I had several sessions of acupuncture recently. Do anyone know how long the effects last?

One session a week, over a 12 week period. I have now stopped. Do anyone know roughly how long the effects of these acupuncture session last after the treatment?

Hello David G,

The answer is that there is no definitive answer to your question. Everyone responds differently to medical treatments and therapies.

We cannot know what your condition was, nor its severity, through an internet communication.

We cannot gauge your personal response to treatment, other than positive based on asking how long the results last.

Of course you might respond on the high end of the bell curve and never again experience the disease symptoms you first went in for.

All that being said, if you have a permanent structural defect, such as a bulging disc, meniscus tear, or torn rotator cuff; if you have a chronic disease, such as, chronic depression, Crohn's, or other auto-immune diseases, then your relief is likely temporary as these types of conditions continue to work at unbalancing the psycho-physio-emotional health.

Results could last anywhere from 1 week to 6 months, depending on the severity of your condition. However, the conditions can be managed with acupuncture therapy, and usually with less frequent treatments once the overwhelming imbalance is rectified.

If you are seeing an acupuncturist for a non-structural type of pain, such as idiopathic neuralgia, non-vascular headache, or an acute trauma/illness, then your relief is likely much more permanent.

Speaking with your acupuncturist would net you the more accurate answer as they are intimately knowledgeable about your case.

Similarly, many other older studies were structured like the two previously mentioned. In one study, after patients completed six or more treatments, 74% reported being helped by acupuncture. After three months, 54% were still benefited and after one year, 24% were still helped by acupuncture (Lewis et al., 1976). In another study, 62.8% of 43 patients reported pain relief right after the final treatment. Seven percent said that the pain was worse while the rest remained unchanged (Levitt & Walker, 1975). Still, another research by Mann in 1973 provided 18 well-documented cases of chronic pain resistant to orthodox procedures. Ten of these cases experienced pain relief from partial to total, while the other 8 cases either showed no improvement or slight improvement. Six successful cases were described in detail in the article.

I had it done 5 yrs ago for my neck and it has never bothered me since