丘墟 : Qiuxu : Mound of Ruins / Wasteland

Location Guides:

Classifications:

Yuan-Source point
Binding point of the foot Taiyang and foot Shaoyang Sinews

Trigger point (Travell & Simons, 1998, Trigger Point Manual; Melzack, Stillwell & Fox, 1977)

Location:

At the ankle joint in the depression anterior and inferior to the lateral malleolus

Needling:

Perpendicular insertion 1 - 1.5 cun, directed towards Zhaohai Kid-6.

Classical Needling:

"The Shaoyang usually has little Blood and much Qi" (Su Wen 素問 ch. 24) implying this channel should normally be needled.
"The foot Shaoyang is to be pierced 4 fen deep and remain inserted for five exhalations" (Ling Shu 靈樞 ch. 12).
"It is needled to a depth of five fen, (the needle) is retained for a duration of seven exhalations, and it is moxaed with three cones" (Huangfu Mi 皇甫謐, 3rd Century, Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing 針灸甲乙經).

TCM Actions:

Spreads Liver Qi and clears Gallbladder Heat and Damp-heat
Activates the channel, alleviates pain and benefits the joints
Regulates shaoyang

TCM Indications:

• Distension and pain of the chest and lateral costal region with inability to catch the breath, sighing, swelling in the axilla, sudden Shan (疝) Disorder, hardness of the lower abdomen, herpes zoster.
  
• One-sided headache, redness, swelling and pain of the eyes, Superficial Visual Obstruction, poor eyesight, Throat Painful Obstruction (喉痹, Hou Bi).
  
• Vomiting, acid regurgitation, chronic Malarial (瘧, Nue) Disorders with cold shivering.
  
• Neck pain, chills and fever with swelling of the neck, Windstroke (中風, Zhong Feng), paralysis, pain of the lumbar spine, pain of the hip, atrophy disorder and Painful Obstruction (痹, Bi) of the lower limb, cramping and pain of the legs, sciatica, pain of the lower leg, drop foot, flaccidity of the ankle, swelling of the lateral ankle, pain of the wrist.

I Ching Hexagram:

䷡ Da Zhuang 大壯 Great Power

Shared with Ligou Liv-5. Balanced by ䷓ (Daling Pc-7 or Waiguan SJ-5).
Also shares a Rising and Falling Hexagram with Lingtai Du-10 or Shendao Du-11, balanced by Zhongwan Ren-12.

Hexagram attributions are my own with an explanation given in the glossary.

Neuroanatomy:

Superficial Innervation: Superficial fibular (peroneal) nerve (L4 - S1)

Dermatome Segment: L5, S1

Deeper Structures: Superficial fibular (peroneal) nerve (L4 - S1)

Trigger Point Associations:

Muscle:
Extensor digitorum brevis

Pain Referral Pattern:
Directly around the point

Indications:
Foot strain

Martial Applications & Effects of Injury:

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

Major Combinations:

• Superficial Visual Obstruction (目翳, Mu Yi):
    Qiuxu GB-40 with Tongziliao GB-1
    (Wang Zhizhong, 王執中, 1220: Zhen Jiu Zi Sheng Jing, 針灸資生經, Classic of Supporting Life with Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Pain of the lateral costal region:
    Qiuxu GB-40 with Zhongdu GB-32
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Pain of the lateral costal region radiating to the abdomen:
    Qiuxu GB-40 with Xiaxi GB-43, Xiajuxu St-39 and Shenshu Bl-23
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Stabbing pain of the chest:
    Qiuxu GB-40 with Fenglong St-40
    (Thousand Ducat formulas).
  
  
• Tension of the chest and back with a swollen sensation of the chest:
    Qiuxu GB-40 with Jingqu Lu-8
    (Sun Simiao, 孫思邈, 625: Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang, 備急千金要方, Essential Prescriptions Worth A Thousand Gold).
  
  
• Swelling of the axilla, chills and fever, swelling of the neck:
    Qiuxu GB-40 with Shenmai Bl-62
    (Sun Simiao, 孫思邈, 625: Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang, 備急千金要方, Essential Prescriptions Worth A Thousand Gold).
  
  
• Swelling of the axilla:
    Qiuxu GB-40 with Yangfu GB-38 and Zulinqi GB-41
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Manic raving (癲狂, Dian Kuang):
    Qiuxu GB-40 with Xiajuxu St-39
    (Sun Simiao, 孫思邈, 625: Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang, 備急千金要方, Essential Prescriptions Worth A Thousand Gold).
  
  
• Cramping of the sinews:
    Qiuxu GB-40 with Jinmen Bl-62
    (Gao Wu, 高武, 1529: Bai Zheng Fu, 百症賦, Ode of a Hundred Symptoms).
  
  
• Hip pain:
    Qiuxu GB-40 with Huantiao GB-30 and Yanglingquan GB-34
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Flaccidity of the legs:
    Qiuxu GB-40 with Yanglingquan GB-34, Chongyang St-42 and Taichong Liv-3
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Pain of the ankle and heel:
    Qiuxu GB-40 with Xuanzhong GB-39 and Kunlun Bl-60
    (Shen Yu Ge, 勝玉歌, Song More Precious than Jade. First recorded in Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Chronic malarial fever (瘧, Nue):
    Qiuxu GB-40 with Zhongzhu SJ-3 and Shangyang LI-1
    (Yang Jizhou, 杨继洲, 1601: Zhen Jiu Da Cheng, 針灸大成, Great Compendium of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).

Notes:

Common ashi point in cases of anterior talofibular ligament sprain.

In reflexology the band across the ankle, including this point, relates to the lymph and groin.

In Mayan medicine:
Used to treat pain in the lower limbs (Garcia, Sierra, Balam, 1999: Wind in the Blood)

Medieval phlebotomy point (John de Foxton, 1408: Liber Cosmographiae, maa.cam.ac.uk)

In ayurvedic medicine:
Kurchashira marma point
Size: 1 angula (cun)
Structure: Tendon
Effect of Injury: Pain (riijakar marma)
(Harish Johari, 1996, Ayurvedic Massage, Sanatan Society; Anupama Bhattacharya, n.d. Marma Shastra)

In Tibetan medicine:
Moxa point (AMNH, Tibetan Medical Paintings)

In Thai massage:
Acupressure point (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