Acupressuur is acupunctuur zonder naalden: dezelfde punten op dezelfde meridianen, ingedrukt met een duim of een knokkel. Het best onderbouwde gebruik is misselijkheid: stevige druk op het P6-punt aan de binnenkant van de pols brengt rust. De polsbandjes die dat punt vasthouden worden verkocht voor reizen en ochtendmisselijkheid.
Buiten misselijkheid om is het bewijs dunner voor sommige pijn, slaap en angst, en zelfmassage met een foamroller vermindert op korte termijn de spierpijn van de volgende dag. Het kost niets, u kunt het zelf doen, en de verlichting komt vaak al tijdens de sessie.
Findings & Outcomes
What It Is
The best-known form of acupressure is a small elastic wristband, worn over the P6 point to settle nausea. Behind it is a simple idea: press the same points and channels acupuncture uses, with a thumb, a fingertip or a knuckle instead of a needle. You can do it to yourself for free. Self-massage is a second approach: tuina, the hands-on branch of Chinese medicine, plus the modern foam roller or massage ball. These knead the whole muscle and the connective tissue around it.
The two do different jobs, and the evidence splits the same way: strong for point pressure, weaker for self-massage. The randomized trials cluster on pressure at a defined point, above all P6 for nausea. Self-massage and foam rolling are studied mostly for short-term recovery, less next-day soreness and a little more range of movement, fading within a day or two.
What It Does
A Cochrane review of 59 trials and 7,667 people found that pressure at the P6 wrist point cut sickness after surgery by about a third. That is about as well as anti-sickness drugs. Self-applied P6 pressure also takes a small edge off nausea in the first day after chemotherapy. This use holds up because it has been tested against sham wristbands across dozens of trials.
Everything else stands on thinner evidence: period pain, low back pain, tension headache, labor pain, anxiety, sleep, and the next-day soreness a foam roller eases after hard training. These come from smaller trials that are hard to blind. For morning sickness the pooled evidence is thin and mixed, so at best P6 is a low-risk thing to try.
For morning sickness the pooled evidence is thin and mixed, so at best P6 is a low-risk thing to try.
The Research & Studies
Everything here is based on the research we have collected and checked, sorted into groups and ordered with the strongest evidence first. Click any claim to open the studies behind it.
Digestion
P6 wrist pressure cut nausea about 32% and vomiting about 40% after surgery
Pressing or banding the P6 point on the inner wrist cut nausea after surgery by about a third and vomiting by about 40% compared with a dummy band, and it held up about as well as standard anti-sickness drugs.
The Cochrane review pooled 59 trials and 7,667 people across several ways of stimulating the P6 point, including acupressure and stimulation wristbands. Against a sham band, P6 stimulation cut nausea by 32% (RR 0.68, 95% CI 0.60 to 0.77; 40 trials) and vomiting by 40% (RR 0.60, 95% CI 0.51 to 0.71; 45 trials), and was no different from anti-sickness drugs (nausea RR 0.91, 95% CI 0.75 to 1.10). The evidence was graded low certainty because the trials varied widely and few could fully blind participants.
The study · 1
Lee et al., stimulation of the wrist acupuncture point PC6 for preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting (Cochrane review) · Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2015;11:CD003281
No clear benefit from P6 acupressure for morning sickness across 41 trials
For morning sickness, the pooled trial evidence on wrist acupressure is thin and mixed, so it may help some people but a clear effect has not been shown.
The 2015 Cochrane review of interventions for nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy assessed 41 trials in 5,449 women and reported that evidence on P6 acupressure, auricular acupressure and P6 acustimulation was limited, with P6 acupuncture showing no significant benefit. The authors concluded there was a lack of high-quality evidence to support any particular intervention, so results should be read as inconclusive, not negative.
The study · 1
Matthews et al., interventions for nausea and vomiting in early pregnancy (Cochrane review) · Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2015;9:CD007575
Self-applied acupressure took a small edge off chemotherapy nausea, but not vomiting
Pressing the P6 point yourself took a small edge off nausea in the first day after chemotherapy. It did not reduce vomiting, an effect that showed only with needles.
The 2006 Cochrane review of acupuncture-point stimulation for chemotherapy-induced nausea or vomiting pooled 11 trials and 1,247 people. Self-administered acupressure reduced acute nausea severity (standardized mean difference -0.19, 95% CI -0.37 to -0.01), a small effect, and did not reduce vomiting. Needle acupuncture (RR 0.74) and electro-acupuncture (RR 0.76) reduced acute vomiting. All of this sits alongside modern anti-sickness drugs, not replacing them.
Best used as a self-applied add-on to prescribed anti-sickness medicine, not a substitute for it.
The study · 1
Ezzo et al., acupuncture-point stimulation for chemotherapy-induced nausea or vomiting (Cochrane review) · Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2006;2:CD002285
Menstrual Pain
Acupressure eased period pain across 33 trials, ranking behind exercise and heat
For period pain, pressing acupoints helped in the pooled trials, but it came out behind exercise, needle acupuncture and a heat pack.
The 2024 BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine Bayesian network meta-analysis of non-pharmacological interventions for primary dysmenorrhea pooled 33 trials. Exercise, acupuncture and topical heat ranked most effective; acupuncture reduced pain by about 2.9 points on a 10-point visual analogue scale (95% CI -3.97 to -2.85). Acupressure showed a positive effect on pain but the review did not report a clean separate effect size for it, and the trials are generally small and hard to blind.
The study · 1
Efficacy of non-pharmacological interventions for primary dysmenorrhoea: a systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis · BMJ Evid Based Med 2024
Pain
A month of acupressure cut back-pain disability 3.8 points more than physical therapy
In one trial, a month of acupressure eased back-pain disability more than a course of physical therapy, and the benefit was still there six months later.
De BMJ-studie van 2006 randomiseerde 129 mensen met chronische lage rugpijn naar een maand acupressuur of fysiotherapie. Acupressuur leverde een grotere daling in de Roland en Morris-invaliditeitsscore op (gemiddeld verschil -3.8 punten, 95%-BI -5.7 tot -1.9), en het voordeel bleef aanhouden bij follow-up na zes maanden. Noch patiënten noch therapeuten konden worden geblindeerd voor de behandeling die ze kregen.
The study · 1
Hsieh et al., treatment of low back pain by acupressure and physical therapy: randomised controlled trial · BMJ 2006;332(7543)
Acupressuur verlaagde hoofdpijnpijn tot onder een spierverslapper, 32.9 tegenover 55.7 op een schaal van 100 punten
In een kleine studie bracht een maand acupressuur op drukpunten hoofdpijnpijn verder omlaag dan een spierverslappersmedicijn, en het bleef zes maanden lager.
Deze gerandomiseerde gecontroleerde studie uit 2010 wees 28 mensen met chronische hoofdpijn toe aan acupressuur op triggerpunten of spierverslappersmedicijn gedurende één maand. Na de behandeling was pijn op een visuele analoge schaal van 0 tot 100 lager met acupressuur (32.9 vs 55.7, p=0.047), en het voordeel bleef aangehouden bij follow-up na zes maanden (p=0.002). De steekproef is zeer klein en ongeblindeerd.
The study · 1
Hsieh et al., effect of acupressure and trigger points in treating headache: a randomized controlled trial · Am J Chin Med 2010;38(1)
Druk op BL23 verlichtte bevallingspijn binnen ongeveer tien minuten, hoewel kortdurend
Tijdens de eerste fase van de bevalling verlaagde druk op het BL23-punt op de onderrug de bevallingspijn binnen minuten in vergelijking met een nep-druk, hoewel de verlichting kortdurend was.
Deze gerandomiseerde, sham-gecontroleerde studie uit 2025 wees 90 eerstbarende moeders toe aan BL23-acupressuur, schijndruk of gebruikelijke zorg (elk 30) tijdens de eerste fase van de bevalling. Pijn was significant lager in de BL23-groep op elk gemeten tijdstip (p<0.0001), dalend binnen ongeveer tien minuten na het begin en aanhoudend gedurende de interventie, zonder ongewenste maternale of neonatale effecten. Het effect werd beschreven als significant maar tijdelijk.
Nuttig als een medicijnvrij comfortmiddel dat een partner kan toepassen, aangeboden naast de opties van het bevallingsteam.
The study · 1
Effect of BL23 acupressure on pain among primiparous women during the first stage of labor: a randomized, sham-controlled trial · Pain Res Manag 2025
Mood & stress
Acupressuur verlaagde angst over 27 studies heen, het sterkst bij ziekenhuispatiënten
Over veel kleine studies heen verlaagde acupressuur angst, het duidelijkst bij mensen in het ziekenhuis of voor een operatie.
De systematische review en meta-analyse van 2022 poolde 27 studies en vond een grote vermindering in angst (gestandaardiseerd gemiddeld verschil 1.15, 95%-BI 0.85 tot 1.46, p<0.001), het sterkst bij opgenomen patiënten en preoperatieve patiënten die vingerdruk gebruikten. Slechts 8 van de studies hadden een laag risico op bias, en de heterogeniteit was zeer hoog (I2 = 91%), dus het gepoolde cijfer is waarschijnlijk groter dan een typisch realiteitseffect.
The study · 1
Effects of acupressure on anxiety: a systematic review and meta-analysis · J Integr Complement Med 2022;28(1)
Sleep
Acupunttherapieën verbeterden slaapscores over 95 slapeloosheidsstudies heen, waarbij acupressuur een zachtere optie was
Gepoolde studies van acupunttherapieën voor slapeloosheid toonden betere slaapkwaliteitsscores, waarbij acupressuur een van de zachtere opties was, hoewel naaldmethoden de neiging hadden hoger te scoren.
De systematische review en netwerkmeta-analyse van 2026 vergeleek 14 acupunttherapieën over 95 gerandomiseerde studies en 7,628 mensen met primaire slapeloosheid. Acupuntbenaderingen, waaronder acupressuur en tuina, verbeterden de slaapkwaliteitsscores (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index), waarbij lichaamsacupunctuur plus elektro-acupunctuur en moxibustie plus tuina het hoogst scoorden. De meest gebruikte punten waren Shenmen, Baihui en Anmian. De auteurs merkten op dat verdraagbaarheid en werkzaamheid op lange termijn onduidelijk blijven.
The study · 1
Efficacy of multiple acupoint stimulation therapies for primary insomnia patients: a systematic review and network meta-analysis · Front Psychiatry 2026
Exercise Recovery
Schuimrollen liet beenspieren de twee volgende dagen minder pijnlijk achter in een studie bij 8 mannen
De benen uitrollen na een zware beenwerkout liet de spieren de volgende twee dagen minder pijnlijk zijn en zwakte de gebruikelijke dip in sprintsnelheid en vermogen af.
Deze crossoverstudie uit 2015 liet 8 gezonde mannen een zwaar squatprotocol uitvoeren en daarna al dan niet schuimrollen op 0, 24 en 48 uur. Schuimrollen verminderde de gevoeligheid van de quadriceps (Cohen d 0.59 tot 0.84) en verbeterde dynamische prestatiematen over het herstelvenster: sprinttijd (d 0.68 tot 0.77), vermogen (d 0.48 tot 0.87) en dynamisch kracht-uithoudingsvermogen (d 0.54). Het is een kortetermijnhersteleffect gemeten over 48 uur.
Who this may not transfer to:Measured only in eight men. Whether foam rolling eases soreness to the same degree in women has not been tested here.
The study · 1
Pearcey et al., foam rolling for delayed-onset muscle soreness and recovery of dynamic performance measures · J Athl Train 2015;50(1)
Foam rolling gave small gains, about 0.7% faster sprints and 6% less soreness
Gepoolde studies tonen aan dat schuimrollen kleine, kortdurende winsten geeft: een vleugje meer sprintsnelheid ervoor en iets minder spierpijn erna.
The 2019 meta-analysis pooled 21 studies of foam rolling. Rolling before exercise produced a small improvement in sprint performance (+0.7%, Hedges g=0.28) with little effect on strength or jumping; rolling after exercise slightly reduced muscle pain (+6.0%, g=0.47) and eased the post-exercise drop in sprint (+3.1%, g=0.34). The authors concluded the effects on performance and recovery were minor and partly negligible.
The study · 1
Wiewelhove et al., a meta-analysis of the effects of foam rolling on performance and recovery · Front Physiol 2019;10:376
How It Works
For pain there is a plain mechanism. Firm pressure fires the large, fast touch nerves in the skin and muscle. That firing dampens the slower pain signals traveling to the spinal cord and brain, the same gate-control effect that makes rubbing a sore spot help. Steady pressure and slow breathing also shift the body toward its parasympathetic, calming state. That is part of why acupressure shows its clearest results for anxiety and for pain driven by muscle tension. For nausea, the P6 effect is thought to run through the nerves of the forearm to the brainstem centers that drive sickness, though the exact path is not settled.
The limitation is in the study design. You cannot fully blind a pressure treatment, because a sham press still touches the skin. That is why the effects for anxiety and some pain look large in the pooled numbers, but experts still rate the evidence as weak. It is also why the relief, though often clear, fades soon after the session. Nausea at P6 is the exception.
How to Use It
You need nothing to start. Find the point, press for a minute or two, and use it when the moment calls for it. Begin with the P6 point for nausea, the one use with the strongest trial evidence, and add the others as they suit you.
Anatomy of the Practice
1The points, and how to find them
The points are the same ones acupuncture uses. P6 (Neiguan), the most useful to know, sits about three finger-widths up from the wrist crease on the inner forearm, between the two tendons you can feel down the middle. LI4 (Hegu) is in the web between thumb and first finger, ST36 a hand-width below the kneecap and a finger-width to the outside of the shinbone. A point often feels slightly tender or full when you find it, which is how you know you are on it.
2What a press actually does
Press firmly enough to feel a deep, dull ache, not a sharp pain. Hold or make small circles for one to three minutes, breathing slowly. On a point like P6 you work both wrists. Keep the pressure steady; if it turns sharp you have gone too hard or slipped off the point.
3Self-massage and foam rolling
A foam roller, a massage ball or your own hands worked slowly over a tight or sore muscle is a different action from pressing a point. Here the target is the muscle and its surrounding fascia, rolled or kneaded for a minute or so per area. The aim is to ease tension and soreness in the short term.
Ways to Do It
Each of these is free or close to it, ordered strongest-evidence first.
Press P6 firmly with the opposite thumb for one to three minutes on each wrist, breathing slowly. It is the go-to for motion sickness, morning sickness and queasiness after surgery, and you can repeat it whenever the feeling returns.
An elastic acupressure wristband holds a small stud over P6, so you do not have to keep pressing. Sea-Band and similar bands are inexpensive and reusable, and they suit travel, pregnancy and the days after an operation, when you want steady pressure held for hours. The only real downside is some skin irritation under the stud.
For a tension headache many people work LI4 in the web of the hand and Tai Yang at the temples; for digestion and fatigue, ST36 below the knee. Press each to that same ache for a minute or two. These are lower-evidence uses than nausea; they cost only your time.
These three points are the ones the insomnia trials use most often: Shenmen (HT7), at the little-finger side of the inner wrist crease; Baihui (GV20), at the crown of the head on the midline; and Anmian, in the hollow behind the ear. In your wind-down, press each to that same ache for one to three minutes. A network meta-analysis of 95 insomnia trials found that acupoint therapies as a group improved sleep-quality scores against a control group. Acupressure ranked below the needle methods, and it was not clear how long the benefit lasted.
Roll a foam roller or a ball slowly over a tight or sore muscle for about a minute per area, or knead it with your hands. The gains in soreness and movement are small and short-lived, so the useful pattern is to use it around training and on stiff days.
Go Deeper
- Tai chi and qi gong: the movement side of the same tradition, with the most randomized evidence behind it.
- Low back pain: the condition worked from both sides, where acupressure is one of the options with trial support.
- Headache and migraine: what helps for headache, and where point work sits among the choices.
- Period pain: the fuller picture for dysmenorrhea, of which acupressure is one part.
Cautions For This Practice
Everything to be aware of is here, in one place. This practice suits most healthy people; a few situations call for real care.
Side effects were minor and self-limiting across 59 P6 trials
In the Cochrane review of 59 trials of P6 stimulation, the reported side effects were minor, transient and self-limiting, mainly skin irritation and occasional blistering under stimulation wristbands, with no serious harms recorded. This is a favorable safety record for wrist stimulation in trial conditions. Firm self-massage over the body still calls for ordinary care over injuries, wounds and areas of poor circulation, which the notes below cover.Lee et al., stimulation of the wrist acupuncture point PC6 for preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting (Cochrane review)
SP6 and LI4 kept off in pregnancy: SP6 sped labor at term, 252 versus 441 minutes
A randomized trial of 120 first-time mothers at term found that acupressure at SP6 (Sanyinjiao) shortened the active phase of labor (252 minutes versus 441, p=0.0001), lowered pain scores, and reduced the caesarean rate (10% versus 42%). At full term that is a benefit; before term it is the reason for the caution. SP6 and LI4 (Hegu) are the acupoints classically avoided in pregnancy because firm stimulation is held to move Qi and Blood in the pelvis and encourage labor. During pregnancy, leave firm work on these points to a practitioner who knows your stage and history.Effects of acupressure at the Sanyinjiao point (SP6) on the process of active phase of labor in nulliparas women
Over injuries, broken skin and clot risk
Keep firm pressure and rolling off fresh injuries, broken skin, bruises, and any inflamed or swollen area. Avoid working over varicose veins. If you have a known clot, a recent DVT, or a condition that raises clot risk, do not press or roll the legs. Pressure over a clot can dislodge it, so check with a doctor first.
Pregnancy
Some points, above all SP6 and LI4, are considered strongly moving in the pelvis and are treated with care in pregnancy. If you are pregnant, keep firm pressure off SP6 and LI4 and ask your midwife or doctor before using acupressure on the legs or lower abdomen.
Bleeding disorders and blood thinners
Firm pressure and deep self-massage can bruise. If you have a bleeding disorder or take blood-thinning medication, keep the pressure light and stop if you mark easily.
Fragile bones, reduced sensation and unexplained pain
Go gently or skip firm pressure over areas of thin bone or reduced feeling, where you cannot judge how hard you are pressing. Do not use acupressure or self-massage to push through pain that is new, severe or unexplained, since that kind of pain should be diagnosed first.
Start slow, be smart, read the research, and consult a professional if you have any concerns. This is here to inform your choice, not make it for you.
Common Questions
Does acupressure really work, or is it just placebo?
For one use it works beyond placebo: at the P6 wrist point, acupressure reduces nausea against a dummy band across many trials. For pain, sleep and anxiety the picture is less certain. A pressure treatment is very hard to test blind, since a fake press still touches the skin, so the true effect and the attention-and-touch effect are difficult to separate. Many people get real relief that the trials cannot pin fully on the point itself.
How is this different from acupuncture?
A needle can stimulate a point more strongly and more precisely than a thumb. That is why for a few outcomes, such as vomiting during chemotherapy, the needle trials show effects that self-applied acupressure does not.
Explore Related
Other pages this one connects to, by the evidence they share, the outcomes they touch, and the ground they cover.
All 13 sources on this page independently checked and cross-referenced.
Thomas Dehli, Founder & Editor, Sacred Lotus
Sacred Lotus has published Chinese medicine reference material since 2001. Integrative pages are held to the same standard as the herb and formula library: cite the source, grade the claim at its real strength, and say where the research has not looked. This page is educational and it is not medical advice. Last reviewed and updated August 9, 2026.
Evidence strength
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