Having P.I.N.S. - What to Expect
How is the procedure done?
We will ask the patient to be positioned on the treatment table in whatever position is optimal for the particular body area being treated. Some flexibility is possible in consideration of certain postures that may be too painful. Small, upper extremity treatments may require the patient to be seated in a chair with the extremity resting on a mobile therapy table. The doctor or therapist will pretreat the area to be needled with an alcohol swab for sterilization. He will then begin to insert the first acupuncture needle. When he is assured that each insertion is not painful he will move on to the next one for a total of four or eight needles, generally. There may be as few as two insertions depending on the area being treated. It is expected that the patient will not have any discomfort with the needle insertions beyond a few seconds. Rarely, by chance, a needle contacts a tiny capillary or vein causing discomfort that does not relieve after a few seconds. In this case, the patient should inform the doctor and he will remove the needle and note the location of irritation. After the needles have been inserted and the patient is not having discomfort the doctor or therapist will connect the ion electrodes to the needles and apply a small amount of iontophoretic gel solution to each needle at the level of the skin. At this point, the doctor will set the ion unit for 15 minutes and begin a low level of direct current that the patient will not feel at all. He will instruct the patient to let him know when he/she begins to just feel the current. This will feel something like a pressure, mild stinging, or warming sensation at first. When the doctor is assured that the patient feels a mild sensation he may turn the current up a bit to the point of very mild irritation, but never is the treatment supposed to put the patient in pain. After a stable, tolerable current level is achieved the doctor will set his own timer to match the time remaining on the ion unit. Then, we will give the patient a bell to ring in the event that the current becomes too uncomfortable. When the procedure is done the doctor or therapist will remove the electrodes and needles and wipe the area. Patients are discouraged from engaging in strenuous activities for the remainder of the day, but they can go about their normal daily activities, otherwise, with no special instructions.
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