Pressure points have been present
throughout pop culture; in Star

Trek, Spock applied the “Vulcan
nerve pinch” on the base of a
person’s neck to knock them

unconscious. The fictional “pinch,”
Star Trek fans and writers
explained, supposedly blocked

blood from reaching the brain and
thus caused instantaneous
unconsciousness. Scientifically, of

course, there’s no such thing as a
“Vulcan nerve pinch” that knocks
people out. Yet somehow we find

ourselves clenching when someone
rubs our temples too hard or a
masseuse presses deep on the
muscles in our neck, near our
jawline.


Movies have shown us that pressing
down on certain parts of the body
can knock you out or even kill you


— but how much of this is backed
by science? There remains some
confusion and controversy as to
what exactly “pressure points” are,


and whether putting pressure on
them is good or bad. The fact is,
pressure points are sensitive parts
of the body that can either be used
for healing or pain — whether


massaged or struck, they can help
you feel better, but they can also
impair you. Whether or not


touching pressure points can lead to
death is unknown and usually
dismissed by scientists but explored
a little below.


MARTIAL ARTS VS. MEDICINE
The notion of pressure points
originally began in Japanese


martial arts. It was Minamoto no
Yoshimitsu, a Japenese samurai who
lived from 1045 to 1127, who
reportedly was the first to


introduce the idea of pressure
points into martial arts fighting.
Yoshimitsu dissected the bodies of


men killed during battle in order to
better understand what little spots
in their body were important to


either cause pain or death, if hit or
touched correctly. This fine art of
fighting and killing, of course, took
years of training to master; not just


anyone could know which angle to
strike the right nerve or joint, and
where and when to do it.


But pressure points weren’t only
used for ways to kill or maim
people; they were also incorporated


into traditional Chinese medicine,
which believes that “meridian
points” are the locations in the
body through which life energy, or


qi, flows. Acupressure , thus,
involves placing pressure on these
meridian points in order to bring
about better balance, circulation of


fluids like blood and lymph, and
metabolic energies in the body.

Critics refer to meridian points as
pseudoscientific, though a 2006
study on acupressure stated that it
helped reduce lower back pain. And

at times, pressing or massaging
certain pressure points on the body
can help reduce tension headaches
— which are caused by stress-

induced muscle knots and jaw
clenching. For example, rubbing
your temples, the back of your neck,
or even the webbed part in between

your thumb and index finger has
been shown to be helpful to
relieving headache pain.

Traditional Chinese medicine
practitioners believed that life
energy, or qi, flowed through

these meridian points; these
points were also believed to be
the pressure points that, if
struck properly, could kill you.


The temples and the area right
below the Adam’s apple are two
examples of sensitive areas that
may cause pain if struck. In


fighting, the goal of learning
pressure points is often helpful in
knowing the best places to impair
an opponent rather than flat-out


kill them; for example, knocking
someone in the knee joint can cause

their legs to crumple, or hitting the
wrist at the right angle can force
their hand muscles to drop their
weapon.

THE 'DEATH TOUCH'
But some unanswered questions
remain about the most

controversial so-called pressure
point, what is known as the “Death


Touch,” or dim mak.

“Known in Cantonese as dim mak
and in Japanese as kyusho jitsu, the
touch of death is said to be


something like acupuncture’s evil
twin,” Cecil Adams writes on his
column Straight Dope .

“The idea is
that chi, or energy, flows through
the body along lines called
meridians. A blow or squeeze


applied to certain pressure points
on these lines will supposedly put
the whammy on the victim’s chi,
leading to incapacitation or death.”


Some martial artists believe that
dim mak, if executed correctly, can
lead to a delayed death — meaning
that the pinch of an artery or


meridian could lead to organ
failure and sudden death after a
day or two. Others believe that dim
mak can simply cause


instantaneous death after pressure
is applied to the carotid artery or
other essential spots. The stomach-9
point, for example, is believed to be
a pressure point that can lead to
damage of the carotid artery —


which is located in the neck and
essential to providing blood to the
brain.


Getting knocked out is typically
caused by lack of oxygen, a sudden
drop in blood pressure, or blunt
trauma to the brain. There is


essentially little to no scientific
evidence that the “Death Touch” or
the pressing of other pressure
points can lead to death — but it’s
fair to say that certain fighting
movements, like a heavy blow to


the temple or an obstruction of the
breathing tubes, can certainly lead
to dizziness, lack of oxygen,
unconsciousness — and in severe
cases, death.


However, these are usually caused
by losing oxygen or traumatic brain
injury, not a simple touch to a
pressure point. Some rare cases of


trauma to the carotid artery, or
even events called commotio cordis
— also known as cardiac
concussion, which involves a heavy
blow to the chest that messes up the
heart’s electrical current and leads


to sudden heart failure — have
brought up the question as to
whether or not Japanese samurai
fighters were perhaps onto
something when they made claims
about the “Death Touch.” But most


of this remains shrouded in
mystery, with more scientific
studies needed to better understand
it. In other words, while pressure


points may exist as sensitive spots
on the body that can aid in both
fighting and healing, touching or
pressing on them probably can't kill
you. Still, use pressure points as a


way to help relax your muscles,
reduce tension and stress, and
overcome painful headaches.


“Case reports suggest that incidents
[in which pressure or trauma is
applied to the carotid artery and
someone dies] are mostly accidents,


more often than not unrelated to
martial arts training or theory,”
Adams writes. “The question
remains: Can some dim mak
practitioners achieve these results


at will? I’m skeptical, but sometimes
you have to wonder.”

source: www.medicaldaily.com/truth-about-pressure-points-which-ones-can-kill-you-and-which-ones-are-just-myths-316528