Acupuncture: Goals and Expectations 

 October 26, 2020

By  Steve Hoffman

Two questions I ask all my patients are: What are your goals for treatment and what are your expectations for how long that will take. Answers vary from “I want this to go away completely” to “I just want to get some relief”. Most are a little unsure about how to answer the second question although I do tell them that yesterday is not an option! There are no hard and fast correlations but generally, your goals will have an impact on the both the length of treatment and the frequency that will be recommended.

Age & Time

We all know that the older we are the longer it takes the body to heal. Break a bone when you are 15 and within two months, you are back to 100%. Break a bone when you are 50 and it is a different ball of wax. Healing take longer, is often not as complete and you may be left with less than 100% function or range of motion. The other factor is time. The longer a problem has been around, the longer it takes to treat. A good estimate is one-month worth of treatment for every year the problem has been present.

What You Can Expect

Are you 15 or are you 50? Has the problem been there for two weeks or 20 years? Has the cause of the problem been removed? All of this is teased out during a consultation and, in many cases, during treatment. Your age, the length of time the problem has been present and aggravating factors all must be considered in order to determine a comprehensive treatment plan. These plans often change based on how you respond to treatment. You also may be in a situation where your pain, or problem can only be managed. If you are in your 70’s, have had multiple back surgeries and your back problem has been around for 30 years, it is very unlikely that you are going to see your problem 100% resolved. BUT imagine if your pain went for an 8-9 most days to a 3-4. Imagine if you were able to get more than three hours of sleep. Imagine if daily tasks did not seem insurmountable. This, for many, is priceless.

Help and Healing

Whether you are 15 or 50, acupuncture can help. Many patients who have severe or chronic problems do not know where to turn. They have been “everywhere” and tried “everything”. These are the patients we specialize in treating at Princeton Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine. These are the patients who feel helpless but with proper treatment and planning, there is help and hope.


Princeton Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

Our patients know just how effective treatments are for these and a host of other problems. Steven Hoffman, a New Jersey Licensed Acupuncturist and Diplomate in Oriental Medicine, will provide you with a thorough intake and evaluation and a clear, comprehensive diagnosis and treatment plan that will insure that your goals are met or exceeded. Do you want to move past these or other problems? We will help you thrive not just survive!

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