The detective work
Part of my job is distinguishing which pattern—or combination—is driving your pain.
For instance, cold-type pain and blood-deficient pain can both feel worse with cold, but the skin tells the truth.
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Cold-type neck pain has closed pores and dry skin—the surface feels tight, sealed, and not sweating. Treatment opens the pores and moves circulation through again, restoring normal warmth and flexibility.
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Blood-deficiency neck pain has pores that are too open—the skin may always feel a little moist or clammy. Here, we need to close the pores and nourish the blood so that it can warm and relax the muscles.
Over time, different patterns can combine, so the lines blur. But there are always clues—temperature, texture, timing, and how the pain responds to touch or movement—that help reveal the underlying imbalance.
Chinese Medicine Patterns of Neck Pain
1. Dampness
This type of neck pain feels heavy, stiff, and dull. It’s often worse in the morning or during humid, rainy weather. The muscles may ache but not necessarily feel “tight.” Dampness can come from living in a cold or humid environment, sitting too long, or sluggish digestion.
Acupuncture helps by transforming dampness—encouraging the body to move and clear the fluids that have become stagnant in the muscles. After a few treatments, people often notice they feel “lighter” and less bogged down.
This built up water can be aggravated by ice and cold foods or cold weather as well. Just imagine a wet pair of jeans- heavy and cold.
However over time our natural warm energy can heat the water, especially when it has build up in small spaces like around the joints where blood and qi bottle neck to move through. When this happens the fluids can thicken and create obvious swelling. As time goes on the thicker fluids hold even more heat until finally we have hot red swollen and painful joints. Eventually these turbid fluids create damage to the structure of our joints and even bones.
Prevention of this is the best option! Let's catch it when it is only aching that comes and goes.
3. Blood Stasis
This is the stubborn, sharp, or stabbing type of neck pain. It often follows an old injury, car accident, or chronic tension that has never fully resolved. The pain can worsen at night, when circulation slows.
Blood stasis means the body’s natural flow has been obstructed. Acupuncture breaks up that stagnation, improving circulation and allowing fresh, oxygen-rich blood to reach the tissues. Sometimes I’ll use gentle cupping or gua sha as indicated adjunct therapies—methods that help move blood and release adhesions through the surface.
Other signs that point me to blood stasis are spider or varicose veins, thick cracked skin on the heels, a dark complexion or dark spots on the skin such as 'age-spots', dry flaky skin, and thin dull hair.
5. Qi Stagnation
This is the most common type of neck tension in modern life. The muscles ache and tighten, especially during times of emotional strain. The pain may shift from side to side or come and go.
Acupuncture releases this tension by moving qi—the body’s vital energy—through the meridians, calming both the body and the mind. Patients often leave feeling both physically lighter and emotionally more grounded.
This type of issue often has tension headaches as well as being PMS related. Which is nice because as the treatments take hold the PMS will get better overall as well.
2. Cold
Cold-type pain is deep, tight, and often severe. The muscles may feel like they’re “locked” or hard to turn. Exposure to cold weather can bring it on, sometimes suddenly. I once treated someone for low back pain whose muscles seized up the day after letting her back get too cold while she was facing a bonfire. She was stiff when she went to bed but by the morning could barely walk.
Treatment involves gently warming and moving the area—using acupuncture points that open the surface and restore normal sweating and blood flow. Moxa (the warming herb used in Chinese medicine) is especially helpful for this pattern, as it drives warmth into the channels and releases the contraction.
If you've ever stuck your hand in a tub of ice water you know what this pain feels like. There are types of arthritis which are not so swollen but have severe pain and this is common at the neck.
Often stenosis is this type and very hot herbs maybe needed.
4. Blood Deficiency
When the muscles aren’t well nourished, they become tight, dry, and more easily strained. This pattern often causes stiffness that worsens with stress or fatigue. People with blood deficiency may have pale or dry skin, poor sleep, or feel lightheaded when standing up.
Treatment focuses on nourishing the blood and improving its circulation to the muscles. Herbal formulas are often helpful here, supporting the body’s ability to rebuild healthy, rich blood and improve resilience.
I personally had this type combined with multiple neck injuries including being rear-ended on 35W. For me it took taking Gui Zhi Jia Ge Gen Tang to resolve it. Massage, acupuncture and chiropractic treatments just wouldn't stick without also nourishing my blood. Maybe because one of the injuries I had was from landing on my head as a teenager from jumping a snowmobile on a plowed lake road. For years the answer was Tylenol which just let the injury settle blood stasis into my dry muscles. The sooner we can treat injuries the better and easier they are to heal!
Acupuncture for Neck Pain in Fargo, ND
Gentle, targeted relief through balance, circulation, and care
Neck pain is one of the most common reasons people seek acupuncture—and one of the most rewarding to treat. Whether your discomfort began after sleeping wrong, working long hours at a desk, or gradually developed from years of tension, acupuncture can help ease pain, restore range of motion, and address the deeper imbalances that keep it coming back.
At Jenny Lea L.Ac., acupuncture for neck pain goes beyond relaxing muscles. It looks at the underlying pattern of disharmony—why this particular part of your body is struggling, what internal conditions are feeding it, and how your system as a whole can return to balance.
Understanding Neck Pain:
More Than Just Tension
Neck pain shows up in many forms: dull and achy, sharp and shooting, stiff and restricted, or tight and heavy. It can be worse in the morning, worsen with cold or damp weather, or flare up during times of stress.
From a Chinese medicine perspective, these differences matter. Pain is never “just pain.” It’s the body’s language—revealing how circulation, body fluids, and the nervous system are interacting.
While modern life certainly contributes (hours at a computer, stress, poor posture, and lack of movement), those external factors are only half the story. The other half lies in your internal terrain—the quality of your blood and fluids, your response to stress, your exposure to cold or drafts, and even how your skin breathes.
That’s where acupuncture shines: not just loosening the muscles, but helping your body re-establish its own healthy circulation, warmth, and flow.
The Pattern Detective Approach
Each person’s neck pain tells a slightly different story. My role is to listen—to what your body’s saying through the pattern of your symptoms.
Some neck pain comes from cold and constriction. Some from dampness that makes tissues heavy and slow to recover. Others are caused by blood stagnation—an old injury, whiplash, or chronic tightness that has settled into the muscles like a knot that won’t let go.
Still others stem from blood deficiency, where the muscles don’t receive enough nourishment and stay tight, especially under stress. And many cases involve qi stagnation—a buildup of tension that worsens with emotional strain.
How Acupuncture Helps Neck Pain
From a Western perspective, acupuncture stimulates the nervous system, increases local circulation, and releases tight fascia around the muscles. It reduces inflammation and encourages the body’s natural release of endorphins—its own internal pain-relieving chemicals.
From a Chinese medicine perspective, acupuncture reopens the natural flow between the head and the body, allowing circulation and warmth to return where they’ve been blocked. It restores harmony among the meridians that cross the neck—especially the Bladder, Small Intestine, and Gallbladder channels.
Adjunct therapies
When appropriate, I may also include:
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Cupping, to move blood and release fascia.
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Gua sha, to release surface stagnation with porcelain tools.
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Moxibustion (moxa), to warm and circulate in cold or deficient patterns.
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Chinese herbal medicine, to build blood, move stagnation, or resolve dampness internally.
Each session is personalized based on your presentation that day.
What to Expect During Treatment
Your first visit is about 75 minutes. We’ll review your health history, discuss your pain, and examine qualities like temperature, tension, range of motion, and how the muscles feel to the touch.
The acupuncture itself involves the insertion of very fine, flexible needles—about the width of a human hair. Most patients are surprised at how comfortable it feels. After the needles are placed, you’ll rest quietly for about 20–30 minutes.
This resting time is essential. It allows your parasympathetic nervous system—the body’s healing mode—to activate. Many people leave feeling calm, refreshed, and clear-headed, even before the pain has fully resolved.
Follow-up sessions build on that response. Acute neck pain can often improve quickly, while long-standing or chronic issues may take several visits to unwind fully.
Neck Pain and Stress
Neck tension and emotional tension are closely linked. When we’re stressed, our shoulders rise, our breath shortens, and our body braces for action. Over time, this habitual guarding becomes the new normal.
Acupuncture helps break that pattern—not just mechanically, but neurologically. By calming the stress response, it allows your muscles to let go at a deeper level.
Many patients notice that as their neck improves, their sleep and mood do too. That’s the beauty of treating the root: when balance is restored in one area, it ripples through the whole system.
Beyond Pain Relief: Supporting Recovery
Acupuncture addresses the root, but your body continues the healing between visits. Supporting that process with good habits makes all the difference.
At-home care tips:
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Keep your neck warm, especially in windy or cold weather.
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Avoid sitting in direct air conditioning or with a fan blowing on you.
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Apply gentle heat (like a warm compress) if your neck feels cold or tight.
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Stretch softly, within comfort—never force range of motion.
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Stay hydrated and eat warm, nourishing meals.
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Manage stress with breathing, walking, or meditation.
If herbal support is recommended, formulas are tailored specifically for your pattern. They can help your body maintain the improvements between sessions and address internal contributors to pain.
Find Relief for Neck Pain with Acupuncture in Fargo
Neck pain can be draining, but it doesn’t have to become your new normal. With acupuncture and Chinese medicine, your body can recover its natural flexibility, warmth, and ease.
At Jenny Lea L.Ac., I approach every neck pain case like a detective following the clues—looking for what’s out of balance and how to bring your system back into harmony.
If you’re ready to move freely again and feel more at ease in your body, schedule your acupuncture appointment today.
