Is it supposed to hurt during acupuncture??

i have to go twice a week from a car accident that hurt my back and when he puts the needle in it hurts, especially on my hands and feet and he'll come in fifteen minutes later to check on the needles and he shakes the needles a little and it hurts so bad, I have let him know and he will change the needle position but it still hurts, a sharp pain i can feel all along my legs and arms and I just got back, now my left foot hurts where I can't walk on it and typing hurts on my right hand.

afterwards it leaves me feeling very drowsy and uncomfortable,
i'm wondering if acupuncture just doesn't work on me or if there is something wrong with the guy doing it,
he is a little rough too, he does it very quick and fast, he runs the whole place by himself so he is very busy going from room to room and answering the phone at the same time.

going hasn't really made a difference at all,
and during the session i just feel like im in torture not being able to move with music in the background

whats the difference between Japanese and chinese style?

this man is chinese so i would guess he is doing it chinese style

Food for thought - Acupuncturists from China tend to needle very differently than those of us trained in the States. In certain schools of classical acupuncture, the needling was meant to cause intense sensation that was often uncomfortable. It signifies the arrival of qi at the needle. The main reason acupuncture "isn't suppose to hurt" is because Americans, myself included, don't like that sort of experience.

Stimulation of needles mid-way through treatment is very commonly done. This is to continue the strong stimulation of the body's qi.

The primary thing to examine is if the therapy process is helping you. As you have already identified that it isn't helping, I agree with others here who have stated you either need to try a different acupuncturist, or acupuncture may not be the right therapy for you.

No, it's not supposed to hurt like you're describing, only the occasional time. I highly recommend you look for a different acupuncturist & make sure they are using the Japanese style not the Chinese style. I'm sorry you're having such a bad time.

There should be no pain other than during actual insertion. I would strongly suggest changing acupuncturists !!

I had acupuncture done on my neck. No it did not hurt at all. I felt the needle go in, but a little prick, no pain.

You should not have this type of experience with acupucture. Being quick is one thing but it should not really hurt. It may be the needles he's using too. They are like anything else and range hugely in price and quality. Ask him what brand he's using. Also find out if they have a silicon coating on the tip. Many do and it allows for more "painless" treatments however there are plenty manufactured with no coating.

As far as Japanese and Chinese acupuncture - the Japanese technique is usually a shallow treatment which may be less painfull for you.

Gosh- that sounds awful. I used to get acupuncture done and it never hurt. She would never touch the needles once they were inserted. My lady was very gentle, very precise and it was extremely rare for me to "feel" the needle. She would insert the needles, dim the lights, put on soft relaxing music and just quietly check on my every 15 minutes or so. I think the guy isn't doing it properly.
My husband and my mom also went to the same acupuncturist as I did and they never complained of any pain.