Needles of a Different Kind

I've experienced a lot of different kinds of needles in my life. Some I like...sewing and knitting. Others...like shots, IV, blood...not so much. Today, I had a totally new needle experience...acupuncture!

The experience was very different than I had expected. I thought I'd go in and lay on a table and have needles placed in me at various spots on my body and just lay there for a while. It was nothing like that. And, I wasn't afraid of being poked...which is kind of weird...but good, since I was about to be poked a lot. The needles are very thin, about the size of a human hair. And, they don't really hurt going in.

The acupuncturist located the pain in my elbows and placed needles in those spots. Then, she had me move my arms around to help in circulation and releasing the pain. That was a surpise! Move my arms with needles in them?! Yikes! But, it was okay. She continued this process, taking needles out, putting others in, and having me move my arms until I had relief. I think I got a funny look on my face when I did feel the relief and she knew exactly what had happened and said that a lot of people say it's "crazy" how it works. I agree.

I can't say that it was a painless process because it wasn't. There were a couple of times that the needle was a little deeper than the pain spot and when I'd move it would hurt in a strange way that I can't describe. But, she'd pull it out a bit and sometimes that would do the trick. Other times she had to try another place. She also did some "cupping" (a little suction device) on my really bad elbow to help bring the pain spot up to a place she could access. That didn't hurt. But, I have a few little circles on my elbows. lol

My pain is significantly less but not completely gone. Since I injured my elbow a few months ago and the pain has been building, it may take a couple of treatments to get full relief. I'm feeling hopeful. It was hurting pretty bad earlier today. And, my right arm has had to compensate for the other one so much that it was hurting a lot more today too. I tried to do a little knitting this morning (before the treatment) but had to stop. Compared to this morning, my elbows are a lot better. My next treatment will be on Monday. I'll keep ya'll posted as to how it goes.

Thanks to JoMamma and Jennifer for the advice to try acupuncture. It's something I've been interested in for years. I'm not sure why I hadn't thought about trying it for this. I researched it online after both of you recommended it and couldn't believe all the great testimonials and info I found! Thank you! :-)