Do Acupuncture Needles Hurt?


Most people barely feel a thing when needles are inserted. Some people feel a slight pinch, and others ask “Is it in yet?”

The reason acupuncture needles don’t give the painful sensation you might expect is because they’re very, very thin in comparison to the hypodermic needles used to give injections.

Hypodermic needles are necessarily hollow so that the shot can be injected.
They also have a very blunt point (actually a wedge shape) in comparison to an acupuncture needle.

Forty acupuncture needles can fit into the tip of one standard 18 gauge hypodermic needle.

There are certain sensations associated with the therapeutic effects of acupuncture, which are known as de qi (pronounced “day-chee”).

These may include slight cramping, heaviness, distention, tingling or electric sensation traveling along a meridian. If any discomfort is experienced, it is usually mild.