Acupuncture Points for Abdominal Distension Postoperative

6 sourced protocols, each with its citation.

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Points cited for Abdominal Distension Postoperative

How often each point appears across the 6 entries ranked highest for Abdominal Distension Postoperative. Citation frequency, not a recommendation.

  • LI04Junction ValleyLarge Intestine Meridian3 of 6
  • SP06Three Yin IntersectionSpleen Meridian3 of 6
  • ST36Leg Three MilesStomach Meridian3 of 6
  • CV12Stomach CentreConception Vessel2 of 6
  • PC06Inner GatePericardium Meridian2 of 6
  • CV04Original Qi GateConception Vessel1 of 6
  • CV10Lower StomachConception Vessel1 of 6
  • CV13Upper StomachConception Vessel1 of 6
  • GV26PhiltrumGoverning Vessel1 of 6
  • HT07Spirit GateHeart Meridian1 of 6
  • KD01Bubbling SpringKidney Meridian1 of 6
  • ST25Celestial PivotStomach Meridian1 of 6

Each card names its evidence kind. What these labels mean

Protocol (3 points)

100%

SP06 · PC06 · GV26

Point 1 of 3

SP06Three Yin Intersection

SP06 acupoint
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🗺️ Meridian: Spleen Meridian

🇨🇳 Chinese: 三陰交 (sān yīn jiāo)

🎯 Location: 3 thumb widths directly above the tip of the medial malleolus posterior to the medial border of the tibia.

⚠️ Cautions: Traditionally forbidden in pregnancy – these are the points used to bring on labour at term. Controlled data show no excess of preterm birth or stillbirth (Carr 2015), but in pregnancy needle only on a clear obstetric indication.

🛡️ Treats: Diarrhea, Dizziness, Tinnitus, Palpitations, Abdominal Bloating

PC06Inner Gate

PC06 acupoint
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🗺️ Meridian: Pericardium Meridian

🇨🇳 Chinese: 內關 (nèi guān)

🎯 Location: 2 thumb widths above the transverse crease of the wrist between tendons of the palmaris longus and flexor carpi radialis.

⚠️ Cautions: Caution in severe deficiency conditions.

🛡️ Treats: Fever, Diarrhea, Anxiety, Dizziness, Spleen Qi Deficiency

GV26Philtrum

GV26 acupoint
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🗺️ Meridian: Governing Vessel

🇨🇳 Chinese: 人中 (rén zhōng)

🎯 Location: At the junction of the upper ⅓ and middle ⅓ of the philtrum.

⚠️ Cautions: No specific contraindications.

🛡️ Treats: Fever, Jaundice, Depression, Wind, Chills

Study-reported

Press needles

Point selection reported in a published study.

doi:10.1186/s13063-017-2319-3 ↗
Corroborated by a second study. SP06, PC06 also appear in another study-reported protocol for the same search. A second publication is not necessarily a second research group. doi:10.2147/JPR.S399249 ↗

Protocol (4 points)

100%

LI04 · ST36 · SP06 · PC06

Point 1 of 4

LI04Junction Valley

LI04 acupoint
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🗺️ Meridian: Large Intestine Meridian

🇨🇳 Chinese: 合谷 (hé gǔ)

🎯 Location: On the dorsum of the hand between 1st & 2nd metacarpal bones approximately in the middle of the 2nd metacarpal bone on the radial side.

⚠️ Cautions: Traditionally forbidden in pregnancy – these are the points used to bring on labour at term. Controlled data show no excess of preterm birth or stillbirth (Carr 2015), but in pregnancy needle only on a clear obstetric indication.

🛡️ Treats: Fever, Tinnitus, Release Exterior, Absent Periods, Wind

ST36Leg Three Miles

ST36 acupoint
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🗺️ Meridian: Stomach Meridian

🇨🇳 Chinese: 足三里 (zú sān lǐ)

🎯 Location: 3 thumb widths below ST35, 1 finger breadth (middle finger) from anterior border of the tibia.

⚠️ Cautions: Caution in cases of severe varicose veins.

🛡️ Treats: Cough, Fever, Poor Appetite, Diarrhea, Shortness of Breath

SP06Three Yin Intersection

SP06 acupoint
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🗺️ Meridian: Spleen Meridian

🇨🇳 Chinese: 三陰交 (sān yīn jiāo)

🎯 Location: 3 thumb widths directly above the tip of the medial malleolus posterior to the medial border of the tibia.

⚠️ Cautions: Traditionally forbidden in pregnancy – these are the points used to bring on labour at term. Controlled data show no excess of preterm birth or stillbirth (Carr 2015), but in pregnancy needle only on a clear obstetric indication.

🛡️ Treats: Diarrhea, Dizziness, Tinnitus, Palpitations, Abdominal Bloating

PC06Inner Gate

PC06 acupoint
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🗺️ Meridian: Pericardium Meridian

🇨🇳 Chinese: 內關 (nèi guān)

🎯 Location: 2 thumb widths above the transverse crease of the wrist between tendons of the palmaris longus and flexor carpi radialis.

⚠️ Cautions: Caution in severe deficiency conditions.

🛡️ Treats: Fever, Diarrhea, Anxiety, Dizziness, Spleen Qi Deficiency

Study-reported

Electrical stimulation on the skin · 2 sessions

Point selection reported in a published study.

doi:10.2147/JPR.S399249 ↗
Corroborated by a second study. SP06, PC06 also appear in another study-reported protocol for the same search. A second publication is not necessarily a second research group. doi:10.1186/s13063-017-2319-3 ↗

Protocol (5 points)

100%

LI04 · ST25 · SP06 · HT07 · CV12

Point 1 of 5

LI04Junction Valley

LI04 acupoint
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🗺️ Meridian: Large Intestine Meridian

🇨🇳 Chinese: 合谷 (hé gǔ)

🎯 Location: On the dorsum of the hand between 1st & 2nd metacarpal bones approximately in the middle of the 2nd metacarpal bone on the radial side.

⚠️ Cautions: Traditionally forbidden in pregnancy – these are the points used to bring on labour at term. Controlled data show no excess of preterm birth or stillbirth (Carr 2015), but in pregnancy needle only on a clear obstetric indication.

🛡️ Treats: Fever, Tinnitus, Release Exterior, Absent Periods, Wind

ST25Celestial Pivot

ST25 acupoint
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🗺️ Meridian: Stomach Meridian

🇨🇳 Chinese: 天樞 (tiān shū)

🎯 Location: 2 thumb widths lateral to the center of the umbilicus.

⚠️ Cautions: Acute appendicitis is a surgical emergency – treatment here is adjunctive at most and must never delay surgical assessment. Avoid needling over the gravid uterus after the first trimester; where used in pregnancy, needle shallowly and only on a clear obstetric indication.

🛡️ Treats: Poor Appetite, Diarrhea, Constipation, Vomiting, Abdominal Bloating

SP06Three Yin Intersection

SP06 acupoint
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🗺️ Meridian: Spleen Meridian

🇨🇳 Chinese: 三陰交 (sān yīn jiāo)

🎯 Location: 3 thumb widths directly above the tip of the medial malleolus posterior to the medial border of the tibia.

⚠️ Cautions: Traditionally forbidden in pregnancy – these are the points used to bring on labour at term. Controlled data show no excess of preterm birth or stillbirth (Carr 2015), but in pregnancy needle only on a clear obstetric indication.

🛡️ Treats: Diarrhea, Dizziness, Tinnitus, Palpitations, Abdominal Bloating

HT07Spirit Gate

HT07 acupoint
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🗺️ Meridian: Heart Meridian

🇨🇳 Chinese: 神門 (shén mén)

🎯 Location: At the ulnar end of the transverse crease of the wrist in the depression on the radial side of the tendon of the flexor carpi ulnaris.

⚠️ Cautions: Caution in cardiac arrhythmias.

🛡️ Treats: Anxiety, Shortness of Breath, Palpitations, Common Cold, Heat

CV12Stomach Centre

CV12 acupoint
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🗺️ Meridian: Conception Vessel

🇨🇳 Chinese: 中脘 (zhōng wǎn)

🎯 Location: On the anterior midline 4 thumb widths above the umbilicus.

⚠️ Cautions: Avoid needling over the gravid uterus after the first trimester; where used in pregnancy, needle shallowly and only on a clear obstetric indication.

🛡️ Treats: Poor Appetite, Diarrhea, Shortness of Breath, Common Cold, Depression

Study-reported

Acupressure

Point selection reported in a published study.

doi:10.1007/s11695-025-07768-x ↗
Corroborated by a second study. LI04, SP06 also appear in another study-reported protocol for the same search. A second publication is not necessarily a second research group. doi:10.2147/JPR.S399249 ↗

Protocol (3 points)

100%

LI04 · ST36 · KD01

Point 1 of 3

LI04Junction Valley

LI04 acupoint
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🗺️ Meridian: Large Intestine Meridian

🇨🇳 Chinese: 合谷 (hé gǔ)

🎯 Location: On the dorsum of the hand between 1st & 2nd metacarpal bones approximately in the middle of the 2nd metacarpal bone on the radial side.

⚠️ Cautions: Traditionally forbidden in pregnancy – these are the points used to bring on labour at term. Controlled data show no excess of preterm birth or stillbirth (Carr 2015), but in pregnancy needle only on a clear obstetric indication.

🛡️ Treats: Fever, Tinnitus, Release Exterior, Absent Periods, Wind

ST36Leg Three Miles

ST36 acupoint
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🗺️ Meridian: Stomach Meridian

🇨🇳 Chinese: 足三里 (zú sān lǐ)

🎯 Location: 3 thumb widths below ST35, 1 finger breadth (middle finger) from anterior border of the tibia.

⚠️ Cautions: Caution in cases of severe varicose veins.

🛡️ Treats: Cough, Fever, Poor Appetite, Diarrhea, Shortness of Breath

KD01Bubbling Spring

KD01 acupoint
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🗺️ Meridian: Kidney Meridian

🇨🇳 Chinese: 湧泉 (yǒng quán)

🎯 Location: On the sole in the depression the when foot is in the plantar flexion the approximately at the junction of the anterior 1/3 and posterior 2/3 of the line connecting base of the 2nd and 3rd toes and heel.

⚠️ Cautions: Avoid in patients with severe deficiency conditions.

🛡️ Treats: Cough, Anxiety, Shortness of Breath, Dizziness, Coughing Blood

Study-reported

Point selection reported in a published study.

doi:10.16424/j.cnki.cn32-1807/r.2017.02.023 ↗
Corroborated by a second study. LI04, ST36 also appear in another study-reported protocol for the same search. A second publication is not necessarily a second research group. doi:10.2147/JPR.S399249 ↗

Protocol (4 points)

100%

CV04 · CV10 · CV12 · CV13

Point 1 of 4

CV04Original Qi Gate

CV04 acupoint
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🗺️ Meridian: Conception Vessel

🇨🇳 Chinese: 關元 (guān yuán)

🎯 Location: On the anterior midline 3 thumb widths below umbilicus.

⚠️ Cautions: Avoid needling over the gravid uterus after the first trimester; where used in pregnancy, needle shallowly and only on a clear obstetric indication. Bleeding in pregnancy requires obstetric assessment.

🛡️ Treats: Cough, Diarrhea, Anxiety, Shortness of Breath, Kidney Deficiency

CV10Lower Stomach

CV10 acupoint
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🗺️ Meridian: Conception Vessel

🇨🇳 Chinese: 下脘 (xià wǎn)

🎯 Location: On the anterior midline 2 thumb widths above the umbilicus.

⚠️ Cautions: Caution in pregnancy.

🛡️ Treats: Upper Stomach Pain, Nausea, Food Stagnation, Abdominal Fullness, Urine Dark

CV12Stomach Centre

CV12 acupoint
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🗺️ Meridian: Conception Vessel

🇨🇳 Chinese: 中脘 (zhōng wǎn)

🎯 Location: On the anterior midline 4 thumb widths above the umbilicus.

⚠️ Cautions: Avoid needling over the gravid uterus after the first trimester; where used in pregnancy, needle shallowly and only on a clear obstetric indication.

🛡️ Treats: Poor Appetite, Diarrhea, Shortness of Breath, Common Cold, Depression

CV13Upper Stomach

CV13 acupoint
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🗺️ Meridian: Conception Vessel

🇨🇳 Chinese: 上脘 (shàng wǎn)

🎯 Location: On the anterior midline 5 thumb widths above the umbilicus.

⚠️ Cautions: Caution in pregnancy.

🛡️ Treats: Phlegm, Palpitations, Jaundice, Heat, Vomiting

Study-reported

Point selection reported in a published study.

doi:10.14033/j.cnki.cfmr.2011.29.015 ↗
Corroborated by a second study. CV12 also appears in another study-reported protocol for the same search. A second publication is not necessarily a second research group. doi:10.1007/s11695-025-07768-x ↗

Single-point entry

90%

ST36Leg Three Miles

ST36 acupoint
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🗺️ Meridian: Stomach Meridian

🇨🇳 Chinese: 足三里 (zú sān lǐ)

🎯 Location: 3 thumb widths below ST35, 1 finger breadth (middle finger) from anterior border of the tibia.

⚠️ Cautions: Caution in cases of severe varicose veins.

🛡️ Treats: Cough, Fever, Poor Appetite, Diarrhea, Shortness of Breath

Text or case report

Needling

Point selection recorded in a clinical text or case report.

Wan Q. Auricular-plaster therapy plus acupuncture at zusanli for postoperative recovery of intestinal function.. Journal of traditional Chinese medicine = Chung i tsa chih ying wen pan, 2000
Substantiated by a study. ST36 also appears in a study-reported protocol for the same search. That study did not test this prescription. doi:10.2147/JPR.S399249 ↗
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How the studies delivered it

What the 5 studies behind the entries above ran, counted once per study. A record of the trials, not a recommendation.

  • Press needles1 of 5
  • Electrical stimulation on the skin1 of 5
  • Acupressure1 of 5

After a treatment: what large safety surveys recorded, and which reactions need a doctor.

Disclaimer: The acupoint information provided is for educational purposes only.