EX-LE5

Xiyan

Star

膝眼 (Xīyǎn) — Eyes of the Knee

Extra point · Extra (Lower Extremity) · point EX-LE5

Traditionally used for

Pain & joints

Location

The pair of depressions on either side of the patellar ligament, with the knee flexed — the medial is EX-LE4 (Neixiyan), the lateral is ST35 (Dubi).

How to locate: With the knee flexed and supported, feel for the two depressions either side of the patellar ligament, level with the lower border of the patella: the medial one is EX-LE4 and the lateral one ST35.

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

Body map, front: EX-LE5 · Knee — Fig. — EX-LE5 · Knee After Albinus, 1747

The knee joint — Gray's Anatomy plate — The knee joint Gray's Anatomy, 1918

3D view

3D view not available for this point: its position on the 3D model couldn't be checked against its location text, so it is not shown. The 2D maps above show it.

Needling

Depth: 0.5–1.2 cun

Angle: Oblique, directed into the joint space from each side

Functions

Benefits the knee and expels wind-damp
Reduces swelling and relieves pain

Indications

Knee pain, swelling and stiffnessosteoarthritis of the kneedifficulty flexing or extending the knee

Clinical Notes

A collective name for the pair rather than a separate location — the standard local prescription for the knee.

Sources

Focks C, ed. Atlas of Acupuncture. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, 2008. (Locating method and actions.)

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