Some UVa Medical Center staffers might be surprised to learn that UVa has been offering patients acupuncture since May of this year. Go up to the third floor of the Musculoskeletal Center, the location of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and you will find UVa s acupuncture practice. Here, Dr. Alan P. Alfano, the department s licensed medical acupuncturist, as well as being a board-certified physiatrist, regularly treats patients with acupuncture for a variety of painful conditions. Moderate to severe, they include low back pain, neck pain, sports injuries, headaches, nerve pain, arthritic pain, and other painful conditions. Actually, the patient hardly feels anything.
Acupuncture needles are about two to three inches long.
When inserted by the acupuncturist, most patients feel no more than a slight pinch. Many patients, in fact, fall asleep during the treatment. The needles are sterile and disposable - used only once to avoid any chance of infection. Occasionally, the acupuncturist may manipulate the needle by hand or with a small electronic device, depending on the condition being treated. Treatments take approximately 20 minutes, but they can vary, again depending upon the patient s condition.