Acupuncture for Neck Pain: Renee’s Story

“I can’t recall a time where I haven’t been in pain over the past five years. Since at least 2021, I’d been in some level of pain, and it increasingly got more intense.”

54-year-old Renee says that after a very stressful period, during which she was a caregiver for her mother, she developed pain in her neck that providers struggled to label. She saw doctors, had X-rays, and visited physical therapists, but no one attributed the pain to anything other than “aging.” Without a clear diagnosis of the problem, Renee says that finding a remedy was difficult.

Over the next few years, she says that the pain got worse. She took on a new role at work, which required extensive travel. “I was on planes a lot, and I was usually reading. Every day my head was down on a Kindle or looking down at my laptop doing work,” she says.

The pain reached a point where Renee says, “It was impacting my life. I had trouble turning my head while driving. I felt like I was in searing pain all the time, and I couldn’t get any sort of mobility or relief.”

One night, Renee was at a party where she was struggling so much with the pain that it was obvious to the other guests. She told them of her plight and how she had seen doctors and gotten massages, but nothing was working. One of the guests was a neighbor who recommended that she try Queen City Acupuncture and Wellness.

“I will tell you, at the time, the idea of acupuncture was a little out there for me, to be very honest, “she admits. “I was a little nervous, and had it not been such a strong personal recommendation, I wouldn’t have decided to go.”

During her first few visits, Renee says, “Garrett spent a lot of time listening to me and trying to understand what my challenges were. He didn’t make any promises that I would be back to 100% or totally pain-free, but he did say, ‘I know you can be better than this.’ He wanted me to go back to my doctor for x-rays, just to really understand if there were any underlying medical issues. He was really thoughtful about it and made me feel really comfortable.”

Garrett says, “During that evaluation process, I discovered that the muscles around Renee’s neck, shoulders, levator scapula, and trapezius were weak and inhibited, basically stretched out and tight, causing her a lot of pain. For the acupuncture to be more effective and the pain relief to last longer, Renee needed her to stretch her pectoral muscles, which helped take the strain off the above-mentioned muscles.

“I gave her several exercises to strengthen the proper muscles. Those exercises were a combination of weighted shoulder shrugs, side raises, and a banded scapula strengthening exercise. All exercises needed to be done once a day, one set, to complete failure. The reason for one set to complete failure serves two purposes: first, to build strength; second, to build endurance. Doing one set with enough weight to do between 15-30 repetitions is what helps build endurance in those muscles, which she needed as her symptoms were typically worse at the end of a long day.”

Renee says that she appreciated the coaching approach that Garrett took with her. “I liked that he told me ‘I’m not here to make you sign up to see me forever. I want to help you get better, and I want to equip you with the tools to do that.’ And that made me feel really good,” she says.

She also says that she appreciates the scheduling options offered which allow her to come into the office at 7 AM. “That’s the only way I can do it, “she says. “He is very accommodating to my needs, and I appreciate that.

Beginning with twice-weekly sessions, Renee has recently been able to drop down to once a week. She has complied with the exercises that she has been assigned and is quick to note that there is a shared responsibility in the healing process. “It’s not Garrett’s responsibility to do this for you. You’ve got to commit and do the work, too. He gives you the tools you need, and they work. Because I have seen positive results, I stay consistent with my exercises and prioritize them.”

Renee says she is still improving. “I am not pain-free yet, but it’s so much better than it was. My range of motion is improving. I am maybe 75% better than I was. I still have good days and bad days, but to have any improvement at all has been such a gift. “

Reflecting on her decision to try acupuncture, Renee says that she is glad that her friend recommended Garrett. “Knowing what I know now, I would tell other people to have an open mind. Garrett is well-trained. He’s got lots of certifications and is focused on your overall health and wellness. I’m glad I gave it a go.”