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How often should you get acupuncture?

Every 2 weeks is typical, and anywhere from 3 days to 4 weeks is common.

A course of acupuncture usually means one or two sessions a week for several weeks; in studies of chronic pain, two or more a week gave better relief right after the course. Afterward, some people keep coming back every two to three weeks, as one recent trial did.

People often come sooner with

  • The start of a course of care
  • A problem that comes back

And later with

  • Feeling well after a course
  • Spacing visits out as things improve

Ask your acupuncturist

This is a typical range, not advice for you. Your acupuncturist will suggest what fits you, and it often changes as you do.

Where this comes from

  1. Chen YJ, et al. What is the appropriate acupuncture treatment schedule for chronic pain? Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2019. Across 23 trials of acupuncture for chronic pain, schedules of about two or more sessions a week were linked to better relief right after treatment, and the benefit faded after about 18 weeks.
  2. DeBar LL, et al. Acupuncture for chronic low back pain in older adults: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Network Open, 2025. The standard course was 8 to 15 sessions over 12 weeks, and an enhanced group added 4 to 6 maintenance sessions over the next 12 weeks, with both groups doing better than usual care.

Checked October 24, 2026 · Each source was read before this page went up. Spotted something out of date? Write to us