Shoulder pain – Acupressure points can help!

Shoulder pain – Acupressure points can help!

Shoulder pain is a challenge!

I never realized how much I relied on my shoulders until I experienced limiting shoulder pain. Every little action with my hands created pain in my shoulder. There are many causes of shoulder pain. Fortunately, there are many acupressure points for relieving shoulder pain.

Let me introduce you to two acupoints that can be used to reduce shoulder pain:

San Jiao 14 and Large Intestine 15

Gently massage L. Intestine 15 and San Jiao 14 to relieve shoulder pain

How to locate Large Intestine 15 and San Jiao 14

1. Place a hand on top of your shoulder. Feel for a bone at the top of your shoulder, it will feel like a “flat shelf.”

   

   Feel for the boney “shelf” at the top of your shoulder

2. Slide your hand down from this bone to the outside of your upper arm.
3. Keep your hand on the upper arm while you raise that arm to the side, away from your hip. Just raise it a little in order to activate the muscle (the deltoid muscle).

   

   Lift your arm out to the side

4. Now feel for two indentations in the muscle, just below the “shelf of the shoulder.”
5. The indentation that is more toward the front is acupressure point L. Intestine 15 (LI 15).
6. The indentation that is more toward the back is acupressure point San Jiao 14 (SJ 14).

Regular massage to these acupoints can help prevent pain

How to use acupressure points to relieve shoulder pain

Apply gentle pressure to these points. Experiment contacting both points at the same time or separately. I find that some people prefer to contact one acupressure point at time, some like the feeling of both. Use a gentle circular pressure to massage these points.

How much pressure?

Never cause pain with your pressure because that will only counteract the benefits of acupressure. Start with light pressure, and then slowly increase it until it feels “just right.” Be sure to keep your breath moving while massaging these points to help the energy flow. The intention of using acupressure points to relieve pain is to help the energy flow. Once the energy is flowing freely, the pain is relieved.

How long should you massage an acupressure point?

Start with massaging these acupressure points for 15-30 seconds. Then pause and notice how you feel. Try again for a few more seconds. Be sure to keep breathing and feeling into your shoulder area. Pause and notice the response. Once you are able to feel how you respond to these acupressure points, you will better know how much time is just right for you.

I prefer to massage LI 15 and SJ 14 for a short time (15 seconds to a minute) three or four times a day. A little at a time goes a long way.

Be gentle, experiment, and notice how you respond. Make adjustments based on how you feel. Things will change over time.

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Original article and pictures take bigtreehealing.com site