Acupuncture Points for Knee Osteoarthritis Problems

3 sourced protocols, each with its citation.

Each card names its evidence kind. What these labels mean

Protocol (4 points)

100%

ST34 · SP09 · SP10 · GB34

ST34Ridge Mound

ST34 acupoint
Click to enlarge

Click to view all layers

🗺️ Meridian: Stomach Meridian

🇨🇳 Chinese: 梁丘 (liáng qiū)

🎯 Location: When knee is flexed point is 2 thumb widths above the laterosuperior border of the patella.

⚠️ Cautions: Caution with depth.

🛡️ Treats: Knee Pain, Wind, Numbness, Leg Pain, Pain

SP09Yin Mound Spring

SP09 acupoint
Click to enlarge

Click to view all layers

🗺️ Meridian: Spleen Meridian

🇨🇳 Chinese: 陰陵泉 (yīn líng quán)

🎯 Location: On the lower border of the medial condyle of the tibia in the depression the posterior and inferior to the medial condyle of the tibia.

⚠️ Cautions: Avoid in cases of knee inflammation.

🛡️ Treats: Heat Chest, Fever, Diarrhea, Shortness of Breath, Jaundice

SP10Sea Of Blood

SP10 acupoint
Click to enlarge

Click to view all layers

🗺️ Meridian: Spleen Meridian

🇨🇳 Chinese: 血海 (xuè hǎi)

🎯 Location: When knee is flexed point is 2 thumb widths above the mediosuperior border of the patella on the bulge of the medial portion of the quadriceps femoris.

⚠️ Cautions: Anticoagulant therapy or a coagulopathy raises the risk of haematoma at the needling site – apply prolonged pressure on withdrawal. The precaution governs technique; bleeding disorders remain a treatable indication.

🛡️ Treats: Knee Pain, Absent Periods, Blood Stagnation, Pain, Hives

GB34Yang Mound Spring

GB34 acupoint
Click to enlarge

Click to view all layers

🗺️ Meridian: Gallbladder Meridian

🇨🇳 Chinese: 陽陵泉 (yáng líng quán)

🎯 Location: In the depression the anterior and inferior to the head of the fibula.

⚠️ Cautions: No specific contraindications.

🛡️ Treats: Fever, Knee Pain, Jaundice, Constipation, Vomiting

Study-reported

a 46-day course

Point selection reported in a published study.

doi:10.1186/s13063-020-04508-7 ↗
Corroborated by a second study. ST34, SP10, GB34 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.S634945 ↗

Protocol (7 points)

100%

ST34 · ST35 · ST36 · SP10 · GB34 · XL02 · XL05A

ST34Ridge Mound

ST34 acupoint
Click to enlarge

Click to view all layers

🗺️ Meridian: Stomach Meridian

🇨🇳 Chinese: 梁丘 (liáng qiū)

🎯 Location: When knee is flexed point is 2 thumb widths above the laterosuperior border of the patella.

⚠️ Cautions: Caution with depth.

🛡️ Treats: Knee Pain, Wind, Numbness, Leg Pain, Pain

ST35Calf's Nose

ST35 acupoint
Click to enlarge

Click to view all layers

🗺️ Meridian: Stomach Meridian

🇨🇳 Chinese: 犢鼻 (dú bí)

🎯 Location: When knee is flexed point is at the lower border of the patella in the depression the lateral to the patellar ligament.

⚠️ Cautions: Rule out fracture, dislocation and joint instability before needling, and do not needle into an acutely swollen joint or a haemarthrosis.

🛡️ Treats: Swelling, Pain, Channel Stagnation, Swollen Knee, Leg Muscle Wasting

ST36Leg Three Miles

ST36 acupoint
Click to enlarge

Click to view all layers

🗺️ 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

SP10Sea Of Blood

SP10 acupoint
Click to enlarge

Click to view all layers

🗺️ Meridian: Spleen Meridian

🇨🇳 Chinese: 血海 (xuè hǎi)

🎯 Location: When knee is flexed point is 2 thumb widths above the mediosuperior border of the patella on the bulge of the medial portion of the quadriceps femoris.

⚠️ Cautions: Anticoagulant therapy or a coagulopathy raises the risk of haematoma at the needling site – apply prolonged pressure on withdrawal. The precaution governs technique; bleeding disorders remain a treatable indication.

🛡️ Treats: Knee Pain, Absent Periods, Blood Stagnation, Pain, Hives

GB34Yang Mound Spring

GB34 acupoint
Click to enlarge

Click to view all layers

🗺️ Meridian: Gallbladder Meridian

🇨🇳 Chinese: 陽陵泉 (yáng líng quán)

🎯 Location: In the depression the anterior and inferior to the head of the fibula.

⚠️ Cautions: No specific contraindications.

🛡️ Treats: Fever, Knee Pain, Jaundice, Constipation, Vomiting

XL02Crane's Summit

XL02 acupoint
Click to enlarge

Click to view all layers

🗺️ Meridian: Extra Points: Lower limbs

🇨🇳 Chinese: 鶴頂 (hè dǐng)

🎯 Location: In the depression the at the midpoint of the superior border of the patella.

⚠️ Cautions: No specific contraindications.

🛡️ Treats: Knee Pain, Qi Stagnation, Blood Stagnation, Wind, Swelling

XL05AMedial Eye Of The Knee

XL05A acupoint
Click to enlarge

Click to view all layers

🗺️ Meridian: Extra Points: Lower limbs

🇨🇳 Chinese: 內膝眼 (nèi xī yǎn)

🎯 Location: When the knee is flexed, in the depression medial to the patellar ligament. The medial member of the Xiyan (EX-LE 5) pair; EX-LE 4 (Neixiyan) denotes this point alone.

⚠️ Cautions: Avoid in acute knee injuries.

🛡️ Treats: Swelling, Pain, Leg Muscle Wasting, Qi Leg, Leg Numbness

Study-reported

Needling · 10 sessions over 2 weeks

Point selection reported in a published study.

doi:10.2147/JPR.S634945 ↗
Corroborated by a second study. ST34, ST35, SP10, GB34 also appear in another study-reported protocol for the same search. A second publication is not necessarily a second research group. doi:10.1186/s13063-020-04508-7 ↗
Press Needles
70 needles for this course · 1 box, $19.99

Protocol (4 points)

81%

ST34 · ST35 · SP10 · GB34

ST34Ridge Mound

ST34 acupoint
Click to enlarge

Click to view all layers

🗺️ Meridian: Stomach Meridian

🇨🇳 Chinese: 梁丘 (liáng qiū)

🎯 Location: When knee is flexed point is 2 thumb widths above the laterosuperior border of the patella.

⚠️ Cautions: Caution with depth.

🛡️ Treats: Knee Pain, Wind, Numbness, Leg Pain, Pain

ST35Calf's Nose

ST35 acupoint
Click to enlarge

Click to view all layers

🗺️ Meridian: Stomach Meridian

🇨🇳 Chinese: 犢鼻 (dú bí)

🎯 Location: When knee is flexed point is at the lower border of the patella in the depression the lateral to the patellar ligament.

⚠️ Cautions: Rule out fracture, dislocation and joint instability before needling, and do not needle into an acutely swollen joint or a haemarthrosis.

🛡️ Treats: Swelling, Pain, Channel Stagnation, Swollen Knee, Leg Muscle Wasting

SP10Sea Of Blood

SP10 acupoint
Click to enlarge

Click to view all layers

🗺️ Meridian: Spleen Meridian

🇨🇳 Chinese: 血海 (xuè hǎi)

🎯 Location: When knee is flexed point is 2 thumb widths above the mediosuperior border of the patella on the bulge of the medial portion of the quadriceps femoris.

⚠️ Cautions: Anticoagulant therapy or a coagulopathy raises the risk of haematoma at the needling site – apply prolonged pressure on withdrawal. The precaution governs technique; bleeding disorders remain a treatable indication.

🛡️ Treats: Knee Pain, Absent Periods, Blood Stagnation, Pain, Hives

GB34Yang Mound Spring

GB34 acupoint
Click to enlarge

Click to view all layers

🗺️ Meridian: Gallbladder Meridian

🇨🇳 Chinese: 陽陵泉 (yáng líng quán)

🎯 Location: In the depression the anterior and inferior to the head of the fibula.

⚠️ Cautions: No specific contraindications.

🛡️ Treats: Fever, Knee Pain, Jaundice, Constipation, Vomiting

Study-reported

a 46-day course

Point selection reported in a published study.

doi:10.1186/s13063-020-04508-7 ↗
Corroborated by a second study. ST34, ST35, SP10, GB34 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.S634945 ↗
AcuiQ Self-Treatment Guide
Acupressure you can do at home, every protocol traced to a trial. – $12.99, free updates for life

Related symptoms

Often treated alongside Knee Osteoarthritis Problems:

Points cited for Knee Osteoarthritis Problems

How often each point appears across the 3 entries ranked highest for Knee Osteoarthritis Problems. Citation frequency, not a recommendation.

  • GB34Yang Mound SpringGallbladder Meridian3 of 3
  • SP10Sea Of BloodSpleen Meridian3 of 3
  • ST34Ridge MoundStomach Meridian3 of 3
  • ST35Calf's NoseStomach Meridian2 of 3
  • SP09Yin Mound SpringSpleen Meridian1 of 3
  • ST36Leg Three MilesStomach Meridian1 of 3
  • XL02Crane's SummitExtra Points: Lower limbs1 of 3
  • XL05AMedial Eye Of The KneeExtra Points: Lower limbs1 of 3

How the studies delivered it

What the 2 studies behind the entries above ran, counted once per study. A record of the trials, not a recommendation.

  • Needling1 of 2

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

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