Acupressure originated in China as a therapeutic approach to treating pain and diseases. Acupressure is a variety of acupuncture. Both therapies hit acupoints, or pressure points, throughout the body. The difference between acupressure and acupuncture is that acupuncture uses needles to hit acupoints and must be done by a trained acupuncturist. In contrast, acupressure can be performed at home using hands or other objects to access those pressure points without puncturing the skin.
Devices
There are devices on the market to assist in targeting specific acupoints. There are footboards with bumps specially designed to press the pressure points on the bottom of the feet. Handheld clamps, rings, and skin clips are common at-home devices. Some devices even let out small, electric currents to the acupoints. [1]
Acupressure for Pain
A review of 17 clinical trials found that acupressure significantly helped cancer patients manage their pain. It was reported that acupressure therapy reduced the need for opioids and analgesics for pain management. [2]
Acupressure in Women
Acupressure has been proven to help women who suffer from menstrual cramps. It has even helped women with pregnancy pain. A study was done on women in labor who agreed to get either acupuncture or acupressure. The goal was to help ease the pain of contractions to possibly avoid an epidural. The study found that using either acupuncture or acupressure reduced the use of analgesics during labor. This study could not scale which therapy was more effective at easing pain. Both acupuncture and acupressure are recommended to help with labor. The patient can then decide which one they would prefer. [3]
Acupressure is a less invasive acupuncture technique and is easy to do at home. If you aren’t comfortable with needles, acupressure has the same healing abilities as acupuncture. It is an excellent introduction to Chinese medicine without needing to find a licensed professional.
Sources
[1] Mehta P, et al. Contemporary acupressure therapy: Adroit cure for painless recovery of therapeutic ailments. J Tradit Complement Med. 2016;7(2):251-263. Published 2016 Jul 22. doi:10.1016/j.jtcme.2016.06.004 [Times cited=13] [Journal impact factor=4.88]
[2] He Y, et al. Clinical Evidence for Association of Acupuncture and Acupressure With Improved Cancer Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. JAMA Oncol. 2020;6(2):271-278. doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2019.5233 [Times cited=48] [Journal impact factor=33.01]
[3] Smith CA, et al. Acupuncture or acupressure for pain management during labour. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020;2(2):CD009232. Published 2020 Feb 7. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD009232.pub2 [Times cited=13] [Journal impact factor=12.008]
