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
Is reflexology or massage better at reducing stress or pain?
While amongst my clients there is a clear preference for massage, I decided to investigate if there was any scientific evidence if massage was better than reflexology (or vice versa) at reducing pain and stress. In 2012 there was a small study comparing massage to reflexology on cancer survivors over the age of 75 living in a care home. The study compared the effectiveness of 20 minutes of reflexology treatments against 20 minute Swedish massage by examining the impact on the patients stress levels, pain levels and mood. Pre and post treatment levels of salivary cortisol, observed affect and pain were compared. Both reflexology and Swedish massage resulted in significant declines in salivary cortisol indicating a reduction in stress levels, reduced pain levels and improvements in mood. So to go back to my original question, there is scientific evidence for both and I suggest you book the treatment you prefer. Hodgson N, Lafferty D (2012) Reflexology versus Swedish Massage to Reduce Physiologic Stress and Pain and Improve Mood in Nursing Home Residents with Cancer: A Pilot Trial. Evidence Based Complement Alternat Med. 2:456897
Factors that contribute to Muscle Cramps
I know those of you that have had a muscle cramp or spasm may be fearful of it reoccurring. So I know what to explore some of the contributing factors to muscle cramps. The aim of this is by minimising the contributing factors you will reduce the likely hood of getting muscle cramps. Dehydration Muscle cramps commonly coincide with dehydration. So good hydration before, during and after exercise is important, especially if the exercise exceeds one hour. So how much should you drink? Hydration guidelines are personal but the goal is to prevent excessive weight loss i.e. >2% of body weight. You can weigh yourself before and after exercise to see how much fluid you have lost through sweat. One litre of water weight 2.25 pounds. Depending upon on the amount of exercise, temperature, humidity, body weight and other factors you can loose anywhere from 0.4 to 1.8 litres per hour. A good rule of thumb is to always drink enough fluids so that your urine is clear, pale yellow & copious. Electrolytes Sodium & potassium are the major components of sweat. So anyone who exercises hard for more than four hours in heat such as marathon runners, triathletes, tennis players etc should replace the lost electrolytes. While a lack of sodium and potassium may contribute to muscle cramps, it should be noted that a potassium deficiency is unlikely as your body contains more potassium than even a marathon runner might lose during a hot, sweaty race. However you can rule out this as an issue by eating potassium rich foods such as bananas and oranges on a daily basis. Replacing the sodium lost during sweaty exercise is vital and this can be done by having an endurance sport drink or a salty snack.
