: Huangmen : Vitals Gate

Bl-51 : Foot Taiyang Bladder 51

Location Guides:

Classifications:

Trigger point (Travell & Simons, 1998, Trigger Point Manual; Melzack, Stillwell & Fox, 1977, Trigger Points and Acupuncture Points for Pain: Correlations and Implications, Pain 3, p3-23)


Location:

3 cun lateral to the midline, level with the lower border of the spinous process of the first lumbar vertebra (L1) and level with Sanjiaoshu Bl-22.

Needling:

Oblique insertion 0.5 - 1 cun

Warnings:

Deep perpendicular insertion carries a risk of injuring the kidney

Classical Needling:

It is needled to a depth of five fen and moxaed with three cones. (Huangfu Mi 皇甫謐, 3rd Century, Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing 針灸甲乙經)


TCM Actions:

Dispels stagnation and benefits the breasts

TCM Indications:

  • Epigastric pain, great hardness below the Heart, constipation.
  • Breast disorders, fullness and pain of the breast.

Neuroanatomy:

Superficial Innervation: Dorsal rami of L1 - L3
Dermatome Segment: L1


Trigger Point Associations:

Muscle:
Iliocostalis lumborum and superficial quadratus lumborum

Myotome Innervation:
Iliocostalis lumborum: dorsal rami of L1; Quadratus lumborum: dorsal rami of T12 - L4

Pain Referral Pattern:
Radiating inferiorly along the paraspinal muscles to the buttock

Indications:
Low back pain ; myalgia of long extensors of back

Martial Applications & Effects of Injury:

One of the 36 vital points of Feng Yiyuan 馮一元 listed in the Wu Bei Zhi 武備志 (Treatise on Armament Technology) by Mao Yuanyi 茅元儀 (1621) (McCarthy, 2016, Bubishi: The Classic Manual of Combat).

See Montaigue, Dim Mak Locations, Taijiworld.com for explanation of effects.



Notes:

In Thai massage:
Acupressure point indicated for gastrointestinal ailments, indigestion, sacroiliac pain/injury/arthritis and stomach ache (Salguero & Roylance, 2011, Encyclopedia of Thai Massage)



Reference Notes:

Basic information on location, needle depth, TCM actions, indications and combinations is taken from Deadman et al (2001): A Manual of Acupuncture with additional anatomical information researched by reference to Gray's Anatomy (38th Ed., 1995) unless otherwise referenced. Images were found on acupunctureschoolonline.com and can be traced back to Claudia Focks (2008) Atlas of Acupuncture originally. I cannot claim any credit or rights over them. Other sources should be quoted in the text.

For some of the more unusual terms I have created a glossary here