Back pain is no walk in the park. Since your back supports your spine, the muscles and nerves in these regions are connected to your shoulders, neck, hips, and legs. This means that nearly any kind of movement can cause pain during a flare-up (1). Unfortunately, millions of people experience back pain on a daily basis, and there isn’t a foolproof way to deal with it (2).
Acupuncture, A Natural Solution
Traditional Chinese Medicine believes that damaged energy flow is the root cause of disease. Like acupuncture, acupressure relieves congested energy or “qi” that flows through meridians throughout your body. It also promotes blood and lymph flow (3,4).
Acupressure also helps relieve muscle tension by undoing any knots that may be causing discomfort or pain.
Acupressure is performed by applying pressure to specific points on your body. Some points can even stimulate organs or systems on the opposite end of your body. For example, pressure points in your ears and feet are said to have beneficial effects on specific organs, including the liver, gallbladder, and lungs.
Three Acupressure Points For Back Pain
Simply apply firm and steady pressure using your thumb or index finger and hold for at least two minutes. For better results, follow up with a massage to further increase blood flow to the affected area.
GB 29, also known as the Squatting Bone Hole, is located at the junction of the pelvis and femur. This point is beneficial for treating hip pain and sciatica, but it can also be beneficial for shoulder pain (5).
GB 30 (Jumping Round) can be stimulated to treat sciatica, pain, numbness, atrophy of lower back, hip, buttocks a/or lower limbs. Plus, GB 30 is known to improve muscle weakness in the legs. It’s also useful for treating skin that’s been injured from wind and exposure to the cold. This point is located a bit lower than GB29 and behind the buttocks, on the back end of the pelvic bone.
The third point, or B 54, is just behind the knee, right in the center. Apply firm pressure to this point to ease radiating pain and sciatica. You can also use it to treat bladder disorders (6).
For more precise locations, take a look at this graphic for the first two points, and this one for the last.