Acupressure is widely believed to have originated in ancient China, and has been an important practice that was integrated as a branch of Chinese medicine, now referred to as TCM or Traditional Chinese Medicine in Cleveland.

Acupressure is based on the classification of the human body into meridians, which are believed to be vessels in which vital energy or chi flows from the body in order to restore or maintain wellness. This therapy has experienced a revival in the 20the century, in spite of the skepticism due to scientific experiments attempted to disprove its efficacy.

Acupressure has been shown to elicit physiological and neurological responses from the body, as proven from the ability of acupuncture to attenuate certain areas of the body. The belief that ostensibly seemingly parts of the body may actually be connected can be shown in instances in which some areas of the body feel weakness when a part of the nervous system is weakened.

Studies that have been conducted seem to prove acupressure superior compared to physical therapy when it comes to the relief of lower back problems. At some point in their lives, 80 percent of the population will suffer from some sort of back pain. National Taiwan University researchers have released a report on the success of acupressure with statistics and a clinical study that have been carried out. The study showed that compared to physically therapy, patients experienced a significant 89 percent decrease in the back problems with acupressure. This effect lasted up to six months.

In the clinical study, a total of 129 patients, all suffering from chronic lower back problems were given seven sessions of acupressure treatment. After the completion of all the sessions, the researched document a clear lower disability score compared to physical therapy.

The researchers concluded that results in alleviating low back pain proved acupressure to be a more effective treatment than physical therapy in terms of disability, functionality and pain scores.

The British Medical Journal in the UK also published this study on lower back pain.

The World Health Organization has also endorsed acupressure as a valid form of treatment for various ailments and illnesses. Acupressure is also a valid method for alleviating pain at other parts of the body. This treatment has been steadily gaining followers as it goes mainstream. Hospitals are actually starting to take notice and some of them are starting to offer it to patients as an alternative treatment.

In using the principles of acupressure, you can perform a series of acupressure exercises for the relief of pain. Exercises that target common problem areas such as the back can be self-administered by the patient.