The Best Pressure Points to Treat Headaches
Pressing on certain points of your body could help. The points are on the body.
Experiencing the pain and discomfort of a headache is incredibly common. If you’re looking for a more natural way to treat your headache, you may want to think about acupressure and pressure points.
Pressure points are parts of the body believed to be extra sensitive, able to stimulate relief in the body. Practitioners of reflexology, a discipline of Chinese medicine, believe that touching pressure points in a certain way can:
- Improve your health.
- It is easier to relieve pain.
- Balance in the body is restored.
What is reflexology?
Reflexology is the study of how one part of the human body is connected to another. This means you might have to massage a different location — such as your hand — to treat a different area, such as your head. You’ll reach for the right pressure points to ease your pain.
It is important to understand how to treat your headaches correctly if you want to learn more. We explain what science says and give you some pressure points to try.
“There isn’t much science that supports the use of reflexology to treat headaches, and the studies we have are small and need to be expanded.”
There are studies that show how massage therapy on the head and shoulders can help with headaches. This can involve stimulating pressure points on the head.
In one
“The number of headaches in the study participants were lowered by the massages. The study participants experienced an average of seven headaches per week, but by the end of the treatment period, the headaches were just two per week. The length of a study participant’s headaches decreased by half during the treatment period from an average of 8 hours to an average of 4.”
In a much older but slightly larger study from 1990, scientists looked at how 10 intense 1-hour massage treatments spread over 2 weeks might affect 21 women experiencing chronic headaches. As in the smaller study, participants in this study received massages from certified massage practitioners. The effects of the massages were then studied on a more long-term time frame.
The researchers found that the 10 intense massage sessions led to a lowered occurrence, duration, and intensity of headaches.
Do you have migraine attacks too? There have also been studies on stimulating pressure points for migraine relief.
There are some points in the body that are believed to relieve headaches. Here is where they are and how you can use them.
Union valley (Large intestine 4)
The union valley points are located on the web between your thumb and index finger. To treat headaches.
- Start pinching this area with the thumb and index finger of your opposite hand, but not painfully.
- Next, make small circles with your thumb on the area in one direction and the other in the other.
- On your opposite hand, repeat this process.
The treatment is said to relieve tension in the head and neck. Tension is associated with headaches.
Drilling bamboo acupressure point (Urinary bladder 2)
The bamboo points are located at the spots where the bridge of your nose and eyebrows meet. The pressure points can be used to treat headaches.
- Use both of your fingers to apply pressure to the points.
- Hold for a while.
- Release and repeat.
Touching these pressure points can relieve headaches that are caused by eyestrain and sinus pain or pressure.
Gates of consciousness pressure points (Gallbladder 20)
The two vertical neck muscles and the base of the skull are where the gates of consciousness are located. The pressure points are used.
- Place your index and middle fingers on the pressure points.
- Press firmly upward on both sides for 10 seconds.
Applying a firm touch to the pressure points can help relieve headaches.
Third eye pressure point (yin tang)
The bridge of your nose meets your forehead and is the third eye.
- Use the index finger of your hand to apply firm pressure to the area.
It is thought that firm pressure applied to the third eye pressure point will relieve headaches.
Shoulder well pressure point (Gallbladder 21)
The shoulder well is located at the edge of your shoulder, halfway between your shoulder point and the base of your neck. This pressure point is used.
- Use the thumb of one hand to apply pressure to the point.
- Then switch and repeat.
Applying firm touch to the shoulder well pressure point can help relieve neck pain and headaches caused by this kind of sensation.
“There is some research suggesting that massage of the head and shoulders can help relieve headaches, but it isn’t well studied.”
It is very safe because of the nonpharmaceutical nature of the treatment. It is a treatment that is a complement. If you have headaches frequently, you should seek medical help.
