Xiyan — The Eyes of the Knee
Star膝眼 (Xī Yǎn)
Classical; the standard local prescription for the knee.
Points
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The lateral knee eye
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The medial knee eye
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Above the patella; completes the frame
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Hui-Meeting of the sinews; added distally
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Resolves damp and swelling; the medial counterpart of GB34
Treatment Principle
Frame the joint locally and support it distally with the sinew and damp-resolving points.
Indications
Method
Flex the knee to about 90 degrees, supported with a bolster. Needle ST35 and Neixiyan obliquely into the joint space from each side, and Heding above the patella. Add GB34 and SP9. Moxa is useful over the joint in cold, damp presentations.
⚠ Cautions
An acutely hot, swollen knee, or one that locks or gives way after injury, needs assessment before local needling. Observe clean technique carefully — this is intra-articular territory.
About
The oldest and most durable local prescription for the knee, and still the standard opening in osteoarthritis.
Rationale
The two hollows either side of the patellar ligament give the only direct access to the joint line from the front. Framing the joint with three local needles and supporting it with GB34 — the Hui-Meeting of the sinews — and SP9 — for the swelling — treats the structure, its soft tissue and its fluid together.
Clinical Notes
Where the patient cannot tolerate local needling, Dr. Tan's elbow-images-knee approach on the opposite arm is the alternative, and permits weight-bearing movement during retention.
Sources
- Deadman, Peter; Al-Khafaji, Mazin; Baker, Kevin. A Manual of Acupuncture.
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