Self Acupressure for Pain Relief: Key Acupressure Points, Techniques & Tools

One day while riding in the family van on a road trip, I found myself firmly pressing the capped end of a plastic water bottle vertically into my thigh. The pressure was relieving layers of pain, both nagging and shooting, that had been barreling up and down my leg for what seemed like forever (or at least for 100 miles). Suddenly, I realized that I had instinctively practiced self acupressure --- and that I wanted to learn more about this helpful pain relief therapy.

My experience stumbling upon acupressure was not unique. According to Michael Reed Gach, writing at Acupressure.com, "The origins of acupressure are as ancient as the instinctive impulse to hold your forehead or temples when you have a headache. Everyone at one time or another has used his or her hands spontaneously to hold tense or painful places on the body." Science Daily reports that acupressure is useful for relieving low back pain and calming children before surgery. The Mayo Clinic notes acupressure can help alleviate cancer pain.

Self Acupressure Points

Acupressure Online states, "Acupressure and acupuncture share the same active points (also called trigger points, acupoints, acupressure points, or acupuncture points)." Since, according to the Institute for Integrative Healthcare Studies, there are over 400 acupressure points on the body, mastering their locations and indications can be overwhelming. But when using self acupressure for pain relief, feedback from your own body is a good guide.

Start by identifying the location of your pain or discomfort. Is it your wrist, ankle, neck, or lower back? Do you have headache or nausea? Gently explore the area with your fingers. Chances are that you will find points that feel knotted, tense or otherwise congested. Often these pain points can be subjected directly to self-help acupressure techniques. Once you (literally) get a feel for how to access these pain points, it's easier to branch out to the ancient acupressure points, found by measuring from various anatomical features by the width of your thumb ("cun"). These acupressure points have beautiful names, translated from the Chinese, such as "Gushing Spring," "Celestial Gathering," and "Leg Three Miles."

Self Acupressure Techniques

When beginning self-help acupressure, experts give this advice: "Some of the main techniques that you can use are: pressing, kneading, rubbing, pushing, scrubbing, grasping, patting, rub rolling and wiping. . . . Do not worry if the technique you use is not exactly the same as those used by the practitioners. Just use the one that feels best to you." Of course, the opposite is true: if the pressure technique doesn't feel good, stop. When using acupressure as a home remedy, "every application should be gentle. If it feels uncomfortable, application should be light and soft."

In "How to Apply Pressure," Gach explains that acupressure should be "slow, firm pressure on the point at a 90 degree angle from the surface of the skin." The pressure should be "consciously and gradually directed . . . into the center of the part of the body." Finally, Gach writes, " It's important to apply and release finger pressure gradually because this allows the tissues time to respond, promoting healing."

Self Acupressure Tools

Sometimes tools and devices make it easier or more effective to apply acupressure for pain relief. Many commercially available tools are made of wood carved with gentle ends, beads that can be strapped or taped gently in place, or mats with protrusions. But anything that you can press against can be used for acupressure. Everyday objects, such as a the plastic water bottle I used on my road trip, also can help direct pressure to pain relief points. (Use gently!) As David Sollars writes, whatever tools you use, acupressure should feel "like the pull of gravity --- natural, effective, and unobtrusive."

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Sources:

Michael Reed Gach, "Development of Acupressure," Acupressure.

"Acupressure Relieves Low Back Pain," Science Daily.

"Acupressure Calms Children Before Surgery," Science Daily.

"Cancer pain: Relief is possible," Mayo Clinic.

"How Acupressure Works," Acupressure Online.

"Ten Highly Effective Acupressure Points," Institute for Integrative Healthcare Studies.

"Commonly Used Techniques," Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine.

Michael Reed Gach, "How to Apply Pressure," Acupressure.

David Sollars, "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Acupuncture and Acupressure," Google Books.