Introduction : The effect of acupuncture in pain relief has been determined. This study was designed with the aim of abstraction the factors which cause to use acupuncture for pain relief.

  Methods : This qualitative study was in the kind of conventional content analysis and was composed of 14 patients and acupuncture providers which were selected by purposeful sampling and the variety of age, education, sex, the kind of pain among patients and having work experience among acupuncture providers. Information was collected by deep and semi-structured interview. The method of data analyze was content analyze with inductive approach. The acceptance and exactness of data was repeatedly performed with modulation in data collection, the variety of participants, review and repeated overview of data, review the participants and members of survey team.

  Results : final results of the survey were 5 themes including: A) limitations in common medicine with major categories: the complexities of treatment, side effects of standard medication, lack of improvement, low satisfaction B) effectiveness of acupuncture with major categories: the characteristic of acupuncture, being natural and academic, the cost of effectiveness C) outer promoters with major categories: interaction of standard medicine and acupuncture, supportive sources, the way of introduction, the role of media D) inner promoters with major categories: individual characteristics, health condition E) inhibition in acupuncture with major categories:doubt in impact, opposition with use, performance barriers.

  Conclusions : Knowing the reasons of choosing acupuncture by patients, to relief from pain which includes limitations in common medicine, effectiveness of acupuncture, outer promoters, inner promoters, inhibition in acupuncture, we can step forward with principal planning to develop some of the reasons and eliminate the barriers to make acupuncture more applied.