Acupressure Points in the Hand You Can Use at a Desk

Hand points are where most people start, for three practical reasons: you can see exactly what you are doing, you can reach both hands easily, and you can work them at a desk without it becoming a conversation.

Set the intensity low here. The hand is thin-tissued and full of bone close to the surface, so a level that felt mild on your shoulder will feel considerably sharper. Drop two levels when you move to the hand, especially with a fine point head.

The web between thumb and index finger

The most-used point in the whole tradition. Find the fleshy web, squeeze it between your other thumb and forefinger, and you will locate the tender spot immediately, usually slightly toward the index-finger side.

Traditionally reached for with tension headaches and general tightness. It is also just satisfying to work.

Traditionally avoided during pregnancy, though as covered in our safety guide, pregnancy is a reason to skip the device entirely.

The centre of the palm

Make a loose fist; where your middle fingertip lands is roughly the point. Associated in tradition with calming and winding down, and it is a good one to finish an evening session on.

The fleshy base of the thumb

The thenar eminence: the muscular pad at the base of the thumb. If you type or use a phone heavily, this is often quietly tight without you having registered it.

Broad enough to take a rounded head rather than a point.

The sides of the fingertips

Just beside the corner of each nail bed. These are used in tradition as alerting points. They are also the most sensitive spots on the hand, so use the lowest setting you have, and briefly.

A three-minute desk round

1. Web of each hand: 45 seconds each, low setting.
2. Base of each thumb: 30 seconds each.
3. Centre of each palm: 30 seconds each.

Three minutes, no equipment beyond the pen, and nobody on the call notices.

Keeping expectations straight

Working hand points is pleasant and it is a genuinely useful interruption to a long screen stretch. What it is not is a treatment for headaches, anxiety, or anything else. The tradition attaches those associations to these points; the tradition is not the same thing as evidence, and we would rather say so than imply otherwise.