Applying pressure on specific points on your body can help relieve pain.
Acupuncture is typically associated with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practitioners.
There is also acupressure, which one can easily try on oneself without acupuncture needles.
It can be as simple as kneading one’s shoulders or pressing a sore spot. Acupressure is based on the same principles as acupuncture. Both TCM branches have been practised for thousands of years.
They work on relaxing muscles so that congested meridian points in the body are relieved and energy can flow, said Ms Dora Ng, the head acupuncturist at Tan Tock Seng Hospital’s (TTSH) complementary integrative medicine department.
In acupressure, pressure is applied on acupoints along the meridian flow which are paths of energy within the body, Ms Ng said.
Examples of acupoints include the back of the head below the first spinal bone and the shoulder midway between the neck and arm.
It is easy to try acupressure on yourself when you are, say, watching television or when you need a quick pain fix.
A common do-it-yourself method is to exert firm pressure on an acupoint using the fingers or palm. You can also clench the fists lightly and pound the spot rhythmically, said Ms Seah Ai Wei, a TCM physician at Thomson Chinese Medicine.
You can even lie down or sit against a tennis or golf ball pressed against sore spots in the back or shoulder where the muscle is knotted, said Dr Kong Keng He, a senior consultant and head of complementary integrative medicine at TTSH.
But not everyone should try accupressure on themselves.
Pregnant women and the elderly who are weak or undergoing medical treatment and those with sensitive skin, fractures or severe osteoporosis should not try it, Ms Seah said.
On these two pages are some common problems you can alleviate with do-it-yourself accupressure.