Hey this is Jonah and two days ago I too got a treatment at the hands (literally) of Dr. Xu Jun Ming. Nini previously posted about how we found Dr. Xu and her treatment. Tuesday we were back for a follow-up and I got to thinking about the strained muscle in my back that was bothering me.
Usually pain doesn't stick too closely to me, but this muscle strain wasn't going away for two to three weeks, and thoughts of mortality began creeping in (does this mean I'm "old"? If I had been doing yoga every morning would it not have happened?). So I took the 3 pm appointment.
We all went into the treatment room and Dr. Xu turned to face me.
"So, what's your problem?"
I described it to him - a nagging soreness to the left of my spine in the midback region, difficulty twisting, some sacral pain. After about one minute of questions, he had me lie down and started palpation. Does it hurt here? How about here? More here? Or here?
"Mm," he said. "Muscles problem."
Then the treatment: 20 minutes of continuous intense tui na with hands like iron. Following that, 4-5 stationary cups left on for about 10 minutes - I'm not sure, I dozed off. Then finished with electroacupuncture directly into the affected muscle - six needles in all, all hooked up to leads, pulsing strongly and regularly and making the muscle jump for another 20-30 minutes.
"Is it too strong?"
"Well, it's hard to tell. It feels pretty strong, but it's okay."
"Sometimes it feels strong in the beginning, and then not so bad." He left the room.
The electroacupuncture felt like six strong dwarves punching me in unison. For half an hour. It didn't stop feeling strong, but it wasn't excruciatingly painful either. Afterwards I felt very sore, but good.
The next day, Wednesday, I felt even more sore. Even after graduating from an acupuncture program, I had the same treasonous thoughts most patients have: "my god, what did he do to me? I'm worse than before!"
Oh ye of little faith. Today I feel great. The muscle is noticeably looser, the pain is nearly gone. Go get acupuncture for all your aches and pains. Do it now, don't be afraid.
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