Acupressure

Acupressure is finger or thumb pressure to acupuncture points.  Acupuncture is based on a system of Chinese medicine that is over 4,000 years old and dictates that health is obtained when harmony and balance exist between internal and external forces.  Vital energy, or chi, flows through 12 meridians that take the name of organs. Acupuncture points are found along these meridians, close to the surface of the skin.  Most of the meridians take the name of an organ.  However, in oriental medicine, organ, or “tsang,” has a much broader meaning related to “sphere of function,” where the emphasis is on function rather than form.  Meridian flow is stimulated and balance restored when deep pressure is applied to these points, depending on client tolerance, for 1-5 minutes.  During acupressure, the client may feel a dull ache or an electrical sensation, which can peak and then dissipate.
 

Trigger Point Therapy

Trigger points are specific tender or painful spots that may not be noticed by the individual until they are compressed.   They are sensed as a tenseness or “knot” in the muscle or tissue and may result in shortening of the muscle caused by hyperirritability of the muscle.  Many trigger points seem to correspond to acupuncture points.  Trigger points can cause pain in another area, or referred pain, such as a tension headache that can originate from a trigger point in the trapezius (neck muscle).  Trigger points can be caused by a fall or blow to a muscle, repetitive motion or sustained immobile positions. 

The trigger point is compressed with the thumb or finger for 10-45 seconds, which reduces the blood supply and oxygen to that area.  When the compression is released, the blood supply increases, promoting healing to that area.  Stretching the area helps to complete the deactivation.  The release of the trigger point is most effective when the client is relaxing into the compression with deep, slow breaths.