Acupuncture Needles 101: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Acupuncture Needles

A common response to the idea of acupuncture is “I don’t like needles”. To some, "acupuncture" conjures up a nightmarish image of thick needles sticking out someone’s head or the pain of getting a shot or injection.

Luckily, that is far from the truth. Let’s set the record straight with Acupuncture Needles 101.

What do acupuncture needles look like?

Like this!

Is anything in them?

No. We inject nothing. In fact, acupuncturists are not allowed to inject anything. This means our needles are 3-4x thinner than needles used for injections or blood draws.

How big are they?

Width: about .2mm. Like the width of a single hair. By contrast, needles used for shots are around .6mm.

Length: Between 0.25 - 3 inches.

Different parts of the body require different depths of needle insertion to be effective. A tiny needle may be used for ear acupuncture whereas a longer needle may be needed to get to your piriformis muscle for treatment of sciatic pain.

It is also good to note that needles are never inserted all the way to the handle, so a 3 inch needle may be inserted only 2 inches.

Do they hurt?

Not usually. Once in a while, a patient will feel mild pain when the needle goes in. It will either dissipate on its own within one minute or the acupuncturist will adjust the needle so it does not cause discomfort. Once all needles are placed, patients often find the experience of acupuncture to be relaxing.

Are needles reused?

No no no! Once used, they are put immediately into a sharps container for hazardous waste, never to be used again.

Are acupuncture needles clean?

Beyond clean, acupuncture needles are sterile. They come in a sterile package which is opened moments before needle insertion and are thrown away immediately after.

Are acupuncture needles safe?

If used by a trained and licensed professional, they are incredibly safe. The most serious risk of acupuncture is pneumothorax, the puncturing of the pleura surrounding the lung. However, incidents are extremely rare because acupuncturists are extensively trained to needle safely around the lungs. A more common adverse effect is a bruise developing around the site of insertion.

Acupuncture results in severe adverse events (requiring medical intervention), in less than <8 per one million treatments, which is safer than ibuprofen!

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What other questions do you have?

Feel free to ask me @bluejayacupuncture on Instagram or text me at 720-334-8478.