Frequently Asked Questions
Rochester NY Acupuncture

Q: Do you take insurance?

We are currently credentialed for acupuncture services through Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield, MVP Healthcare, no-fault, and worker’s compensation. We have found that more and more insurance plans are covering all or part of people’s acupuncture treatments. If you are not covered by Excellus or MVP Healthcare, you may still have out of network coverage for acupuncture treatments, so we recommend calling your insurance provider to find out if acupuncture is covered.

If you do have out of network coverage, we can provide you with a “superbill” that contains all of the information that your insurance company needs to reimburse you for out of network service.

We are in network with most major insurance companies for our Physical Therapy services. If you’re unsure whether your plan will cover PT at Pivot, we will gladly find out for you!

Q: What should I wear to my appointment?

It is best to wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothes to acupuncture appointments. Some patients will bring shorts and a tee-shirt to change into for their appointment. We want you to be comfortable, and we work around your clothing during the treatment. The best pants to wear are a pair that can be pulled up over the knees since we often use acupuncture points on the arms and legs.

Q: What happens in an acupuncture visit? What should I expect?

  • Before You Arrive

    It’s a good idea to have a little something to eat before coming in for a treatment. We recommend wearing comfortable, loose-fitting clothing since we typically work around your clothes during the treatment.

  • Health Questionnaire

    There is some paperwork to fill out that typically takes about 10 minutes, and provides us with information about your present condition, health history, and physical constitution. This questionnaire helps inform our diagnoses and helps us to individualize your treatment.

  • History and Evaluation

    We do a thorough evaluation. We’ll want to talk about the history of your condition and how it is affecting you today. We use the questionnaire as a guide, as well as a traditional series of questions that allows us to narrow down your specific diagnoses. For orthopedic conditions, we may do some tui na and range of motion testing. If necessary, we will recommend an orthopedic assessment or PT/acupuncture combination treatment.

  • Your Pulse & Tongue

    We may check your pulse; assessing the rate, quality, force, depth, and form of the pulse to glean information about the internal environment of your body. We may also look at your tongue for color, coating, relative size and shape to help us assess information about your internal environment.

Q: How long does an acupuncture visit take?

Your first visit will take a little longer since we take more time to talk through your health history and get a clear picture of your condition and current state of health. For this visit, we schedule an hour and a half.

Follow up treatments will be more concise since we are mostly looking for updates since the last time we saw you. These visits take one hour.

Q: What do acupuncture needles look and feel like?

Acupuncture needles are sterile, single-use needles that are hair-thin and flexible. They look a lot like short cat whiskers. You may or may not feel the insertion of the needle, but if you do it will feel a bit like a mosquito and will pass in a split second.

Q: Does acupuncture hurt?

The process of acupuncture is really very gentle. Patients often feel a slight sensation with the insertion, but do not typically describe the sensation as “painful”. The needles that we use are hair-thin and flexible, bearing very little resemblance to the large hypodermic needles that we typically think of. Our patients generally find their treatments to be deeply relaxing.

Q: How does acupuncture work? Do you needle nerves and blood vessels?

We do not needle into nerves or blood vessels. These structures, along with the organs and muscles, are wrapped in connective tissue. By stimulating this connective tissue we are able to take the pressure off of nerves, blood vessels, and other structures to create and restore balance in your body.

The system of connective tissue in the body creates an extensive network of communication that permits the treatment of internal and external imbalances that lead to illness and pain.

Q: What does acupuncture treat?

Many people are surprised at how many conditions can be treated with acupuncture and oriental medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine is a full system of medicine that is rooted in the observation of functional patterns in the body. This system of diagnoses allows us to diagnose and treat illness and injury that there aren’t many other answers for.

This is a small sampling of the common conditions that we treat:

  • Acute and Chronic Pain
  • Asthma & Allergies
  • Autoimmune Disease
  • Chronic Fatigue
  • Cold & Flu
  • Depression and Anxiety
  • Digestive Disorders
  • Facial Rejuvenation
  • General Wellness
  • Gynecological Disorders
  • Headache & Migraine
  • Heartburn
  • Injury & Trauma
  • Insomnia
  • Menopause Symptoms
  • Physical Rehabilitation
  • Pre & Post-Surgical
  • Skin Conditions
  • Smoking Cessation
  • Stress & Tension
  • Symptoms of Stroke
  • Weight Loss

Q: Does acupuncture have any religious affiliations?

No. Traditional Chinese medicine is a secular medical practice.

Q: What kind of training does it take to become an acupuncturist?

The Masters of Science in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine that has permitted us to become licensed acupuncturists is a four and a half academic year program. We graduate with 3,100 patient contact hours, a number which is comparable to most doctorate programs. Upon graduating in 2013, we had about two years of supervised clinical experience.

Rochester NY Acupuncture

We are pleased to offer you two Rochester NY locations for Acupuncture, Chinese Medicine and Physical Therapy. Contact us today for bookings or further information.

Our clients say...

“I had pain in my back under my left shoulder blade, feeling like a tight muscle. I think the cause was picking up small children and the way I sat at work. When it ached, I got chills and felt like it was ripping apart. The acupuncture and massage therapy treatments have made it a lot better. No more chills and it is nowhere near as painful as before. The acupuncture treatment feels SO GOOD and so relaxing!”

- RS

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Location

10 S Lake Rd, Bergen NY 14416

Pain Management for Buffalo, NY and Rochester, NY

Contact

Pivot Acupuncture and Physical Therapy Rochester NY
585-709-1482
frontdesk@pivotacupt.com