By Chronic pain is something that millions of people experience. The most common job-related disability considered is chronic low back pain. Not only does it leave people in pain, but it can also lead to disability, poor sleep, and fatigue. The good news for those who suffer from it is that researchers continue to find ways to help alleviate the pain so that people can reduce their symptoms and feel pain-free again.
A study published in the June 2019 issue of the journal Pain Medicine
Self-administered acupressure helps alleviate chronic low back pain (1) based from research conducted. The study involved examining the types of self-administered acupressure, including relaxing and stimulating, to see if they would help with reducing pain, as well as improving conditions related to fatigue, sleep, and self-reported disability.
Participants of the study are randomly assigned one of three groups:
- relaxing acupressure
- stimulating acupressure
- usual care
They remained in that group for a period of six weeks, engaging in treatment. They were all measured for their levels of fatigue, pain, sleep, and disability. What the researchers found at the end of the six weeks was that those in the acupressure groups had a 35-36% reduction in pain, and the people doing the self-administered acupressure also had improvement in fatigue, compared with those who were in the usual care group.
Acupressure has been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years. It involves using self-administered pressure to specific areas of the body, which are believed to signal the body to engage in self-healing. Qi, the energy or vital force, circulates throughout the body, but blockages can happen, and if they do, they can lead to imbalances that cause chronic pain and illnesses. Acupressure helps to address this, so that the qi continues to flow freely.
Those who suffer from chronic low back pain may want to try self-administered acupressure. After all, it’s something that is free, can be done at home, and comes with low adverse risks. The few people in the study who had an adverse effect applied too much pressure. With a little research on what areas to address and how much pressure to apply, self-administered acupressure can be a tool for those with chronic low back pain, as well as other types of chronic pain.
Sources:
Pain Medicine. Self-Administered Acupressure for Chronic Low Back Pain. June 2019. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31237610
