Acupuncture is an effective treatment for all types of pain. It has been consistently proven in numerous, well-documented studies.

Some of the most common ailments we see at Good Medicine include migraine relief, lower back pain, nerve damage, endometriosis, and arthritis. We happily help many people achieve lasting pain relief and pain management through Chinese acupuncture. If you are interested in treating your pain, acupuncture may be the right choice for you.

For answers about what acupuncture is, read our other blog “What is Acupuncture?”

How long will I need treatment?

Treatment length is a very common concern for people considering acupuncture as a treatment for their pain. Unfortunately, there is no one size-fits-all plan for pain management. There are several factors involved in coming up with a treatment plan to address chronic pain issues.

Your acupuncturist may ask you things like:

  • What type of pain are you experiencing? (i.e. migraines or headaches, joint pain, ovarian cysts, knee pain, arthritis, etc.)
  • How long have you dealt with this pain? For some it could be a very recent event. For others, they could be dealing with a decades-long disease or recurrent issue.
  • What other treatment methods have you tried? Medication, physical therapy, surgery, and physical activity levels can all influence whether your type of pain will need extended treatment.

Your treatment length will be based on these and other factors. Some people respond very quickly to acupuncture, reporting pain relief after only one session. Most take at least a few treatments. How quickly you can expect to see results is very dependent on how you react to treatment.

Chinese Acupuncture as a Complementary Medicine

Acupuncture works well in conjunction with other therapies such as massage therapy, physical therapy, and Chinese herbal medicine. Your acupuncturist may recommend that you use Chinese herbs along with your acupuncture sessions.

Acupuncture is best used as a holistic medicine. In other words, proactive lifestyle choices should be used to increase your chances of improved pain relief. Your acupuncturist may recommend changes to your diet and/or activity levels in order to see greater or more-lasting pain relief. Acupuncture also works well as an alternative to pain medications which can be highly addictive and damaging.

Is Acupuncture covered by my insurance?

While Chinese acupuncture is still not covered by medicaid or medicare in Montana, that may be changing.
According to Healthline.com,

“States looking to cut opioid prescriptions have been experimenting with extending Medicaid coverage for acupuncture as another option for pain treatment. Rhode Island, Oregon, and Ohio all have programs that extend coverage in part.”

This gives many a lot of hope that acupuncture will be more extensively covered in the future. For now, select insurance providers will cover acupuncture. In order to best find out if your treatment plan will be covered, you should call your insurance provider directly.

You can find relief from your chronic pain. We are happy to help you come up with a treatment plan that creates lasting results that will help you live a normal, healthy life again. To schedule an appointment with us, please call (406) 926-1881. We are open 7-days a week!