How Long Should You Wait Between Acupuncture Appointments?

A common question that clients ask is how long they should wait between acupuncture appointments, or how often they should have acupuncture?

The answer really depends on their condition but make sure you’re ready to face their questions with the help of Breeze Academy.

In this article, we go over how often clients should have acupuncture, as well as the frequency of maintenance appointments, and how many appointments they’re likely to need.

So, how long should you wait between acupuncture appointments?

It’s usually best to advise that clients have 1-2 acupuncture sessions per week for 2-4 weeks, client response is reassessed before each treatment at which point you can determine how often they will need acupuncture to maintainor increase the benefits.

Read on to learn more about how long clients should wait between acupuncture appointments.

It’s recommended that clients should start by having 1-2 acupuncture sessions per week, for 2-4 weeks. However, clients with chronic conditions may require more frequent treatment.

Whilst 1-2 sessions per week is a good baseline, it’s important to assess your client’s condition before beginning treatment. Not only is it crucially important for identifying contraindications, but it will also determine how often they should have treatment to receive the best outcome.

After 2-4 weeks, you should reassess your client’s condition to help you determine how often they should have acupuncture moving forward. For some, reducing treatment to once a week should suffice until the condition is resolved or goals are met.

After the condition is resolved, or under control, you may deem it appropriate to recommend that your client only attends treatment sessions either monthly, quarterly or as required. Some more chronic conditions may require some maintenance treatment to prolong the benefits of acupuncture and how frequent that is can vary greatly depending on the client.

Is it Safe to do Acupuncture Every Day?

Whilst it is generally accepted that it is safe to have acupuncture every day, it’s not always necessary; it is usually only recommended for stubborn problems in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

It can be beneficial to have short sessions each day to quickly reduce symptoms, before changing to longer, more spaced-out sessions. However, it is not necessary to have acupuncture every day long-term.

Treatment frequency is one of the great debates in the acupuncture world and a quick look at current research will reveal a great variety of protocols used within studies. The recommendations given above are based on the evidence from functional MRI studies which map the body’s response to acupuncture Science Direct , Frontiers

How Many Treatments of Acupuncture Do Clients Need?

Generally, most clients will receive 6-8 treatments before it is recommended that they either reduce the frequency of treatment or seek treatment as and when needed. However, this depends on the condition at hand, and the severity of symptoms; more severe symptoms typically require more sessions.

Most acupuncture practitioners will use their own knowledge of what to look for when assessing a client’s condition, but here are a few factors that should be considered:

• How long they have had the condition – long-term conditions will typically take longer to treat
• The nature of the condition – some, more acute, conditions can be treated quickly, however, chronic conditions will usually take longer
• General health – older patients and those in poor health tend to need more sessions than young, healthier patients
• Their commitment to getting better – if clients take their practitioner’s recommendations regarding aftercare, they may see improvements in their condition quicker

How Often Should Clients Get Acupuncture for Maintenance?

Depending on their condition, some clients may suit having treatment once a week, or every few weeks for maintenance. On the other hand, some may only need to seek treatment as and when required.

This will vary from client to client, therefore it is important to assess their condition thoroughly before making any recommendations about maintenance appointments. It is sometimes a case of trial and error to find the right time gap for the individual.

Is One Acupuncture Session Enough?

Whilst acupuncture is effective, rarely is one session enough to see the benefits, or receive long-term results. In most cases, even one session per week is not enough to maximise the outcome.

The body needs time to adjust to acupuncture, and many clients will not begin to feel the benefits until after their second session.

Acupuncture Courses at Breeze Academy

At Breeze Academy, we ensure that our students walk away with all of the knowledge, skills, and confidence required to safely and effectively practise acupuncture.

If you’re a healthcare professional interested in acupuncture, check out our range of acupuncture and dry needling courses online; we offer foundation level acupuncture courses, acupuncture for nurses and midwives, acupuncture for sporting injuries. We also offer acupuncture CPD courses, including acupuncture in women’s health, acupuncture for headaches, neck, and facial pain.