Verscienta
GB21

Jianjing

Star

肩井 (Jiānjǐng) — Shoulder Well

Gallbladder channel · point 21

Not yet clinically reviewed

Meeting point of the Gallbladder, Stomach and Triple Energiser channels with the Yang Wei Mai

Traditionally used for

  • Headaches
  • Cough & breathing
  • Menstrual & women's health
  • Pain & joints

Cautions & contraindications

  • Pregnancy
  • No deep needling

Location

On the shoulder, at the midpoint of the line from the spinous process of C7 (GV14) to the lateral end of the acromion, at the highest point of the trapezius.

How to locate: With the patient seated, find the spinous process of C7 (GV14) and the lateral end of the acromion; the point is at the midpoint of the line joining them, on the highest part of the trapezius.

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

Body map, back: GB21 · Shoulder
Fig. — GB21 · Shoulder After Albinus, 1747
Body map, back: GB21 · Shoulder

GB21 · Shoulder · Albinus, Tabulae sceleti et musculorum, 1747

The humerus — Gray's Anatomy plate Needling hazard — see Needling safety
The humerus Gray's Anatomy, 1918
The humerus — Gray's Anatomy plate Needling hazard — see Needling safety

The humerus · Gray's Anatomy, 1918

3D view

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.

Needle angle and depth
  1. Oblique, posterior — not drawn: WHO gives no proportional measurement for this part of the body.
  • 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
  • Pregnancy: contraindicated
  1. Oblique insertion — posterior
    Depth 0.5–1 cun
    skindeeper

Traditionally forbidden in pregnancy (at least before 37 weeks). Carr (2015) reviewed the trials and found no objective evidence of harm from needling these points; the prohibition is traditional, not evidence-based. Ultrasound safe needling depth at GB21 varied widely between individuals and with posture and breathing (Chu et al. 2018). Case reports: pneumothorax after needling at this point (3 cases in Wu et al. 2015).

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 (4)
  1. Carr DJ. The safety of obstetric acupuncture: forbidden points revisited. Acupunct Med. 2015;33(5):413-419 — Identifying sources of concern and relevant outcomes Supports: pregnancy (names this point)
  2. Chu H, Kim J, Ha W, et al. Change of safe needling depth at acupoint GB21 according to posture and breathing. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2018;2018:2308102 — Abstract Supports: pneumothorax (names this point)
  3. Wu J, Hu Y, Zhu Y, Yin P, Litscher G, Xu S. Systematic review of adverse effects: a further step towards modernization of acupuncture in China. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015;2015:432467 — Table 1 (Pneumothorax associated with acupuncture) Supports: pneumothorax (case report)
  4. Deadman P, Al-Khafaji M, Baker K. A Manual of Acupuncture. Hove: Journal of Chinese Medicine Publications; 1998 — p. 438 Supports: techniques (names this point)

Site notes · not cited

  • Pregnancy
  • No deep needling
Depth: 0.3–0.5 cun
Angle: Perpendicular, shallow
⚠ Cautions: Directly over the lung apex — do not needle deeply. Contraindicated in pregnancy: it strongly descends qi and is classically used to induce labour.

Functions

  • Descends qi and relaxes the sinews of the neck and shoulder
  • Regulates qi and transforms phlegm
  • Promotes labour and delivery
  • Benefits the breast and dissipates nodules

Indications

Neck and shoulder stiffness and painheadache from shoulder tensiondifficult labour and retained placentainsufficient lactation and mastitisscrofulainability to raise the arm

Balance Method partners

Under Dr. Tan's six systems, GB21 at the shoulder balances these channels at the regions its segment images.

Clinical Notes

The most commonly needled point for shoulder and upper-trapezius tension, and one where the pregnancy contraindication genuinely matters.

Similar Points

Jianshi how are these connected? (Jianshi) Jianli how are these connected? (Jianli) Jianzhen how are these connected? (Jianzhen)

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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