How to Relieve Tension Headaches with Acupressure

There are many different causes of headache pain. Chronic tension is one of the most common causes. Acupressure, a non-invasive version of acupuncture, is one of the most effective treatments for tension headaches. In many cases, you can get very fast relief from your headache pain. In acupressure, pressure is applied to specific acupressure points using the fingers and thumbs. One of the greatest benefits of acupressure is that you can practice it safely and easily on yourself. However, it can be helpful to find another person to stimulate the acupressure points for you. As in acupuncture, acupressure points exist along meridians which correspond to organs within the body. Since all points along a meridian are connected, applying pressure on a point in one body part can affect another part of the body. For this reason, you can get headache relief by stimulating an acupressure point on your hand.

Consult with your doctor before trying acupressure to ensure that your headache pain isn't being caused by a serious health condition. Also check to see if there are any contraindications for placing pressure on certain acupressure points.

Acupressure Points for Tension Headache Pain

One of the most important acupressure points for relieving headache pain is gall bladder (GB) 20. This acupressure point is on the base of the skull where it meets the top of the neck. Reach behind your head and place your thumbs or forefingers on the muscles in this area on both sides of the neck. You may feel a knot of tension in the muscle on this acupressure point which is very sensitive to pressure.

Move your fingers downward to GB 21. This acupressure point is where your shoulder meets your neck. Apply gentle pressure here with the fingers and gradually increase it until you feel a release of tension. Then feel your hand where the thumb connects to the forefinger. Gently squeeze the muscle with the thumb and forefinger of the opposite hand. This point is large intestine (LI) 4, and is a powerful acupressure point for relieving headache pain.

Next, find the bladder (B) 10 acupressure point. Place your fingers on the sides of your neck, just below and behind your ears. Place firm but gentle pressure on this point to relieve tension in the neck muscles which contributes to headaches. Acupressure point B 2, at the point where the brow ridge and the bridge of the nose meet, is another effective acupressure point for relief of headaches. Acupressure point GB 14 is near this point, about 1 finger width above the eyebrows, in line with the eyes.

Practice applying pressure to these acupressure points whenever you feel a tension headache coming on. For images of the specific location of these acupressure points, consult a reliable acupressure or acupuncture reference.

Dr. Ben Kim, "Best Acupressure Points for Tension Headaches." DrBenKim.com