigue. Her central message is that treatment should feel supportive.
Feedback can help shape the next appointment
Mandy explains that practitioners can adjust the approach, depth or number of needles when a patient reports discomfort. She also asks patients to speak up about significant pain, swelling, redness or symptoms that are not settling.
Learn more: Acupuncture & TCM at Artemis
Full transcript
What Mandy Tam, R.Ac says in the video, from its captions.
A little soreness can happen, especially around certain points or if we're working with areas that are already tense. You might feel a little tenderness, a mild bruised feeling, or even some temporary fatigue afterwards. But acupuncture should not leave you feeling like you got hit by a truck.
If you're feeling uncomfortable, tell your practitioner. We can adjust the treatment, the depth, the number of needles, or the approach. And if you have significant pain, swelling, redness, or anything that feels unusual or is not settling, that is something we want to know about.
My favorite thing is when patients say, I feel so relaxed afterwards. That is a much nicer review than, "Mandy, I couldn't walk for three days." Your treatment should feel supportive, not like something you have to recover from.
Questions about this video
Can the treatment be adjusted if I feel uncomfortable?
Mandy says the treatment approach, depth and number of needles can be adjusted. Tell your practitioner what you experienced.
Which symptoms does Mandy say to report?
She specifically mentions significant pain, swelling, redness and anything unusual or not settling, in addition to general discomfort.
More short videos from our practitioners: all videos · Artemis Wellness Clinic on YouTube (opens in a new tab)
Educational information only. Individual assessment and treatment advice are provided by your healthcare professional.
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