The popular techniques that come from traditional Chinese medicine that is considered to be a bodywork technique and is gaining popularity in America is acupressure. It is very much like acupuncture in that it involves different points of the surface of the body but unlike using needles as is done in acupuncture, acupressure uses physical pressure done by the hand or elbow or various devices to different points on the surface of the body. This pressure brings about relief from the symptoms.
It is a way of accessing and releasing blocked or congested energy centres in the body. Chinese cultures believe the points to be junctures of meridian pathways that carry energy called chi. Western scientists have also mapped out and proven the existence of these points using electrical devices.Chinese Pull-Push Acupressure Massage. This oriental form of massage uses the principles of meridians and the five element theory. Massage combines relaxation, tonification, pain relieving processes and other effects of treating acupoints.
Acupressure (applying pressure with the thumbs or fingertips to the same points on the body stimulated in acupuncture) seems to be more effective in reducing low back pain than physical therapy, finds a study published online by the BMJ 16/02/06
The Celal Bayar University study suggest that the acupressure applied to P6 acupuncture point with wristbands may be effective in reducing chemotherapy-related nausea and may decrease the antiemetic use after chemotherapy. ref:Eur J Oncol Nurs. 2009 Sep 10
Low back pain is a common health problem worldwide. In previous studies, acupressure has been shown to be effective in alleviating various types of pain, but little is known about its effect on low back pain.
Researchers in Taiwan recruited 129 patients with chronic low back pain from a specialist orthopaedic clinic. All patients completed a standard disability questionnaire before being randomly allocated to two treatment groups: 64 patients received six sessions of acupressure and 65 patients received physical therapy. Results were analysed immediately after treatment and again after six months.
The mean disability score after treatment was significantly lower in the acupressure group than in the physical therapy group.
In fact acupressure conferred an 89% reduction in disability compared with physical therapy, after adjusting for pre-treatment disability. This improvement lasted for six months.
Benefit was also greater in the acupressure group for variables such as "leg pain," "pain interferes with normal work," and "days off from work/school."
This study shows that acupressure is more effective in alleviating low back pain than physical therapy in terms of pain scores, functional status, and disability, say the authors. The effect was not only seen in the short term, but lasted for six months.
These results support the conclusion of previous studies. Acupressure may thus be useful for reducing pain and improving body function and level of disability in low back pain, they conclude.
