What Are the Sensations I’m Feeling During Acupuncture?

What is De Qi?

The sensations you feel during acupuncture can vary. Most often, I explain to patients they can feel an array of things such as: heaviness, a muscle twitch, tingling, static, dull aching, throbbing, itching, warmth. Sometimes at initial needle insertion it can feel momentarily sharp or pinchy, but will soon go down and become more comfortable. It is also common to feel an electrical or static sensation go down your arm or leg and it can even make your leg or arm jump. All of these different sensations are called, ‘de qi’, which is often translated as ‘arrival of qi’.

De qi can be experienced by a patient or an acupuncturist during treatment. Most often, de qi is described as aching or soreness, numbness or tingling, heaviness and fullness, pressure (In English). (Park J-E., et al., 2013)

These [de qi] are not only normal things to feel during acupuncture, many acupuncturists and researchers believe that noticing these sensations makes the treatment more effective. I teach my patients that it is a reminder that your body is alive! Human physiology is electromagnetic and noticing sensations during acupuncture shows your body is responding to the treatment. I personally like to experience these sensations because it reminds me that my body knows what to do to resolve my imbalances. These sensations are signs that qi, blood and body fluids are circulating and moving!

Research on De qi

Researchers in 2000, used functional MRI (fMRI) to look at the effects of acupuncture needle manipulation and their results suggests that it “modulates the activity of the limbic system and subcortical structures.“ (Hui et. al)

Another team, (Hui et. al, 2007) conducted a study with 42 participants, where they first received tactile stimulation of tapping on acupuncture points to compare with sensations after acupuncture. It was found that the de qi response occurred in 71% of acupuncture procedures, compared to only 24% for those who received tactile stimulation (a form of acupressure). The frequency and intensity of individual sensations were significantly higher in acupuncture than in tactile stimulation. The most common sensations associated with de qi were aching, soreness, and pressure, followed by tingling, numbness, dull pain, heaviness, warmth, fullness, and coolness.

In this study, the most significant differences in de qi sensations between acupuncture and tactile stimulation were observed in aching, soreness, pressure, and dull pain. LI4 acupoint, a commonly used point on the hand, showed the most prominent response, with the largest number of sensations and the most marked difference in the frequency and intensity of aching, soreness, and dull pain between acupuncture and tactile stimulation. Interestingly, dull pain generally preceded or occurred in the absence of sharp pain, which contradicts previous findings in the pain literature. This is a very commonly used acupuncture point and many people feel a dull ache when receiving acupuncture here.

Acupuncture is such an interesting and unique treatment because two people can receive the exact same treatment for different problems and the treatment will also feel different because those two bodies are also in different states of health and are two totally different people. Logical, no? Yet, we still want our experiences to be predictable to some extent. It is mostly curious to me because despite this being the hallmark of East Asian Medicine —that it is individualized, people still want to find it to be predictable by research.

I encourage people to become more curious about their bodies, their experiences with acupuncture and the different sensations they might feel. Many people who are used to acupuncture welcome the sensations and it allows them to go into a sort of meditative state. Some people’s body’s have different stories and need a more gentle approach. A longer treatment plan with less sensations might be needed for those who are more sensitive and might not be able to tolerate strong de qi. Comfortability is an important part of on going treatment and ultimately you should be comfortable with the treatments you are receiving. You can always communicate this to your providers.

The Qi

Acupuncture is regarded differently depending on what cultures you come from. Here, in the United States many people are led to believe that acupuncture can be separated from its roots and origins. It is in fact a branch of Chinese Medicine (and other types of East Asian Medical systems). When you separate it from its origins you run the risk of losing the power of it’s qi. Being in the US, a country that is founded on racism and xenophobia, you will meet non-acupuncturists using acupuncture and East Asian Medicine tools without much context. They regard the medicine as a trade when it really is a lineage and culture —all of which comes with responsibility of respect and care. These are the treatments that lack foundations and therefore lack de qi. Even some well-trained acupuncturists who have not been well-exposed to East Asian cultures will make the mistake of practicing acupuncture by giving up their qi while providing treatments. This is considered improper technique and is not sustainable for the practitioner in the long run. A true holder of the medicine knows to control and regulate their own qi in order to obtain de qi. These are the treatments that can heal and transform you in the long-term. This is why it is important to seek providers who regard themselves as holders of the lineage of this medicine.

Written by Dr. Emily Siy, DACM 6/26/23

If you liked this post you might also enjoy reading: Does Acupuncture Hurt? , My First Time Getting Acupuncture, What If Acupuncture Wasn’t Relaxing?

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Sources:

Hui, K.K.S., Liu, J., Makris, N., Gollub, R.L., Chen, A.J.W., Moore, C. I., Kennedy, D.N., Rosen, B.R., Kwong, K.K. (2000) Acupuncture Modulates the Limbic System and Subcortical Gray Structures of the Human Brain: Evidence From fMRI Studies in Normal Subjects Human Brain Mapping 9:13–25(2000)

Hui KK, Nixon EE, Vangel MG, Liu J, Marina O, Napadow V, Hodge SM, Rosen BR, Makris N, Kennedy DN. (2007) Characterization of the "deqi" response in acupuncture. BMC Complement Altern Med. Oct 31;7:33.

Park, J-E., Ryu,Y-H., Liu, Y., Jung,H-J., Kim,A-R., Jung, S-Y., Choi, S-M. (2013) A Literature Review of de qi in clinical studies Acupuncture Medicine 2013;31:132–142

Yang XY, Shi GX, Li QQ, Zhang ZH, Xu Q, Liu CZ. (2013) Characterization of deqi sensation and acupuncture effect. Evidence Based Complementary Alternative Medicine 2013;2013:319734.Jun 20.