It’s frustrating to imagine that the two-a-day cross fitter is going to be injured as well as the desk jockey who sits all day, but those are the facts. With approximately 80 percent of adults experiencing lower back pain at some point in their lives, having a secret arsenal of acupuncture points is a must for pain relief anytime and anywhere. They will hold you over, getting you through the party or off the flight in one piece until you can visit your friendly neighborhood acupuncturist. Here are my all-time favorite acupressure points for lower back pain: Locate this point: This point can be found on the bladder line. The bladder line is at the middle of the waist, the intermediate point between the rib cage and the hip bone, on both sides of the inner edge of the muscle group around your spine called erector spinae. Locate this point: This point can be found in a tender spot on the buttocks, one-third of the way from the highest point of the sacrum (top of your butt crease) to the hip point. Draw a line between the two and split into thirds; this point is found at the first third, closer to the outside of your buttock. Locate this point: This point, called “Middle Crook,” is located in the middle of the crease in the back of the knee. Locate this point: This point is located in the fleshy webbing between the pointer finger and thumb. You can stimulate it from both the top and the bottom of the depression in the webbing and is easily accessed by pinching with your other thumb and index finger. Locate this point: This point is located in the fleshy depression directed under the lateral or outside ankle bone. Stimulating this point on both feet and then carrying on to massage firmly underneath the feet along the arches helps in relieving stiffness and inhibited range of motion along the spine. You can mix and match the points mentioned above or follow the sequence—the order matters less than how you treat each. Touch the points with intention, and take your time. The technique will help alleviate immediate pain, and you can revisit it at any time, for more long-term help with back pain, contact our office located in Union Square, New York City, or find your local acupuncturist and get some needles! Paige has created acupressure routines for many ails. Whether you’re feeling nauseated or hung over, experiencing allergies, can’t think clearly, have PMS symptoms like bloating and cramping, feel super tired, or can’t sleep, there’s an acupressure point for that! Sign up here for her exclusive, live webinar on February 13 to get your personal acupressure questions answered! Paige grew up in Vancouver, Canada and became passionate about Alternative Medicine after having several remarkable experiences with it at a young age. After High School she enrolled in Canada’s first Holistic Nutrition program at the Canadian College of Natural Nutrition and graduated a Registered Holistic Nutritionist. From there she traveled extensively through Asia where her passion blossomed into studies as she began taking an interest in Ayurveda, an ancient East Indian medicine. After living in India for several months she moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico to pursue her Ayurvedic training further studying alongside the famous Dr. Vasant Lad at his Ayurvedic Institute. Following Ayurveda, Paige pursued a Psychology degree at the University of Colorado and began to assimilate what she had learned of Eastern Medicine with Western Psychology. Understanding that disease in the body is most often attributed to disharmony within the psyche/emotions, a concept called “Psychosomatic Illness”, Paige was drawn to the integrative philosophy of Traditional Chinese Medicine where everything is believed to be interconnected. After falling in love with the TCM approach to health science, she went on to complete a 4-year Masters of Science degree as well as a Doctorate in Acupuncture and Traditional Oriental Medicine from Pacific College of Health and Science.
