LEG PAIN? HERE IS HOW ACUPRESSURE CAN HELP
When thinking of acupressure, you might envision someone rubbing areas of the head, neck or back to alleviate pain or issues found there. However, acupressure is not just about massage to treat the immediate region. It is actually a form of ancient traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) that has been used for centuries to address a shockingly long list of health issues, illnesses, and pain. The aches and pains treated by acupressure can be symptoms of other issues or pains in their own right, and acupressure is used to overcome the pains by unclogging “meridians.”
UNDERSTANDING MERIDIANS
The human body is a lot like a highway in which there are many major and minor roads and lots of “traffic” in the form of Qi or energy. Sometimes, and for any number of reasons, the energy can become unbalanced or even blocked. While diet and gentle exercise are part of overcoming issues of this kind, the use of acupressure to rebalance the Qi is also a remedy.
When the pain is focused on the legs, it could be due to any number of issues, and TCM will use a holistic approach to treating leg pain that includes everything from acupressure to discussions of emotional turmoil.
TREATING LEG PAIN
As one expert noted, if “you’re looking for a way to get relief from leg pain without any medication, the Eastern medicine technique called acupressure, could be an option. Using specific pressure points, you can apply pressure to relieve pain and other symptoms, but you’ll only see success if you know how to find the right points.”
Those points are most commonly found in the hand. Treating pain in the legs involves the following steps:
- Put the hand palm down and using the other hand, locate the area where the joints of the thumb and index meet. There is a distinct depression there, and by using acupressure on that area for a few minutes at a time, you may alleviate leg pain, headache, and cold or flu symptoms.
- Acupressure is done by using a finger or two to apply pressure deeply to the area and use a rotating or up and down movement to release the Qi
- After massaging this meridian, move to the area under the pinky finger and press at the area where it is most tender to locate the depression. Use acupressure massage here for leg pain as well as immune system issues, depression, and anxiety
There are also acupressure points in the feet and at the backs of the knees, however, it is the points in the hand that are most frequently used to address and/or alleviate leg pain. These same points can help with heel, foot, and knee or hip pain.
It is important to remember that any pain, if it is prolonged, is a sign of something seriously out of balance in the body. Acupressure is part of a health system and is not a replacement for additional medical intervention. If leg pain persists or worsens after a few acupressure sessions, it is time to visit a doctor to see if illness is leading to the pain.
Source
https://www.leaf.tv/articles/how-to-use-acupressure-points-for-leg-pain/
