What is acupressure?Acupressure is a noninvasive therapy based on the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine. It uses fingers or other tools such as a tennis ball to apply pressure to specific points on the body. These points can be either specific acupuncture points or local painful trigger points.
How does acupressure release trigger points?The contraction of the muscle caused by the trigger points causes poor circulation in the affected area. Subsequently, the contraction leads to the accumulation of waste products and chemicals that cause irritation and hypersensitivity of the local nerve fibers. Compressing the trigger point with fingers or a tennis ball “milks” the muscle and moves the blood and lymphatic fluid more effectively in the area of pain. In essence, it “washes out” the accumulated chemicals and metabolites that were “stuck” in the trigger point. Eliminating trigger points restores normal blood circulation, which allows the muscle tissue to regenerate and recover its normal function. Eliminating trigger points, therefore, generally corresponds to pain relief, less stiffness, and increased range of motion.How to use acupressure to release trigger points?Locate the trigger points as instructed or follow images of trigger points in specific muscles. Work deeply and slowly using short strokes. Move your fingers with the skin or roll a tennis ball over the trigger point, mashing it against the underlying bone. Each time the pressure over the trigger point is released, fresh new blood immediately flows in, bringing in oxygen and nutrients for the regeneration of that tissue. The muscle tissue has been deprived of these essential substances because of the trigger points that were compressing the surrounding capillaries (blood vessels).
Acupressure and prevention of sports injuriesRegular physical exercise is an essential component of a healthy lifestyle. To maximize the benefits of the workouts, however, we must take good care of our bodies. Most people know that eating healthy, getting a sufficient amount of sleep, and avoiding risky behaviors is an important part of the process. Many people, unfortunately, don’t realize that taking care of our muscles goes beyond the gym workout. While regular exercise helps to build muscle mass and strength, in the process, it also forms trigger points. The implication of trigger points has been discussed in the section “What are trigger points.” Here we will emphasize that regular release of trigger points with self-acupressure after workouts helps to decrease post work out soreness. It also improves the overall performance and reduces the risk of muscle injuries in the long term. Muscles that are harbingers of trigger points become more tight, less flexible, and thus more prone to strain when they need to contract suddenly. The best practice is to spend a few minutes after each work out using a foam roller and tennis ball to release these trigger points. Adding a few minutes of stretching to elongate the muscles can significantly decrease the chances of sports injuries.
Acupressure has not worked for me It is crucial to understand that as with any treatment modality, to reach the desired outcomes, it is essential to be consistent with the treatment protocol. Acupressure is not an exception. Compared to acupuncture, dry needling, or trigger point injections, which also eliminate trigger points, acupressure treatment is noninvasive and very gentle. The full benefit of acupressure treatment can, therefore, be achieved only with devoted time and patience. Doing self-acupressure only a couple times a week will have very minimal effectiveness, especially in stubborn and chronic cases of muscle pain. Acupressure is most effective when it is done several times a day on a daily bases. These treatments do not have to be longer than 5 minutes each. In general, it is more beneficial to do 3-5 short sessions throughout the day than one long session. As the condition improves, it is possible to decrease the frequency of treatments. In chronic conditions, however, maintenance treatments several times a week may be necessary to keep the pain under control.SummarySelf-acupressure is a non-invasive treatment modality that helps to release trigger points. It can decrease muscle pain and stiffness, increase range of motion, and restore normal function of muscle tissue. Athletes should use self-acupressure after each workout. Using self-acupressure to release trigger points which form during exercise decreases post-workout soreness, prevents sports injuries, and optimizes the athlete's performance. For self-acupressure to be effective, it needs to be done daily and preferentially several times a day. Short self-acupressure treatments are more effective than one long acupressure session.
