Q. I hav had accupunture done in January on my neck{i have cervical Spondilosis}and i'm also told ny an oestopath that I have a overstretched ligament.When the needle was put in it was really painfully I did tell the accupunturist and was told that how it will be but I feel he may have either gone into a muscal.Since then I have pain in my neck across my neck/back and in the top of my right arm although it is a little easier but still very stiff.I really want to know if this will ease in time or if having accupunture again will correct my pains.I would really appreicate your advise as to ease the pain I am rubbing in Biofreeze which eases it for about half an hour.Many Thanks
A. Although acupuncture is a very safe form of treatment, there are occasional adverse events. The vast majority are transient - someone might gets a small bruise, or feel a little lightheaded but it would be rare for these to persist for more than a day, two days at most.
In your case the fact that the symptom has persisted for over a month is a cause for some concern. In the first instance it is normally best to talk to the practitioner who gave you the treatment to seek their views, but if you feel a little reluctant to go back until you know what the cause is the next step is to see your GP and ask for his or her view. The chances are that there has been bruising fairly deep within the muscle which is taking a long time to heal but in the meantime is putting pressure on a nerve. However, given that you have spondylosis your GP may arrange further tests for you to rule out other possibilities.
The BAcC is very keen to gather information on adverse events arising from acupuncture. The last formal surveys, both published in the BMJ a decade ago, were very positive about the safety of treatment, but to remain up to date the BAcC has just launched a pilot scheme based on the GPs' Yellow Card Scheme to collect information on any adverse event brought on by treatment, including ones which are associated with improvement.
In the unlikely event that there has been a more substantial injury it is worth reminding everyone that BAcC members are covered by a 'gold standard' professional insurance from Royal Sun Alliance as a part of their membership package, and that the general public can be reassured that their interests are fully protected.
