BL23

Shenshu

Star

腎俞 (Shènshū) — Kidney Shu

Bladder channel · point 23

Not yet clinically reviewed

Back-Shu point of the Kidney

Traditionally used for

Dizziness
Eye health
Ears & hearing
Cough & breathing
Urinary & fluids
Menstrual & women's health
Fertility & vitality
Pain & joints
Energy & fatigue

Location

On the lower back, 1.5 cun lateral to the lower border of the spinous process of L2.

How to locate: With the patient prone, the line joining the highest points of the iliac crests usually crosses the L4 spinous process (this shifts with posture); count up two spinous processes to L2. The point is 1.5 cun lateral to the lower border of the L2 spinous process, level with GV4, on the crest of the paraspinal muscles.

Regional anatomy: Skin, subcutaneous tissue and the thoracolumbar fascia, then erector spinae and quadratus lumborum, with psoas major deeper still; the lower pole of the kidney lies in front of quadratus lumborum at this level, so excessive depth is avoided.

Distances are in cun, a proportional unit — how to measure.

Body map, back: BL23 · Lower back — Fig. — BL23 · Lower back After Albinus, 1747

The vertebral column — Gray's Anatomy plate — The vertebral column Gray's Anatomy, 1918

3D view

Drag, or focus the model and use the arrow keys, to rotate; + and − to zoom; 0 to reset; Esc to close.

Skin Skeleton

Needle diagram for the marked point — a schematic section through the skin, not the model.

Technique 1: Oblique (45° to the skin), 1–1.5 cun Direction (source's words): “towards the spine” Scale: 1 cun as WHO 2008 defines it here — Between the bilateral medial borders of the scapula: 6 B-cun; this scale is half of the 6 B-cun between the two medial borders (posterior midline to one border), 3 B-cun. Deadman gives depth in cun, conventionally the patient's own finger-cun. It is drawn here to this region's proportional (B-)cun, so the bar approximates an approximation. Not a depth in millimetres.

Technique 2: Perpendicular-oblique (about 70° to the skin), 1–1.5 cun Direction (source's words): “towards the spine” Scale: 1 cun as WHO 2008 defines it here — Between the bilateral medial borders of the scapula: 6 B-cun; this scale is half of the 6 B-cun between the two medial borders (posterior midline to one border), 3 B-cun. Deadman gives depth in cun, conventionally the patient's own finger-cun. It is drawn here to this region's proportional (B-)cun, so the bar approximates an approximation. Not a depth in millimetres.

3D anatomy: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science licensed under CC Attribution 4.0 International (licence). Subset, simplified and recoloured by Verscienta — changes and licence details.

Approximate placement, carried over from our 2D body map onto a single adult male model (BodyParts3D) and checked against the point's location text. Shown on one side of the body. Locate the point on your patient by the location text and palpation, not by this model.

Cun on this part of the body: Between the bilateral medial borders of the scapula: 6 B-cun; this scale is half of the 6 B-cun between the two medial borders (posterior midline to one border), 3 B-cun (WHO 2008, General Guidelines, Proportional Bone (Skeletal) Measurements, p. 12).
Needle angle and depth: Oblique (45° to the skin), 1–1.5 cun, towards the spine. Deadman P, Al-Khafaji M, Baker K, p. 283
Perpendicular-oblique (about 70° to the skin), 1–1.5 cun, towards the spine. Deadman P, Al-Khafaji M, Baker K, p. 283

Needling

Cited needling

Techniques — the source gives these as alternatives:

Oblique insertion — towards the spine

Depth 1–1.5 cun

skindeeper
Perpendicular-oblique insertion — towards the spine

Depth 1–1.5 cun

skindeeper

Depths describe average adult habitus in the cited population, never a single safe number for the patient in front of you. Palpate and adjust.

Sources (1)

Deadman P, Al-Khafaji M, Baker K. A Manual of Acupuncture. Hove: Journal of Chinese Medicine Publications; 1998 — p. 283 Supports: techniques (names this point)

Site notes · not cited

Depth: 0.8–1.2 cun

Angle: Perpendicular

Moxibustion: A principal point for tonifying moxibustion in Kidney yang deficiency, usually with GV4.

Functions

Tonifies Kidney qi, yin and yang and consolidates the essence
Strengthens the lower back and knees
Benefits the bones and marrow, the ears and the eyes
Regulates the lower burner and urination and warms the uterus

Indications

Chronic low back pain and weakness of the kneestinnitus, deafness and dizzinessimpotence, seminal emission and infertilityirregular menstruation and vaginal dischargefrequent urination, enuresis and nocturiachronic fatigueoedemaasthma of the deficiency typeblurred vision

Clinical Notes

The Back-Shu of the Kidney and the most important point in the repertoire for constitutional depletion and chronic lumbar weakness.

Similar Points

Ranked by shared patterns and conditions

Guanyuan how are these connected? Taixi how are these connected? Mingmen how are these connected? Sanyinjiao how are these connected? Zhaohai how are these connected? Feishu how are these connected?

Sources

World Health Organization. WHO Standard Acupuncture Point Locations in the Western Pacific Region. Manila: WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific, 2008. (Location.)
Focks C, ed. Atlas of Acupuncture. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, 2008. (Locating method and actions.)

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