GB33 Xiyangguan (Yang Knee Gate)

Location

3 thumb widths above the GB34 lateral to the knee joint in the depression above the external epicondyle of the femur.

Indications

Conditions for which GB33 is listed as indicated. An indication list is a reference index, not a prescription – see the protocols below for sourced treatments.

TCM actions

What classical sources say GB33 does in the terms of Chinese medicine theory. These describe the point, not a condition.

Protocols using GB33

• Osteoarthritis Knee – ST34, ST35, SP10, GB33, GB34 (doi:10.1016/s0254-6272(09)60075-3 ↗)
• Osteoarthritis Knee – ST26, ST34, ST35, SP10, SP15, GB33, GB34, CV04, CV06, CV12 (doi:10.1016/s0254-6272(09)60075-3 ↗)
• Knee Pain, Osteoarthritis Knee, Stiffness Joint – ST06, ST34, ST35, ST36, SP04, SP05, SP06, SP09, SP10, BL20, BL40, BL57, BL58, BL60, BL62, KD03, KD10, GB33, GB34, LV08 (doi:10.1155/2013/182528 ↗)
• Head Pain, Headache Migraine, Headache Unilateral – TB08, TB19, GB33 (doi:10.1186/s12967-014-0351-6 ↗)
• Headache Migraine, Migraine Without Aura – TB08, GB33, GB42 (doi:10.1016/j.nicl.2017.05.013 ↗)
• Knee Pain, Osteoarthritis Knee, Stiffness Knee, Restricted Range-of-motion Knee – ST35, ST36, SP06, SP09, BL40, GB33, GB34, LV08 (doi:10.1155/2020/1686952 ↗)
• Knee Pain, Osteoarthritis Knee, Stiffness Knee, Inflammation Joint – ST34, ST35, ST36, ST40, ST41, SP06, SP09, SP10, BL60, KD03, GB31, GB33, GB34, GB36, GB39, GB41, LV03, LV07, LV08 (doi:10.2147/JPR.S256950 ↗)
• Knee Pain, Osteoarthritis Knee, Stiffness Knee – ST34, ST36, SP09, SP10, GB33, LV08 (doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000029306 ↗)
• Knee Pain, Knee Problems, Stiffness Knee, Arthritis Knee Degenerative – ST34, ST35, ST36, SP09, SP10, KD10, GB33, GB34 (doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000030385 ↗)
• Knee Pain, Osteoarthritis Knee, Stiffness Knee – ST35, SP06, SP10, KD03, GB33, LV08 (doi:10.1186/s12906-025-04985-w ↗)
• Knee Pain, Osteoarthritis Knee, Stiffness Knee – ST34, ST35, ST36, SP10, BL18, BL23, GB33, GB34 (doi:10.1186/s12984-025-01692-y ↗)
• Osteoarthritis Knee, Liver-kidney Deficiency – ST35, ST36, GB33, GB34, LV08, CV04 (doi:10.27134/d.cnki.ghbzc.2024.000027 ↗)
• Knee Pain, Osteoarthritis Knee – LU05, LI11, ST35, GB31, GB33 (doi:10.2196/77336 ↗)
• Stroke, Hemiplegia, Leg Weakness, Spasticity, Balance Impaired, Spasticity Post-stroke, Hemiplegia Post-stroke – SP09, BL59, KD06, KD08, GB33, GB34, GB40, LV08 (doi:10.13702/j.1000-0607.20250680 ↗)
• Knee Pain, Osteoarthritis Knee, Stiffness Knee – ST35, SP06, SP10, KD03, GB33, LV08, XL05A (doi:10.1186/s12906-025-04985-w ↗)
• Knee Pain, Osteoarthritis Knee, Stiffness Knee – ST34, ST35, ST36, SP10, BL18, BL23, GB33, GB34, XL05A (doi:10.1186/s12984-025-01692-y ↗)
• Knee Pain, Osteoarthritis Knee, Stiffness Knee – ST35, GB33, LV08, XL05A (doi:10.2196/84082 ↗)
• Paralysis Spastic Post-stroke – LI04, LI11, LI15, SP06, SP09, HT01, HT03, BL60, KD01, KD03, PC06, PC07, PC08, TB04, TB05, GB30, GB31, GB33, GB34, GB39, LV03, LV08 (doi:10.1016/s0254-6272(15)30071-6 ↗)
• Muscle Hypertonia Post-hemorrhagic Stroke – LU05, LI04, SP05, SP06, SP09, HT01, SI03, KD01, KD10, PC03, PC06, PC07, TB05, GB33, GB34, GB39, GB40, LV03, GV20, XH05 (doi:10.1016/s0254-6272(15)30071-6 ↗)
• Knee Pain, Osteoarthritis Knee, Stiffness Knee, Liver-kidney Deficiency, Wind-Cold-Damp Bi Syndrome – ST32, BL38, BL54, BL60, KD03, GB29, GB33, LV07 (doi:10.13703/j.0255-2930.20250424-k0005 ↗)
• Osteoarthritis Knee, Joint Knee Pain – ST35, GB33, GV03, XB08, XL05A (doi:10.2147/jpr.s571098 ↗)
• Migraine Without Aura – TB08, GB33, GB42 (doi:10.1177/0333102416641665 ↗)
• Knee Pain, Osteoarthritis Knee – ST34, ST35, ST36, SP09, SP10, KD10, GB33, GB34, XL05A, XL05B (doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000030385 ↗)
• Parkinson's Disease – LI10, BL24, BL58, TB04, GB33 (doi:10.1002/mds.70343 ↗)
• Osteoarthritis Knee – ST35, GB33, LV08, XL05A, XL05B (doi:10.1155/2020/1686952 ↗)
• Osteoarthritis Knee – ST35, GB33, GV03, XB08, XL05A (doi:10.2147/JPR.S571098 ↗)
• Migraine – TB08, TB19, GB33 (doi:10.1186/s12967-014-0351-6 ↗)
• Osteoarthritis Knee – ST35, GB33, LV08, XL05A (doi:10.2174/0113862073303471240805061026 ↗)
• Migraine Without Aura – TB08, GB33, GB42 (doi:10.3389/fnins.2021.729218 ↗)
• Ischemic Stroke – LI04, LI11, ST36, SP06, GB20, GB33, GB39, GV20 (doi:10.1155/2018/5179689 ↗)
• Osteoarthritis Knee – ST34, ST35, ST36, SP09, SP10, GB33, GB34, XL05A (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗)
• Migraine Without Aura – TB08, GB33, GB42 (doi:10.1038/srep20298 ↗)
• Osteoarthritis Knee – ST34, ST35, ST36, SP09, SP10, GB33, GB34, XL05A (doi:10.13702/j.1000-0607.170371 ↗)
• Knee Pain, Osteoarthritis Knee – ST35, GB33, LV08, XL05A (doi:10.3389/fcimb.2021.597431 ↗)
• Hemiplegia, Motor Dysfunction, Ischemic Stroke, Neurological Impairment – LI04, LI11, ST36, SP06, GB20, GB33, GB39, GV20 (Wu P, Zeng F, Li YX, Li J, Qiu LH, Qin W, Luo L, Yin CX, Xiong Y, Bai Y, Wang D, Zhou YM, Liang FR. Effect of acupuncture plus conventional treatment on brain activity in ischemic stroke patients: a regional homogeneity analysis. J Tradit Chin Med. 2017; 37(5): 650-658.)
• Knee Osteoarthritis – ST35, ST36, SP09, SP10, BL40, GB33, GB34 (Combined Effect of Laser Acupuncture and Electroacupuncture in Knee Osteoarthritis Patients. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04188925)
• Post-stroke Depression – LU04, LI04, LI06, LI07, LI10, LI11, LI12, LI13, LI15, ST02, ST32, ST33, ST34, ST36, ST37, ST39, ST40, ST44, SP06, SP10, SP11, HT05, BL15, BL20, BL23, BL61, BL64, KD02, KD03, PC02, PC03, PC06, TB03, TB06, TB07, TB09, TB12, TB14, GB20, GB31, GB33, GB43, LV02, LV03, LV05, LV14, GV20, GV23, GV26 (Acupuncture for Ischemic Post-stroke Depression. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02472613)
• Knee Pain, Osteoarthritis Knee – ST34, ST35, ST36, SP06, SP09, SP10, GB33, GB34 (于世超郑建强. 基于文献分析探究针灸治疗膝关节骨性关节炎的选穴规律. 中国中医药现代远程教育 ., 2023 [CNKI])

Most often selected alongside GB33

How many sourced protocols in the index pair each point with GB33. Corpus frequency, not a combination to use.

• ST35Calf's Nose23 protocols
• GB34Yang Mound Spring17 protocols
• SP10Sea Of Blood16 protocols
• ST36Leg Three Miles16 protocols
• LV08Spring At The Bend13 protocols
• SP09Yin Mound Spring13 protocols
• ST34Ridge Mound13 protocols
• SP06Three Yin Intersection11 protocols
• XL05AMedial Eye Of The Knee11 protocols
• KD03Great Stream7 protocols
• TB08Three Yang Connection6 protocols
• GB39Suspended Bell5 protocols

Other points on the Gallbladder Meridian