Lung puncture fear

Comment by Chad J. Dupuis, L.Ac.

While I can't say anything for certain online and without seeing you, it is 99.999% likely that you did not puncture your own lung by rubbing across an acupuncture needle.  Acupuncture needles are wildly thin and it's really, really difficult to cause a pneumothorax except in the rarest of circumstances.  They just don't push through dense tissue that easily, nor are they generally long enough to contact much of anything below the surface (again depends on what needle diameter and length was actually used, the point(s) used, etc.).  Localized tissue irritation can happen, which generally passes within hours to a few days and even that is rare.  You don't mention why you went to see the acupuncturist, but within the first treatment or so there is a possible irritation of symptoms that can happen and it is considered positive in most cases (compared with no change at all - but obivously less positive than a big improvement).

As always, if you are truly concerned you should consult with a physician or at least consult with the acupuncturist who treated you as they will know what points they used, etc.  More than likely within a day or so you will not notice much of anything.  Acupuncture is most often a slow, mild and gradual process of healing - strong complications are rare, particularly outside of Chinese hospitals settings where the techniques can be stronger in part due to the setting and the relatively more complicated cases they may be seeing.

Comment by Archived User

Thank you. Is it possible I could have caused the needle to hit an artery or blood vessel in that area? I've been having the feeling of something stuck in my throat. 

Comment by Chad J. Dupuis, L.Ac.

Again, it's impossible to give 100% reliable information on the internet without seeing you in person, so what I'm saying is only statistically based and from many years as a practitioner.  Acupuncture needles are far too thin (and short for that matter) to cause damage to deeper internal structures.  Besides them not being hollow (like hypodermic needles) this is one of the many reasons why you can get entire acupuncture treatments without a single drop of blood. 

I can only guess, but I suspect what you are feeling is a common symptom of anxiety "plum pit qi" - described here.  There is occasionally small bruising that can happen from acupuncture, but that is generally small surface blood vessels, is seen more or less immediately and is gone in a few days.  Significant complications are extremely rare with acupuncture by fully trained and licensed acupuncturists and still rare but slightly more common with acupuncture done by untrained or undertrained professionals (MD's, PT's,, Chiropractors, etc.).  Part of the rarity is simply the style of needle, it's very hard to cause damage to the body with something that small and thin.

Besides anxiety/plum pit qi, one thing that could also lead to what you are feeling when needles are moved or in cases where the practitioner purposely uses extensive needle manipulation techniques such as twisting is that a small bound up collection of tissue can appear as a small knot under the surface.  This is generally harmless and disappears on it's own within 3-10 days.  From just moving a needle this is extremely rare, but from practitioner techniques it can happen.

Comment by Archived User

Thank you. I have one more question for you. She performed electroacipucture on two points in my jaw, one on the left and one on the right. When I told her the current was too strong on the left but not the right, she told me both were controlled by the same button. This leads me to believe she used the same electros for each side of my face (one red one black). I read that you should never cross the spine. Does this sound like that was done since both were controlled by one switch? If she did do this, what are the potential dangers associated with crossing the spine?

Comment by Chad J. Dupuis, L.Ac.

Online I can only guess and there are many models of electroacupuncture machines so it is hard to generalize.  That said, most machines have channels - in some the channels are controlled individually, in some the same frequency goes out through all channels.  Electroacupuncture is commonly done and regularly done bilaterally so what your practitioner did was likely fine in technical terms with regards to using points on either side of the body.  The cautions against not crossing the spine are most particularly related to points used bilaterally on the back, particularly points like huatuo points that are functionally right next to the spine.

All that said, generally acupuncture, even electroacupuncture, is not really forcing anything to happen - it's things your body could've done (changes in blood flow, turning off inflammatory markers, etc.), but wasn't asked to or had placed other things with a higher priority, valid or not.  Accordingly, true side effects from acupuncture, even improperly done, are rare.  

What I would comment more directly on, is if your practitioner didn't simply turn down the electroacupuncture or just turn it off when you were uncomfortable I would find a different practitioner.  The overall experience of acupuncture should be pleasant and if it isn't not much good is likely to come out of the entire experience.  Similar to western medicine, but far more important in Chinese Medicine, your relationship with your practitioner is important.  Even studies with a specific western drug given to patients by a nice doctor and then a "mean" doctor yield different results - and that from the exact same medicine.  In something far more organic as acupuncture this will have an even bigger impact in my opinion.

Comment by Archived User

Thank you for your response. Just to clarify, she had one needle on my left side of my jaw connecting to one side on the right sid rod my jaw (not two on each side). Is this still ok as far as safety?