Verscienta
ST35

Dubi

Star

犢鼻 (Dúbí) — Calf's Nose

Stomach channel · point 35

Not yet clinically reviewed

Traditionally used for

  • Nerves & recovery
  • Pain & joints

Location

On the knee, in the depression lateral to the patellar ligament, with the knee flexed.

How to locate: Flex the knee to 90°; the point is the lateral of the two hollows ('the calf's nostrils') below the kneecap.

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

Body map, front: ST35 · Knee
Fig. — ST35 · Knee After Albinus, 1747
Body map, front: ST35 · Knee

ST35 · Knee · Albinus, Tabulae sceleti et musculorum, 1747

The knee joint — Gray's Anatomy plate
The knee joint Gray's Anatomy, 1918 Marker hidden while its position on this plate is re-checked.
The knee joint — Gray's Anatomy plate

The knee joint · 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.

Cun on this part of the body
From the superior border of the pubic symphysis to the base of the patella: 18 B-cun (WHO 2008, General Guidelines, Proportional Bone (Skeletal) Measurements, p. 13).
Needle angle and depth
  1. Perpendicular (90° to the skin), 1–2 cun, directed towards Weizhong BL40. Directed towards BL40. Deadman P, Al-Khafaji M, Baker K, p. 157
  2. Oblique (45° to the skin), 1–2 cun, in a medial and superior direction, behind the patella. The direction is given in the source's words only. Deadman P, Al-Khafaji M, Baker K, p. 157
  3. Through needling, behind the patellar ligament to medial xiyan (mn-le-16) — not drawn: no cited depth in cun.

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

Techniques — the source gives these as alternatives:

  1. Perpendicular insertion — directed towards Weizhong BL40
    Depth 1–2 cun
    skindeeper

    With the knee flexed and supported by a rolled pillow.

  2. Oblique insertion — in a medial and superior direction, behind the patella
    Depth 1–2 cun
    skindeeper

    With the knee flexed and supported by a rolled pillow.

  3. Through-needling — behind the patellar ligament to medial Xiyan (MN-LE-16)

    With the knee flexed and supported by a rolled pillow.

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)
  1. Deadman P, Al-Khafaji M, Baker K. A Manual of Acupuncture. Hove: Journal of Chinese Medicine Publications; 1998 — p. 157 Supports: techniques (names this point)

Site notes · not cited

Depth: 0.5–1.2 cun
Angle: Oblique, directed medially and posteriorly into the joint space

Functions

  • Expels wind and damp from the knee
  • Reduces swelling and relieves pain

Indications

Knee pain, swelling and stiffnessosteoarthritis of the kneenumbness and weakness of the legberiberi

Balance Method partners

Under Dr. Tan's six systems, ST35 at the knee balances these channels at the regions its segment images.

  • 1. Same Chinese name
    Large Intestine channel
    Elbow · Mirror (arm ↔ leg)
    Elbow · Reversed mirror
    Upper abdomen, Lower back · Image, head at the hand/foot
    Chest, Upper back · Image, head toward the elbow/knee
    Solve for the Large Intestine channel →
  • 2. Branching (Bie Jing / Zang Fu Bie Tong)
    Pericardium channel
    Elbow · Mirror (arm ↔ leg)
    Elbow · Reversed mirror
    Upper abdomen, Lower back · Image, head at the hand/foot
    Chest, Upper back · Image, head toward the elbow/knee
    Solve for the Pericardium channel →
  • 3. Interior–exterior pair
    Spleen channel
    Knee, Back of knee · Same segment, opposite side
    Upper abdomen, Lower back · Image, head at the hand/foot
    Chest, Upper back · Image, head toward the elbow/knee
    Solve for the Spleen channel →
  • 4. Chinese clock opposite
    Pericardium channel
    Elbow · Mirror (arm ↔ leg)
    Elbow · Reversed mirror
    Upper abdomen, Lower back · Image, head at the hand/foot
    Chest, Upper back · Image, head toward the elbow/knee
    Solve for the Pericardium channel →
  • 5. Chinese clock neighbour
    Large Intestine channel
    Elbow · Mirror (arm ↔ leg)
    Elbow · Reversed mirror
    Upper abdomen, Lower back · Image, head at the hand/foot
    Chest, Upper back · Image, head toward the elbow/knee
    Solve for the Large Intestine channel →
  • 6. Same channel
    Stomach channel
    Knee, Back of knee · Same segment, opposite side
    Upper abdomen, Lower back · Image, head at the hand/foot
    Chest, Upper back · Image, head toward the elbow/knee
    Solve for the Stomach channel →

Clinical Notes

Nearly always used with its medial counterpart, the extra point Neixiyan, as the 'Xiyan' (Knee Eyes) pair.

Combinations Using This Point

Xiyan — The Eyes of the Knee

The two hollows either side of the patellar ligament, needled with Heding above, framing the knee joint.

Sources

  • World Health Organization. WHO Standard Acupuncture Point Locations in the Western Pacific Region. Manila: WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific, 2008. (Location.)

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