Conditions
Acupuncture for neck pain, with Dr. Peter Caron.
Most people I see for neck pain have tried stretching and massage. The neck eases for a day, then stiffens again. The muscles holding up your head have stopped letting go, and I treat them.
Why it hasn’t gotten better
The neck holds the head in one place for hours.
It usually starts with something ordinary, like long hours at a laptop or a bad pillow. After enough of those days, the muscles at the back of your neck stop letting go.
These muscles also send pain up into your head and down to your shoulder blade. The headache and the knot between your shoulders are often the same problem.
When to see a physician first
See a physician first for numbness, tingling, or weakness down an arm, or pain after a fall or car accident. A stiff neck with a fever and a severe headache also needs a physician first. Tell me on the call, and I’ll point you to the right physician.
What it feels like
What people describe when they first call.
- A neck that won’t turn all the way, so you turn your shoulders instead
- You wake up with a stiff neck and it takes the morning to loosen
- A knot between the shoulder blades that you keep trying to press out
- Headaches that start at the base of the skull
- Shoulders that creep up toward your ears by the end of the workday
- An hour at the desk is enough to bring it back
If you recognized yourself in that list, the free 15-minute call is the place to start.
How I treat it
The first goal is a neck that turns.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture turns down the pain signals from the tight muscles in your neck and lets them release, so you can turn your head again.
Pain often starts in a muscle a short distance from where you feel it. I needle the motor and trigger points in your neck and upper back, usually with light electrical stimulation.
- Motor-point stimulation
- Trigger point release
- Referral mapping
- Movement testing
Herbal medicine
An herbal formula helps calm the inflammation and muscle tension that build up between visits.
Neck tension rebuilds with stress and poor sleep. An herbal formula works on both between visits.
- Herbal formula
- Constitutional support
Most neck pain responds within three to five visits.
Fifteen minutes on the phone is usually enough to tell whether I can help.
Your first visit
What happens the first time you come in.
- We go through the history When it started, how you sit and sleep, and what you’ve already tried, including imaging and physical therapy.
- I check how far it turns I watch how far you can turn and tilt your head, then press along the neck and shoulder blade to find the motor and trigger points behind the pain.
- You’re treated the same day Fine needles at those points, usually with light electrical stimulation. Many people feel the muscle ease before they get off the table.
- You leave with a plan Roughly how many visits it should take, and what should have changed by the third one.
What to expect
How it usually goes, visit by visit.
I check how far your head turns at every visit, so you’ll know early if it’s working.
- Visits 1–2 The muscle starts to let go. Many people can turn their head a little further before they leave.
- Visits 3–5 The window where most neck patterns respond. The stiffness comes back later and lighter between visits.
- After that We space visits out to keep it there. If nothing has changed by the fifth visit, I’ll say so and suggest what to try next.
Typical ranges, not promises. Results vary from person to person.
You’ll know at the first visit roughly how many visits it should take.
What the research shows
In a trial of 517 people with long-term neck pain, acupuncture reduced pain by 32% at one year.
Researchers at the University of York studied 517 people who’d had neck pain for six years on average. A year later, people offered up to 12 acupuncture sessions had 32% less pain. That drop was significantly bigger than with usual care alone.
The trial didn’t use sham needling, so it can’t say which part of the visit did the work.
Questions
What people ask about neck pain.
Something not covered here? Ask on the free discovery call.
Most people are surprised how little they feel. The needles are much finer than an injection needle. At a tight muscle you may feel a dull ache or a twitch. The twitch usually means the muscle is letting go.
Most neck pain responds within three to five visits. Many people can turn their head further before they leave the first one. Stiffness that has built for years takes longer.
Often, yes. A headache that starts at the base of your skull usually comes from the neck muscles. As the stiffness eases, the headaches tend to ease too. Migraine is a different pattern, and I treat that as well.
Often, yes, once a physician has checked it. Numbness or weakness in the arm can mean the nerve is under pressure. I treat the neck where the nerve exits, and the muscles tightened around it.
If it loosens in a day or two, probably not. If it keeps coming back or takes longer to clear each time, a muscle has started guarding. That is what I treat.
No, keep them going. Once the neck muscles let go, the exercises get easier.
No. If you’ve had an X-ray or MRI, bring the report. Numbness, tingling, or weakness down an arm needs a physician first. So does pain after a fall or car accident.
Yes, in most cases. It feels like a light, steady tapping, and you control the strength. I don’t use it if you have a pacemaker.
It depends on your plan. We’re out of network and don’t bill insurers. After each visit we can send you a superbill to submit for reimbursement.
If your question isn’t here, ask it on the call. It’s free and takes fifteen minutes.
Related conditions
Often treated alongside this one.
Headaches
For a band of pressure that builds through the afternoon.
Migraine
For migraine attacks that keep coming back.
Shoulder pain
For a shoulder that aches when you reach overhead.
Start here
Tell me which way it won’t turn.
Describe the pain and how long you’ve had it. In a few minutes you’ll know whether I can help, and roughly how many visits it should take.
If you already know you want to come in, book an initial visit.