Some acupressure points for tight neck & shoulders.

Acupressure for Tight Neck & Shoulders

This post is part of an ongoing series on acupressure. If you’re jumping in the middle of this series, please check out our video giving a general introduction to acupressure and how to make these points work for you.

You’ve just spent the last couple hours at your computer, and now you’re starting to feel some neck soreness. You know that when you go to stand up, your shoulders will feel tight. What do you do?

Some acupressure points for tight neck & shoulders.Acupressure! A quick, vigorous massage at some key points can really help to open up the neck and shoulder area. Here are a few to help you out:

Small Intestine 14
To find Small Intestine 14, feel the top portion of your shoulder blade and find a bony ridge that runs at an angle toward the spine. Follow this ridge down to where it ends. As you fall off the ridge of the shoulder blade, bring your finger up vertically along the back. You know you have this point when you find an area of muscle that is typically raised and tender to the touch. This is a common sore point and where one of the muscles that raise the shoulders attaches to the shoulder blade.

Dingchuan
This is an extra point in acupuncture, meaning it is a point that does not fall on a channel or belong to an organ system. It is a great point for asthma and breathing difficulties, but because of its location is good for neck pain. To find it, reach around and feel the back of the spine along the neck. Trace down the spine until you come to one vertebra that protrudes more noticeably than the others – it should be about where a necklace would sit across the back of the neck. With your finger just above this vertebra, roll off the spine to either side. This point may or may not be tender.

Small Intestine 15
To find Small Intestine 15, first locate Dingchuan in the description above. Then, continue to bring the fingers horizontally around the neck about another inch. This point is also often sore after a lot of work in front of the computer.

Acupressure not working for you? Maybe you need something stronger, or a more knowledgeable hand. Schedule your massage or acupuncture appointment today to get your shoulders down out of your ears!