Carrollwood · Tampa Bay
Acupuncture in Tampa
Dr. Bobby Koser, DC, chiropractic physician, certified in acupuncture by the Florida Board of Chiropractic Medicine.
Acupuncture here is its own visit, with its own exam. You will know what we found, and what it costs, before any needle goes in.
Thin needles placed at points chosen under the traditional Chinese medicine framework, after an examination. People book it for pain in the back, neck and joints, for headaches, and for concerns that are not pain at all, like sleep and stress. One doctor does the exam and places the needles.
What a session is like
There are two visits here: a first visit, and the sessions after it. Both start the same way, with somebody looking at you before anybody reaches for a needle.
- We examine first. Your history, what sets the problem off, what settles it, and a physical exam. That decides whether this is a reasonable tool for what you have, and where the points go.
- We place the needles. Thin needles at the points your exam pointed to. Most people feel a small prick, or nothing at all, going in. Some points produce a dull, heavy, spreading feeling for a few seconds. That part is normal.
- You rest. The needles stay in while you lie still. The visit is as long as the examination calls for.
- We check what changed. We ask, and we write it down. What we find decides the next visit, or whether there needs to be one.
What to expect afterward
Soreness at a needle site, a small bruise, or feeling tired or loose for a few hours are the common effects. Tell us before we start if you take a blood thinner, if you have an implanted device such as a pacemaker, or if you are being treated for something else. That changes what we do and where. If anything feels wrong during the visit, say so and we stop.
Who provides acupuncture here: a certified chiropractic physician
Dr. Bobby Koser, DC, chiropractic physician. He is certified in acupuncture by the Florida Board of Chiropractic Medicine and in dry needling by the Florida Department of Health.
Florida does not let a chiropractic physician use acupuncture without that certification. The Board issues it after Board-approved study and a Board-designated certification examination, separate from the chiropractic license itself. You can check it on the Board's license lookup.
Florida's rule frames acupuncture as an adjunct to chiropractic care: a way of treating disease, pain, or physical conditions by stimulating points on the body. Adjunct means it sits inside a plan rather than standing in for one. The exam decides whether it belongs in yours.
More about the doctor on our about page, what patients say on our reviews page, and the questions worth asking anywhere on before you choose a chiropractor.
How this differs from dry needling
Both use a thin needle. That is where the similarity ends. The reasoning is different, and so is the examination, and each one is its own visit. People mix them up constantly, so here is the short version.
| Question | Acupuncture | Dry needling |
|---|---|---|
| The idea behind it | Traditional Chinese medicine. The points come from that system. | Muscle anatomy. The target is a trigger point, which is a tight, irritable knot in a muscle. |
| What it is used for | Pain and non-pain concerns alike, decided at the examination. | Trigger points or myofascial pain. |
| The examination | Its own exam, at its own visit. | A hands-on exam that finds the muscles reproducing your pain. |
| How it is booked | Its own visit, at its own price. | Its own session, or added onto an adjustment. Live ultrasound guidance is a third option. |
| The credential behind it | Dr. Bobby Koser, DC, chiropractic physician. | Dr. Bobby Koser, DC, chiropractic physician, certified in dry needling by the Florida Department of Health. |
Dr. Bobby Koser, DC, chiropractic physician. Dry needling here is provided within the scope of Florida law, for trigger points or myofascial pain.
Which one fits is an examination question, not a menu question. We will tell you which one fits your problem, and why, before we begin. Our dry needling page covers that side in full.
What the Research Shows
Acupuncture has been studied more than most people expect. Here is what the larger studies found, in plain words, cited in full at the bottom so you can check them yourself. Dr. Bobby Koser, DC, chiropractic physician.
On low back pain. The American College of Physicians, a national group of doctors, published a low back pain guideline in 2017. It advises starting with non-drug care, and acupuncture is on its list of first options for both new and long-lasting back pain.1 For long-lasting back pain the guideline rated the evidence moderate quality. The same guideline lists spinal manipulation, the treatment at the core of chiropractic care, among those options too.
On several kinds of lasting pain. A 2018 analysis went back to the records of individual patients in 39 trials, about 20,800 people, instead of the summary numbers most reviews rely on.2 It covered back and neck pain, osteoarthritis, long-running headache, and shoulder pain. Acupuncture did better than no acupuncture, and better than sham needling, which is fake needling used as a placebo in studies. The authors concluded the effect was not explained by placebo alone. A year later the benefit was still measurable, about 15 percent smaller than at the end of care.
On neck pain. A Cochrane review, from a group that reviews medical evidence for a living, looked at acupuncture for neck disorders.3 It found moderate-quality evidence that acupuncture beat sham needling at the end of care and at short-term follow-up. Whether that holds up over the long term has not been established.
On worn joints. The American College of Rheumatology and the Arthritis Foundation published a 2020 guideline for osteoarthritis of the hand, hip and knee, the wear-related joint condition. Acupuncture is conditionally recommended in it.4 Conditionally is the guideline's own word. It means the panel favored offering acupuncture while saying plainly that the evidence behind it is not strong.
On tension headaches. A Cochrane review of acupuncture for tension-type headache, the common band-around-the-head kind, found that about 5 in 10 people cut their headache frequency in half, compared with about 4 in 10 after placebo needling.5
None of this predicts what will happen for you. What the first visit gives you is an examination and a straight answer about whether acupuncture is a sensible tool for your problem.
Each of those problems has its own page here, with its own research block: low back pain, neck pain, joint pain and headaches.
1. Qaseem A, Wilt TJ, McLean RM, Forciea MA; Clinical Guidelines Committee of the American College of Physicians. Noninvasive treatments for acute, subacute, and chronic low back pain: a clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians. Ann Intern Med. 2017;166(7):514–530. PubMed
2. Vickers AJ, Vertosick EA, Lewith G, et al; Acupuncture Trialists' Collaboration. Acupuncture for chronic pain: update of an individual patient data meta-analysis. J Pain. 2018;19(5):455–474. PubMed
3. Trinh K, Graham N, Irnich D, Cameron ID, Forget M. Acupuncture for neck disorders. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016;(5):CD004870. PubMed
4. Kolasinski SL, Neogi T, Hochberg MC, et al. 2019 American College of Rheumatology/Arthritis Foundation guideline for the management of osteoarthritis of the hand, hip, and knee. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2020;72(2):220–233. PubMed
5. Linde K, Allais G, Brinkhaus B, et al. Acupuncture for the prevention of tension-type headache. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016;4(4):CD007587. PubMed
Hurt in a car accident? Start with the accident visit
After an accident, the first step is an examination. Dr. Koser examines you, goes through what he found, and tells you whether he thinks acupuncture may be a reasonable option for your injuries alongside the rest of your care.
The clock that actually matters: Florida's PIP law requires that your care begin within 14 days of the crash for no-fault medical benefits to apply. Start with the Auto Accident Injury Visit. You are examined, your findings are documented, and that care goes to your auto insurance. If acupuncture belongs in your plan after that, you will know what it costs before you book it.
More on how accident care works on our auto accident page, or read the statute in plain English on our Florida PIP page.
What it costs
| Visit | Price |
|---|---|
| Acupuncture New Patient Visit: a complete examination and health history, your first session, and infrared heat | $195 |
| Acupuncture Session | $100 |
Prices shown are our time-of-service rates, available when you pay in full at the visit. Care billed to a third-party payor, including auto insurance under Florida PIP, health insurance, Medicare, or workers’ compensation, is billed on our standard fee schedule without that discount.
THE PATIENT AND ANY OTHER PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYMENT HAS A RIGHT TO REFUSE TO PAY, CANCEL PAYMENT, OR BE REIMBURSED FOR PAYMENT FOR ANY OTHER SERVICE, EXAMINATION, OR TREATMENT THAT IS PERFORMED AS A RESULT OF AND WITHIN 72 HOURS OF RESPONDING TO THE ADVERTISEMENT FOR THE FREE, DISCOUNTED FEE, OR REDUCED FEE SERVICE, EXAMINATION, OR TREATMENT.
Membership plans are available; the rates and terms are set in the membership agreement. Membership rates apply only under a signed membership agreement. See membership plans, or see what every bookable visit costs.
Already a patient here? Book an acupuncture session.
New here for pain? There is a second door.
Some people arrive knowing they want acupuncture. Some arrive knowing their back hurts. If you are in the second group, start with the visit that finds the source first and picks the treatment after.
$195Regular price $330
Pain has a source. This visit looks for where it is coming from. You get a complete examination with Dr. Koser, which may include a live ultrasound look at the muscles and soft tissue where it hurts, and your first treatment the same day when it's appropriate. You leave knowing what we found and what it means. First visit with us, one per patient.
Self-pay patients only. Not valid with insurance, PIP/auto claims, Medicare, or Medicaid. Injured in a car accident? Book the Auto Accident Injury Visit instead.
THE PATIENT AND ANY OTHER PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYMENT HAS A RIGHT TO REFUSE TO PAY, CANCEL PAYMENT, OR BE REIMBURSED FOR PAYMENT FOR ANY OTHER SERVICE, EXAMINATION, OR TREATMENT THAT IS PERFORMED AS A RESULT OF AND WITHIN 72 HOURS OF RESPONDING TO THE ADVERTISEMENT FOR THE FREE, DISCOUNTED FEE, OR REDUCED FEE SERVICE, EXAMINATION, OR TREATMENT.
Two first visits, two different jobs. Call us at 844-51-SPINE (844-517-7463) if you are not sure which one to book. More on that visit on our Pain Source Exam page.
Common questions
How much does acupuncture cost in Tampa?
At HealthSpine in Carrollwood, Tampa: the Acupuncture New Patient Visit is $195 and an Acupuncture Session is $100. Prices shown are our time-of-service rates, available when you pay in full at the visit. Care billed to a third-party payor, including auto insurance under Florida PIP, health insurance, Medicare, or workers' compensation, is billed on our standard fee schedule without that discount. Dr. Bobby Koser, DC, chiropractic physician.
Is acupuncture the same as dry needling?
No. There is different reasoning behind each one, and a separate exam and visit for each. Acupuncture is based on traditional Chinese medicine, and the points come from that system. Dry needling targets trigger points or myofascial pain in a specific muscle found on your examination. Dr. Bobby Koser, DC, chiropractic physician, is certified in dry needling by the Florida Department of Health, so your examination decides which one fits.
Does acupuncture hurt?
The needles are thin, and most people feel a small prick or nothing at all going in. Some points produce a dull, heavy, spreading ache that lasts a few seconds. Soreness at a needle site or a small bruise afterward is common. If anything feels wrong during the visit, say so and we stop.
What do people use acupuncture for here?
Pain in the back, neck, shoulders and joints, and headaches. Also concerns that are not pain, such as sleep and stress. Florida's rule frames it as an adjunct to chiropractic care for disease, pain, or physical conditions. What your examination finds decides whether it is a sensible tool for you.
Do I have to be a chiropractic patient to book?
No. It is booked as its own visit with its own examination, and you do not need to be an existing patient here. New patients start with the Acupuncture New Patient Visit, and its price is published on this page.
How many sessions will I need?
That depends on your examination, and we will tell you what we expect before you commit to a course of care. You should know early whether it is helping, because we ask and we write down what changed at each visit.
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This page is general health information and is not medical advice for any individual. The studies summarized describe groups, not any one person’s outcome, and whether a finding explains your symptoms can only be determined by examination. Talk to Dr. Bobby Koser, DC, about your own situation.
Get examined. Then decide.
Acupuncture at HealthSpine Chiropractic in Carrollwood, Tampa, with Dr. Bobby Koser, DC, chiropractic physician.
or call 844-51-SPINE (844-517-7463)