膈關 (Géguān) — Diaphragm Pass
Bladder channel · point 46
Traditionally used for
- Digestion
Cautions & contraindications
- No deep needling
Location
On the back, 3 cun lateral to the lower border of the spinous process of T7.
How to locate: With the patient seated and the arms hanging relaxed, the inferior angle of the scapula is level with the T7 spinous process (or count down four from T3 at the medial end of the scapular spine). The point is 3 cun lateral to the lower border of the T7 spinous process, level with BL17 and GV9.
Distances are in cun, a proportional unit — how to measure.
Needling hazard — see Needling safety
3D view
The 3D view is not available on this device. The 2D maps above show the same point.
Drag, or focus the model and use the arrow keys, to rotate; + and − to zoom; 0 to reset; Esc to close.
Needle diagram for the marked point — a schematic section through the skin, not the model.
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), 0.3–0.5 cun. Deadman P, Al-Khafaji M, Baker K, p. 306
- The lung is not drawn: the anatomical model used here does not include it as a surface. This is a limit of the model, not of the anatomy. The pneumothorax risk above still applies.
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.
Needling
Cited needling
- ⚠ Pneumothorax
-
Oblique insertionDepth 0.3–0.5 cunskindeeper
| Underweight | Normal | Overweight | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | 23.3 | 26.3 | 36.6 |
| Women | 17.8 | 25.3 | 35.9 |
CT-measured mean safe needling depths from Taiwanese adults, by sex and body size (Lin et al. 2013); population-specific and a guide only — adjust to the patient in front of you.
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 (3)
- Lin JG, Chou PC, Chu HY. An exploration of the needling depth in acupuncture: the safe needling depth and the needling depth of clinical efficacy. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013;2013:740508 — Tables 9 (male) and 10 (female), back acupoints Supports: safe depth (measured)
- World Health Organization. Guidelines on basic training and safety in acupuncture. Geneva: WHO; 1999. WHO/EDM/TRM/99.1 — Section II §5.2 (Lung and pleura), p. 25 Supports: pneumothorax (names this region)
- Deadman P, Al-Khafaji M, Baker K. A Manual of Acupuncture. Hove: Journal of Chinese Medicine Publications; 1998 — p. 306 Supports: techniques (names this point)
Site notes · not cited
- No deep needling
Functions
- Descends rebellious qi and benefits the diaphragm
- Harmonises the middle burner
- Relaxes the chest
- Activates the channel and relieves pain
Indications
Similar Points
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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