腰痛穴 : Yaotongxue : Lumbar Pain Points

Classifications:

Trigger point (Travell & Simons, 1998, Trigger Point Manual)

Location:

On the dorsum of the hand, two points located between the second and third and the fourth and fifth metacarpal bones, in the depressions lying immediately distal to the bases of the metacarpals.

Needling:

Perpendicular insertion 0.5 - 1 cun

TCM Actions:

Invigorates Qi and Blood in the lumbar region

TCM Indications:

• Acute lumbar pain

Neuroanatomy:

Superficial Innervation: Superficial branch of radial nerve (C6 - C8) and ulnar (C8 - T1)

Dermatome Segment: C7 (radial), border of C7 and C8 (ulna)

Trigger Point Associations:

Muscle:
Second and fourth dorsal interosseous

Location Notes:
Together with Luozhen or Zhongzhu SJ-3. trigger points for the interossei may be found anywhere between the metacarpals

Pain Referral Pattern:
To side of affected finger

Indications:
Arthritic pain in the fingers ; Heberden's nodes

Martial Applications & Effects of Injury:

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

Notes:

Commonly used for acute lumbar sprain where the points on the affected side are manipulated while the patient is asked to twist, turn and bend.

In Tung acupuncture the Xia Bai, Lower White, point is located at the same place as the lateral Yaotongxue point. Its indications are much the same, for back pain and sciatica but also tooth pain due to its location on the San Jiao channel. Its proximity to the source point Yuanchi SJ-4 gives it an influence on the bones (Chu, 2015).

Avicenna describes venesection at the vein between these two points in his treatise On Venesection:

"The right third dorsal metacarpal vein is beneficial in liver pain, and the left one is spleen pain. Either side is drained until the blood stops flowing. It is necessary to place the venesected hand in warm water to prevent the blood from clotting as well as maintain the flow and ease of flowing, especially if the blood flow is weak, as is usually the case when venesecting the third dorsal metacarpal vein, which is usually slit longitudinally." (Aspects of Treatment According to General Diseases, 21st section in Abu-Asab, Amri & Micozzi, 2013, Avicenna's Medicine).

In Thai massage:
Acupressure points indicated for neck and shoulder pain/injury/arthritis. Radial point also indicated for back pain, gastrointestinal ailments, headache and indigestion. (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