Shenshu, Mingmen and Yaoyangguan
Star腎俞、命門、腰陽關 (Shènshū, Mìngmén, Yāoyángguān)
Modern Chinese point-pair (对穴) teaching, as compiled by Guo Changqing and colleagues at the School of Acupuncture, Moxibustion and Tuina, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine.
Points
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Back-Shu point of the Kidney; tonifies the Kidney and strengthens the lower back and knees.
Prone. At the level of the lower border of the L2 spinous process, 1.5 cun lateral to GV4 (the level opposite the umbilicus, CV8). Needle straight in to 0.5–1.0 cun. The source lists the layers as subcutaneous tissue, then quadratus lumborum and psoas major; the erector spinae and thoracolumbar fascia are crossed first. Seek an aching numbness that spreads into the hip and along the leg. The kidney lies deep to this level: stay within the stated depth.
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Gate of Life; warms Kidney yang and consolidates essence.
Prone. The point lies two spinous processes above GV3, roughly opposite the umbilicus, in the hollow below the L2 spinous process. Insert 0.5–1.0 cun, straight in or angled slightly upwards. The needle crosses the subcutaneous tissue, the supraspinous and interspinous ligaments and reaches the ligamentum flavum (interarcuate ligament); the spinal canal lies immediately beyond, so that ligament marks the limit of insertion. An aching numbness should form locally, with an electric sensation shooting towards the hip and down the lower limb. Do not go deeper than stated, to protect the spinal cord.
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Lumbar Yang Pass; warms and strengthens the lower back and benefits the legs.
Prone. Locate the hollow below the L4 spinous process, level with the tops of the iliac crests. Insert perpendicularly or obliquely (angled slightly upwards) to 0.5–1.0 cun, through the subcutaneous tissue and the supraspinous ligament to the ligamentum flavum (interarcuate ligament), which should not be pierced. An aching numbness should form locally and spread into the lower limbs.
Treatment Principle
Support original qi, and strengthen the Kidney qi and the lower back.
Indications
Method
Patient prone. BL23 is needled perpendicularly 0.5–1.0 cun until the sensation runs into the hip and along the leg; GV4 and GV3 are needled 0.5–1.0 cun, either straight in or at an oblique angle, GV4 until an electric sensation reaches the hip and lower limb, GV3 until an aching numbness reaches the lower limbs.
⚠ Cautions
The kidney lies deep to BL23 — do not exceed the stated depth. At GV4 and GV3 do not pass the ligamentum flavum; the source warns against deep insertion at GV4 to protect the spinal cord.
About
The standard lumbar Kidney set: the Kidney Back-Shu points flanking the Gate of Life, with the Lumbar Yang Pass two vertebrae below. It supports original qi and strengthens the Kidney and the lower back, for lumbosacral pain, weak or numb limbs, and Kidney-related reproductive and menstrual disorders.
Rationale
BL23 (Back-Shu of the Kidney) and GV4 lie at the same level, L2, so the three needles make a horizontal line across the Kidney region; GV3 at L4, level with the iliac crests, extends the treatment to the lumbosacral junction and the legs. The Du Mai points warm yang and the Back-Shu point supplements the organ itself.
Sources
- Guo Changqing (ed.). Acupuncture of Acupoint Combinations: Quick Lookups. Daylesford: Heart Space Publications, 2020 (English edition; © China Science and Technology Press). ISBN 978-0-6489215-5-4. Chapter 3, combination 15.
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