Have you ever bumped an elbow or knee and reached to grab the hurt body part to ease your pain? Well, acupressure uses the concept behind this reflex to apply pressure to reduce pain. As you’ll read in other GoKanjo posts, acupressure is a time-tested form of pain therapy that’s been around for thousands of years. We’d like to go into a little more detail about the best acupressure points for at-home pain relief. Below, we’ll cover how targeting acupressure points can help relieve pain in different areas of the body.
What are acupressure points?
Acupressure points are not really “points” on the body, but rather indentations or hollow openings underneath the skin that provide close access to the body’s meridian network. Meridians can be thought of as energy channels that flow through the body (and there are 12 in total). Placing targeted pressure on points along meridian channels releases bodily tension and stimulates blood flow. At the same time, your body triggers the release of endorphins for natural pain relief.
Acupressure points can be targeted to address many ailments such as:
• Headaches,
• Neck pain,
• Earaches,
• Toothaches,
• Shoulder pain,
• Abdominal pain,
• Back pain,
• Ankle/ foot pain, and
• Heel pain
Where are the most popularly targeted acupressure points?
For a full acupressure points chart, you can reference the ACOS Acupressure Chart. Here you’ll see how acupressure points are located all over the body, but some points are more regularly targeted in practice than others.
Feng Chi (GB20)
These two acupressure points located on the back of your neck and have been known to be targeted for headache and migraine relief.
Jian Jing (GB21)
Located on the right and left shoulders, Jian Jing acupressure points provide targeted relief for neck stiffness, shoulder pain, and headaches.
Nei Guan (P6)
Many products on the market today target Nei Guan on the wrists due to the easy-to-reach location of these acupressure points. Nai Guan acupressure points provide targeted relief for nausea, carpal tunnel syndrome, and motion sickness.
Kidney Shu (B23)
The Kidney Shu acupressure points are located on your back on the inner waist, just outside the spinal column. While these points have been historically used in Eastern medicine to treat a range of ailments such as earaches, sexual dysfunction, and kidney issues, the Kidney Shu points are most notable for lower back pain relief and reduction of muscle tension.
Liver Shu (BL18)
Liver Shu acupressure points are located on the upper back, just outside the spinal column. The name Liver Shu originates from the treatment of liver-related issues, but is also known to be targeted for nausea relief and irritability. However, in modern practice, the Liver Shu is most effective to treat upper back pain, including relief of muscle tension around the traps and help with muscle spasms.
Which acupressure points do Kanjo products cover?
While acupressure self-treatment by use of fingers or knuckles can work, more effective therapeutic tools are the best way for self-treatment. Fingers or knuckle pressure application often provides too large of a surface area over a meridian, causing the self-treatment to be ineffective. Kanjo acupressure therapy products are effective products for pointed relief and quality self-treatment.
The series of stimulator spikes spread across Kanjo acupressure products ensures that all acupressure points are targeted with precision. Acupressure mats, pillows, and belts provide wide-reaching access to many of the body's acupressure points instead of just a few targeted through self-application. Here are some of the targeted benefits of Kanjo acupressure products:
- Kanjo acupressure mats target all the most common acupressure points mentioned above.
- Acupressure mats are best for targeting Kidney Shu (B23) and Liver Shu (B18) acupressure points.
- The Kanjo pillows and cushions directly target Feng Chi and Jian Jang acupressure points.
- Lastly, the widely versatile Kanjo acupressure belts target all acupressure points, including the targeted wrist acupressure points, Nei Guan (P6).