Are acupressure points the same as trigger points?

In last week’s article entitled Why do your muscles hurt? I explained what trigger points were.   In this article I want to explain the difference between acupressure points and trigger points.

Acupressure points (are the same points used by Acupuncturists) are situated on the meridians.  With acupressure they are stimulated by the application of pressure from the fingers & elbows to relieve

  • pain
  • muscular tension
  • headaches

These points are naturally occurring points in the body that are stimulated to release endorphins (the body’s pain killers) and assist the body to heal itself.  When you book a Seated Acupressure Massage treatment we are applying pressure to the acupressure points to release muscle tension and release endorphins.

On the other hand, trigger points are highly irritated points or bands of skeletal muscle that is painful to the touch and that can give rise to referred pain & tenderness.

So acupressure points are good and trigger points are bad as they cause pain!

Related Posts

  • Do you have tired, sore, tight muscles?

    Tired, sore, tight muscles may make it difficult to move and hence interrupt a person's daily life.   Muscle fatigue is a symptom that makes it more difficult for [...]

  • What happens to your intervertebral discs when you sit?

    Sitting in office chairs for long periods of time not only affects your muscles but impacts the disks in your spine. In humans over 5 years of age, there is no direct blood supply to the jelly like nucleus of the intervertebral discs. The intervertebral discs therefore rely upon fluid inflow and outflow for their nutrition: when you lie down, the pressure comes off the discs and they expand, absorbing water and nutrients as they do so (rather like a sponge expanding and sopping up a spill on the floor). Unloaded Disc Filling with nutrient rich liquid Disk_Unloaded When you stand up, the discs are compressed and their watery component is squeezed out, thus removing waste products at the same time. Loaded Discs Being Compressed Disk_Loaded Similar squeeze/expand cycles are occurring every time that we move, both day and night. This means you must move in order to “feed” your discs and keep them healthy. The disc squeeze/expand cycle is crucial to spinal health.  It is well proven that your degenerative disc "disease" progresses faster over time if your discs can't alternate compression with expansion.  As sitting more than half the time at work is associated with herniated discs (or slipped discs) and sciatic nerve pain in those older than 35, so try to get up and move as much as possible.

  • Does massage help tense muscles or muscle soreness?

    A lot of clients visit it us in clinic with tense muscles, which over time can lead to achy muscles and this in turn can then lead to episodes of muscle pain.  Muscle tension refers to the condition in which muscles of the body remain semi-contracted for an extended period.  Muscle tension is frequently caused by the physiological effects of stress.  Massage is well documented to reduce muscle tension  (see top two references).  In addition what is also known to help are

    1. hot baths
    2. yoga
    3. stretching
    Muscle soreness, or to be more precise delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is the stiffness and sometimes pain felt in muscles 24 to 72 hours after exercise, sporting or physical activity.  If you are someone that is prone to DOMS reading my previous blog posts may help: Many athletes believe that sports massage helps DOMS and there is scientific evidence to supports this.  (See bottom 4 references). References Longworth JCD.  Psychophysiological effects of slow stroke back massage in normotensive females.  Advances in Nursing Science. 1982 July: 44 - 66 Valentine KE. Massage in psychological medicine - modern use of an ancient art.  New Zealand Journal of Physiotherapy. 1984; 12: 15 - 16 Ernst E. Does post-exercise massage treatment reduce delayed onset muscle soreness? A systematic review. Br J Sports Med 1998; 32(3): 212-4. Ernst E. Manual therapies for pain control: chiropractic and massage. Clin J Pain 2004; 20(1):8-12. O'Connor R, Hurley D. The effectiveness of physiotherapeutic interventions in the management of delayed-onset muscle soreness: a systematic review. Phys Ther Rev 2003; 8(4): 177-95. Wright A, Sluka K. Nonpharmacological treatments for musculoskeletal pain. Clin J Pain 2001; 17(1): 33-46.