Using pressure points for pain relief is an important part of massage therapy. After all, pressure points have been identified as useful in treating a variety of pain and ailments in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Indian Ayurveda, and Siddha medicine.
What is a Pressure Point?
Your body is covered in pressure points – which are referred to as any area of the body that produces pain or other effects when manipulated in a certain manner. Pressure points for pain relief exist from the top of your head down to the bottom your feet. They tend to be centralized around nerve clusters, or sensitive areas like tendons, muscles, blood vessels, veins, and ligaments.
The idea behind pressure points is that the entire human body is interconnected – that’s why touching on certain pressure points elicits a reaction in other areas of the body. Although, pressure points are often far from the site where the response occurs. For instance, neck pain, earaches, and headaches can be treated by pressing on your hand just beneath your pinkie finger.
Pressure Points Throughout Your Body
Here’s a look at a few of the many pressure points for pain relief throughout your body:
LI 4: Applying pressure to the spot between your thumb and index finger can help reduce headaches and facial pain.
Liver 3 (LV 3): The spot between your big toe and second toe can reduce pain caused by a sudden migraine.
Pericardium 6: This spot at the center of your wrist can help reduce nausea.
UB40: A particular spot at the back of your knee that can help reduce lower back pain.
Applying Pressure Points to Massage Therapy
Acupuncture largely revolves around pressure points, but massage therapists can also use pressure points to soothe discomfort, treat pain, and help heal their patients. Knowing what parts of the body correlate to different types of discomfort and pain allows a massage therapist to better treat their patients.
Learn About Pressure Points & So Much More
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