# Acupoints for Shoulder Dysfunction

1 sourced protocol for Shoulder Dysfunction. Canonical page: https://acuiq.com/symptoms/shoulder-dysfunction

## Protocols

| # | Points | Course | Source | Kind | Caveat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LU05 (Cubit Marsh), LI04 (Junction Valley), LI15 (Shoulder And Clavicle), ST36 (Leg Three Miles), ST38 (Ribbon Opening), SP09 (Yin Mound Spring), BL60 (Kunlun (Mountains)), KD07 (Returning Flow), GB21 (Shoulder Well), LV03 (Great Surge), CV03 (Central Pivot) | Needling, 10 sessions over 10 weeks | doi:10.31557/APJCP.2025.26.3.799 | trial | Point selection reported in a published study. |
| 2 | LI15 (Shoulder And Clavicle), LI16 (Great Bone), SI09 (True Shoulder), SI10 (Upper Arm Shu Point), SI11 (Heavenly Gathering), SI12 (Grasping The Wind), SI13 (Crooked Wall), TB14 (Shoulder Bone Hole) | Thread embedding, 8 sessions over 8 weeks | doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000046638 | trial | Point selection reported in a published study. |
| 3 | LI04 (Junction Valley), LI11 (Pond At The Bend), TB05 (Outer Gate) | Electroacupuncture, 14 sessions over 2 weeks | doi:10.13703/j.0255-2930.2019.05.004 | trial | Point selection reported in a published study. |

## Point locations

| Point | Name | Meridian | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| LU05 | Cubit Marsh | Lung Meridian | On the cubital crease in the depression of the radial side of the biceps brachii tendon; point is located with elbow slightly flexed. |
| LI04 | Junction Valley | Large Intestine Meridian | On the dorsum of the hand between 1st & 2nd metacarpal bones approximately in the middle of the 2nd metacarpal bone on the radial side. |
| LI15 | Shoulder And Clavicle | Large Intestine Meridian | Anteroinferior to the acromion on the upper portion of the deltoid muscle; when arm is in the full abduction the point is in the depression the appearing at the anterior border of the acromioclavicular joint. |
| ST36 | Leg Three Miles | Stomach Meridian | 3 thumb widths below ST35, 1 finger breadth (middle finger) from anterior border of the tibia. |
| ST38 | Ribbon Opening | Stomach Meridian | 8 thumb widths below ST35, 1 finger breadth (middle finger) from anterior border of the tibia. |
| SP09 | Yin Mound Spring | Spleen Meridian | 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. |
| BL60 | Kunlun (Mountains) | Bladder Meridian | In the depression the between tip of the external malleolus and achilles tendon. |
| KD07 | Returning Flow | Kidney Meridian | 2 thumb widths directly above the KD03 on the anterior border of the achilles tendon. |
| GB21 | Shoulder Well | Gallbladder Meridian | On the shoulder directly above the nipple at the midpoint of the line connecting GV14 and acromion the at the highest point of the shoulder. |
| LV03 | Great Surge | Liver Meridian | On the dorsum of the foot in the depression the distal to the junction of the 1st and 2nd metatarsal bones. |
| CV03 | Central Pivot | Conception Vessel | On the anterior midline 4 thumb widths below umbilicus. |
| LI16 | Great Bone | Large Intestine Meridian | In the upper aspect of the shoulder in the depression the between acromial extremity of the clavicle and scapular spine. |
| SI09 | True Shoulder | Small Intestine Meridian | Posterior and inferior to the shoulder joint; when arm is adducted point is 1 thumb width above the posterior end of the axillary fold. |
| SI10 | Upper Arm Shu Point | Small Intestine Meridian | When arm is adducted, point is directly above the posterior end of the axillary fold in the depression the inferior to the scapular spine. |
| SI11 | Heavenly Gathering | Small Intestine Meridian | On the scapula in the depression of the center of the subscapular fossa and at the level of the 4th thoracic vertebra. |
| SI12 | Grasping The Wind | Small Intestine Meridian | In the center of the suprascapular fossa directly above the SI11; when arm is lifted point is at the site of the depression. |
| SI13 | Crooked Wall | Small Intestine Meridian | On the medial extremity of the suprascapular fossa about midway between SI10 and spinous process of the 2nd thoracic vertebra. |
| TB14 | Shoulder Bone Hole | Triple Burner Meridian | On the shoulder posterior to the LI15 in the depression the inferior and posterior to the acromion the when arm is abducted. |
| LI11 | Pond At The Bend | Large Intestine Meridian | When elbow is flexed point is in the depression the at the lateral end of the transverse cubital crease midway between LU05 and lateral epicondyle of the humerus. |
| TB05 | Outer Gate | Triple Burner Meridian | 2 thumb widths proximal to the dorsal crease of the wrist on the line connecting TB04 and tip of the olecranon the between radius and ulna. |

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AcuiQ-authored prose (symptom and meridian descriptions, the wiki, the auricular crosswalk) is licensed CC-BY-4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The assembled protocol compilation is not: build on it with attribution, but do not redistribute it whole as a dataset – https://acuiq.com/terms. The underlying findings are the cited sources' claims – each entry carries its citation; verify against the source before relying on it. Not medical advice: https://acuiq.com/terms