Acupressure can help to relax your muscles when you have muscular cramps. People may experience leg cramps at night. Active people and senior citizens sometimes have leg cramps. People sometimes experience muscle cramps after exertion. Being sure to get enough water to drink may help to prevent muscle cramping caused by dehydration. Massaging tight muscles with lotion may help to treat cramping. A lack of potassium, calcium or magnesium may be a factor in muscle cramps. Charley horses and other leg cramps and arm cramps may be successfully treated with acupressure. Massaging the area that is cramping may help to stop
the cramp. Applying pressure to the area and stretching and massaging the muscle may alleviate the condition.
Pressing and massaging the B 40 and B 60 acupressure points will help to treat leg cramps. B 40 is located in the crease behind the knees between two ligaments. B 60 is in the space behind the ankle on the outside. Pressing and massaging GB 34 and ST 36 helps to treat muscle spasms, twitches and cramps. GB 34 is found below the kneecap and outside the shin in the space between two bones. ST 36 is found a palm width below the kneecap and one finger width out from the shinbone. Pressing these points helps to relax the muscles.
B 57 also helps to relieve and stop leg cramps. This acupressure point is found midway between the knee and the ankle at the base of the calf muscle in the back of the leg. Press and massage this area for a minute or two to treat leg cramps. This area is better for treating calf and lower leg cramps. LV 2 and
One effective method for treating muscle cramps involves the area between the nose and upper lip. Take hold of the philtrum, the area between the center of the nose and the upper lip and pinch it with firm steady pressure. Continue to hold the area with firm pressure for two minutes. A variation of this is to alternate pinching and twisting the area between the nose and upper lip. You may experience relief from the cramp very quickly with this acupressure technique. Pressing this acupressure area, known as GV 26, also helps to stop cramps of the lower legs and feet as does pinching the upper lip.
Arm cramps may be alleviated with these acupressure points: LI 11, TW 5, P 6, TW 14, TW 15 and LU 9. LI 11 is on the outer end of the elbow crease. TW 5 is two thumb widths above the wrist on the outside of the arm. P 6 is two thumb widths above the crease of the wrist on the inside arm. TW 14 is on the tip of the shoulder in a space found by lifting your arm. TW 15 is on the top of the shoulder halfway between the neck and the outside of the shoulder. LU 9 is on the wrist crease below the thumb. You can relieve cramps by applying pressure to the points and massaging those areas for a few minutes. Massaging the cramped area will also alleviate cramping.