A service
Electroacupuncture
Acupuncture with a gentle electrical current passed between pairs of needles from a small device. You feel a tapping or a hum, set as low as you like.
Adults with stubborn back, hip and leg pain, and tight muscles after a strain, ask about it. Your acupuncturist decides whether it fits and tells you why.
A visit
What a visit is like, in order
- 01
Step 1: Talk and look
The same start as any visit: your pain, your day and everything you take, then a look at how you move.
- 02
Step 2: Needles first
Needles go in as in an ordinary acupuncture visit, and the device is not turned on yet.
- 03
Step 3: Current, slowly
Wires clip to pairs of needles and your acupuncturist raises the current until you feel a tapping. Say so at once if it is too much and they turn it down or off.
- 04
Step 4: Afterward
You may feel loose, tired or a little sore. Call us if a needle site is red and warm or if anything worries you.
Before we begin
Tell us first
Any of these changes what we do. Say so when you book or at the start of your visit.
You are or might be pregnant
Some points are avoided in pregnancy. We may suggest you check with your prenatal provider first.
You take a blood thinner or bleed easily
Needles and cups can bruise more. Your acupuncturist adjusts what they do, or waits for your doctor's word.
You have had lymph nodes removed
Tell us which side. We keep needles out of that arm or leg.
Needles worry you
Say so. We can start with fewer needles, or with none, and go at your pace.
You have a pacemaker or another implanted device
We do not use current. We can still offer an ordinary acupuncture visit if your doctor agrees.
You have seizures, or a heart condition
Current is not used until we talk and, if needed, your doctor agrees.
How many visits, and what this does not do
How many visits
Your acupuncturist suggests a plan after the first visit or two and reviews it with you each time. It is their plan for you and not a promise of a result, and your health plan may set a limit of its own.
What it does not do, and when to see a doctor instead
Acupuncture does not replace emergency care, imaging, surgery or your doctor's care, and it does not work for everyone. See a doctor first, or call 911, for sudden severe pain, new weakness or numbness, numbness in the groin or between the legs, new trouble controlling your bladder or bowels, chest pain, or back pain with a fever.
A current can cause muscle twitching you may not like, and the same risks as any needle apply. Your acupuncturist explains them before they begin.
Questions about cost?
We check what pays before you come in, and a self-pay estimate is in writing before your first visit.