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What Happens If You Move During Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is a type of alternative treatment that entails inserting needles into the body. This practice is claimed to boost your overall wellbeing and cure some illnesses. It can treat different conditions like headaches, blood pressure issues, among others. Most people looking to enjoy the benefits of acupuncture are worried about its safety. Well, acupuncture is safe as long as you are working with a trained practitioner. To get the most out of your acupuncture treatment, you need to avoid things like multitasking. Trying to move your body when the needles are in is not advised. This article gives more information regarding movement and other things you should not do during acupuncture.

Moving During Acupuncture

Close-up of senior female back with steel needles during procedure of the acupuncture therapy
Among the many things that you should not do during acupuncture is moving. You should not move at all once your practitioner has inserted the needles. The reasoning behind this is that you can move and cause needles to be pushed further into your body. This can result in more complications than you had not anticipated. To avoid such a scenario, you want to avoid movement during acupuncture.

Apart from this risk, different anatomical reasons should prevent you from moving during acupuncture. One such reason is that the inserted needles could be forced into the nerves or blood vessels, leading to extreme cases. For instance, needles on the chest could lead to lung puncture once they are forced into the thorax. The deeper the needles go, the more the risk.

Does Needle Length Matter?

As previously stated, moving during acupuncture can puncture nerves, blood vessels, and internal organs. However, studies show that using the right needles can help prevent such occurrences. If an acupuncturist uses needles that only trigger your acupoints and do not go any further, this can prevent instances of internal damage caused by the needles.

Things to do if You Have to Move During Acupuncture

As earlier explained, moving is not advised during acupuncture. However, this does not mean that you should feel literally pinned in one place because it can lead to anxiety and out-of-control feelings, especially when your body is being touched and triggered. As long as you are comfortable, it is a good idea to remain still. However, it is good to note that you can experience pain when the needles move much.

At most times, moving your body during acupuncture should not lead to many issues. The pain you experience during the process is not excruciating. In fact, it feels like a passing twinge that quickly subsides. With some points, you can even move your legs and arms without feeling anything. If you feel an itch, you should scratch it instead of lying there in agony.

Another thing entails the needles. If you feel like some needles are bugging you are causing a lot of pain, you want to tell your acupuncturist so they can remove them. If the practitioner is not around and you are still experiencing a lot of pain, you might want to remove the needle on your own. Compared to the detrimental pain that you save yourself, removing some needles should not be an issue.

What to do In Case of Internal Damage through Acupuncture

If you suspect that your internal organs have been damaged through acupuncture, you need to speak to your acupuncturist first to understand the exact thing that happened. At most times, slight movement during acupuncture should not cause a lot of damage. However, at times the needle could have gone into a nerve or blood vessel. If you are experiencing a lot of pain at some point on your body during acupuncture, you need to ask your practitioner the exact thing that is happening. If you are dealing with a competent acupuncturist, they should be able to provide you with the exact details. If you are not satisfied with the explanation, you can make a complaint to the company or the professional body they belong. At this point, you should be able to be helped accordingly.

Acupuncture can be beneficial to your overall health and wellbeing. To get the full benefits of acupuncture, you should avoid a lot of movement. Too much movement can make the needles cause damage to blood vessels, nerves, and internal organs. However, this does not mean that you should not move when you really have to. In such a situation, you want to communicate to your acupuncturist and ask whether you can move. Discussing movement with your practitioner will ensure you enjoy full acupuncture benefits without feeling like you are tied up.