Human Body Pressure Points

When a person is severely injured and begins to bleed profusely, it is time for quick action. First aid for severe bleeding involves applying pressure over the wound. Sometimes it is possible to press the artery above the wound against the bone behind it, and stop the bleeding. This place is called a pressure point. A pressure point is any point in the body at which a pulse can be felt and the artery can be pressurized to stop bleeding at the distal point. Understanding the location of pressure points in human body is crucial for controlling bleeding. Martial arts experts also make use of knowledge of pressure points to render their opponents powerless. Besides, pressure points location are also explored in acupressure technique, which focuses on relieving pain by applying pressure on certain areas of body. In this article, we are going to understand the various pressure points from the point of view of self-defense techniques as well as from medical point of view.

Understanding Pressure Points for Self-Defense

There are numerous pressure points throughout the human body. The pressure point you access in self-defense is only dominated by your precise knowledge of their location and your ability to effectively reach them. Striking to a vital point does not necessarily immediately knock a person out or cause a body part to become instantly numb, as has been propagated by many martial arts charlatans. A strike to a pressure point just cuts off the circulation to that point, rendering it ineffective. When applying forced pressure to specific point, your goal is not to magically render your opponent lifeless. What you are planning to achieve is both short term and long term interruption of your attacker's energy. Given below are a few pressure points that are vital in self-defense.

Lung Point: Measure two inches from the nipple. The point is between the first and second ribs from the top, one inch below the middle of the collarbone.

Large Intestine Point: On the radial side of the index finger, one inch posterior to the corner of the nail.

Heart Point: Three inches above the elbow in the grove medial to biceps brachia.

Small Intestine Point: At the ulnar side of the small finger, about a tenth of an inch posterior to the corner of the nail.

Bladder Point This point is located on the back of the knee. It is to be found in the exact midpoint of the popliteal transverse crease.

Important Pressure Points for Hemorrhage

The loss of a small amount of blood will cause no problem for a healthy adult, but loss of one liter or more of blood is life-threatening. The first step to control bleeding is the application of direct pressure to the wound using a clean cloth. An assisting person should wear gloves to protect from blood-borne diseases. A bleeding extremity should be elevated above the level of the heart. In cases of severe, persistent bleeding, application of pressure where a local artery can be pressed against a bone slows the bleeding. The most important of these "pressure points" are the following:

• The facial artery, which may be pressed against the lower jaw for hemorrhage around the nose, mouth, and cheek. One can feel the pulse of the facial artery in the depression about one inch anterior to the angle of the lower jaw.
• The temporal artery, which may be pressed against the side of the skull just anterior to the ear to stop hemorrhage on the side of the face and around the ear.
• The common carotid artery in the neck, which may be pressed back against the spinal column for bleeding in the neck and the head. Avoid prolonged compression, which can result in lack of oxygen to the brain.
• The subclavian artery, which may be pressed against the first rib by a downward push with the thumb to stop bleeding from the shoulder or arm.
• The brachial artery, which may be pressed against the arm bone by a push inward along the natural groove between the two large muscles of the arm. Hand, wrist, and forearm hemorrhage will be stopped by this pressing.
• The femoral artery, which may be pressed to avoid serious hemorrhage of the lower extremity.

It is important not to leave the pressure on for too long, as this may cause damage to tissues supplied by arteries past the pressure point. Besides, one must immediately try to get proper medical help as soon as possible.