Needling Well Points

It is also worth noting the Korean style for locating Ying-Spring points. For example, LR 2 (Xingjian) is situated closer to the bone (indicated by the yellow dot) rather than in the more common location proximal to the web margin between the first and second toes (red dot).

@fadi That's really helpful! I'm still having a hard time with certain Ying-Spring points that are on the bones like SI2 or UB66. Where did you find this information? I'd like to know more...! As for the jing-well points, this technique and it feels so much easier to get a good grip and manipulate the needle!

@catherine-debard Needling Ying points in this way was a clinical tip I learned from a course with HB Kim. This technique can be applied to most Ying points -especially UB66, which can be quite painful if the correct spot isn’t found, right at the corner near the bone (but without touching the bone).

@fadi Thank you! I will try this from now on 🙂

@catherine-debard I also find that pinching up the skin around UB66 helps as well, because then you have more flesh to needle into.

@fadi if you happen to have a picture of the BL66 point, could you please post it.  I also find that one tricky.

@loreen-dawson

I’m not sure if a picture would help much in this case, since UB66 is really tiny, unlike LV2, where many tend to needle the center of the digital skin web rather than closer to the bone (as shown in the picture I attached above).

The key is to palpate the depression on the bone, as illustrated in the photo, and as Michael mentioned, pinching the skin slightly can also help. I always remember a phrase from a Korean drama about the life of the Joseon-era doctor Heo Jun: when he asked his master how to locate a point correctly, the master replied wisely, “You feel it with your hand, but you see it with your heart.”

I agree with Michael as this is what I also learned from my Korean teachers. In some points where there is little flesh or tissue under/at the point, it often helps to pinch the skin and insert afterwards, in that way you can avoid the needle touching the periosteum and triggering an intenser pain reaction. You can apply this to Bl66, SI2, or LI3 and so on. For Bl66, I think it is one if not THE most sensible of all acupoints. To make it more comfortable for the patient there might be two strategies: 1) finish the process as fast as possible, so the pain sensation is very short. 2) needle very, very slowly and trigger just a small pain reaction. Both is a matter of practice. 

Andreas