Treating Teens with Acupuncture
— By Jennifer Dilts, DO, FAAMA, AAMA Board of Directors
She walked into my office mad at the world. (Anyone who has parented teens is well-acquainted with this state!) She was clearly not on-board with being there. She was 17, a high school senior. Softball was her life until mysterious shoulder pain ended her season and consumed her life. She was in my office because her pediatrician thought that maybe acupuncture could help. Her mom convinced her to come since she had “tried everything else:” two rounds of physical therapy, anti-inflammatories, dry needling, rest. Her sports medicine physician had done an extensive workup. All tests were normal.
I asked this teen how often the pain bothered her. “It’s the first thing that I think about when I wake up in the morning,” she replied. “It bothers me all day. I can’t play softball, and I can’t lift things at my after school job. They might fire me. And I can’t sleep well because every time I roll onto my shoulder the pain wakes me up.” She could only lift her arm to 90 degrees due to pain. I listened carefully to her story and validated her pain. “Wow. It sounds like this has been really tough. Sounds frustrating!!”
I tried to set realistic expectations. “This pain has been going on for several months, so it will likely take more than one acupuncture session before we see significant results.” She agreed to try acupuncture. I did electroacupuncture and auricular ASPs. We scheduled a follow-up appointment, but I wasn’t sure that she would show up.
My teen patient returned four days later and she seemed like a different person. She was more upbeat; she had some hope. Her shoulder pain had decreased from a 10/10 to a 7/10. She was sleeping through the night. She was able to lift her arm a little higher. I saw her for four more electroacupuncture sessions over the next three weeks. I learned about her friends and her job. She told me about her graduation party and what she thought college would be like.
My favorite part about acupuncture, to be honest, is the time that I spend chatting with patients while I’m placing the needles. Teens, especially, open up way more during this more casual conversation than they ever do when I’m sitting face to face with them in a traditional doctor-patient encounter.
After five acupuncture sessions, my patient’s pain was down to a 3/10. She lifting everything she wanted to at work and she was even playing a little bit of softball. I told her that we could do some additional sessions and she smiled and told me not to call her, that she would call me.
Do I always get super impressive results with acupuncture? Nope! However, I think that when teen patients see me, they know that they are talking with someone who cares.
A lot of my patients have struggled with pain for a long time, and they know that in addition to placing needles, I am going to ask them each week about school, sleep, exercise, and nutrition. The accountability of me asking each week sometimes helps them to make positive changes. It’s not uncommon for teens to tell me, after several acupuncture sessions, that their pain seems “about the same,” and yet they are able to cope with it better. They are going to school more and they are more active outside of school. Maybe it’s because the endorphins released during acupuncture has given them a better sense of well-being, improved mood. Maybe it’s knowing that I care about them, or a combo these factors. I’m not sure.
If you’re not treating teens, you’re missing out. This group needs us. They need the consistency of someone caring about them every week and asking about their activities. (Tip: write in your note one thing that you can ask them a follow-up question about the next time that you see them.) Also? Teens are fun. They are inspiring and silly and serious and dramatic and optimistic and grumpy, sometimes all in the same visit. I challenge you to treat at least one teen with acupuncture in the next few weeks. You won’t regret it.
These medicines can cause menopause-like symptoms even in people who are decades away from menopause. Symptoms include hot flashes, joint pain, mood swings, and difficulty sleeping.
