One of the basic prerequisites for any successful acupuncture
treatment, besides a differential Chinese Medicine diagnosis
and the relevant point selection, is the correct point location.
2.1 Location Methods for Body
Acupuncture
There are various methods for locating acupuncture points:
Anatomical approach:many acupuncture points are situated at
clearly defined anatomical locations, for example in depressions,
at muscle and tendon insertions, in grooves, at joint clefts, at bony
prominences, etc. With some experience, the palpating finger will
often automatically ‘fall’ into the right depressions and holes.
Various anatomical structures and zones form the basis for point
location. These are described in more detail in Chapter 3. We
can distinguish between the following:
Fixed markersare not affected by the body position or by
movement. These include bony landmarks such as depressions
or prominences of the skeletal system, but also the finger- and
toenails, the nipples, the umbilicus, etc. Most of the propor-
tional cun measurements (2.2) rely on fixed markers.
Movable markersoften become more clearly defined with a
particular body posture or movement (2.3.2). For exam-
ple, by flexing the elbow, the cubital crease becomes much
more clearly visible to locate L.I.-11precisely. Equally, the
most distal palmar crease becomes much more visible when
making a loose fist, in order to locate S.I.-3. Other para-
meters that might determine the location of a point include
changed skin consistency, sensitivity to pressure, puffiness or
a resistant sensation when palpating gently with a finger.
Proportional measurements:When trying to locate points not
situated at any prominent structures, Chinese Medicine applies
the proportional cun measurement (2.2).
Electric tools:These measure the electric resistance of the skin
in order to find the correct location of the points. Generally, elec-
tric resistance is lower in the immediate area around the point.
This method is especially used in auricular acupuncture, but it
has not proved to be a practical method for body acupuncture.
Very point technique(after Gleditsch 2005): The needle is
held loosely and guided in a ‘dancing’ fashion over the skin.
When the correct point – the ‘very point’ – is found, the needle
will ‘catch’ on to it and penetrate the skin as if out of its own
volition.
2.2 Cun Measurements of
the Body
In Chinese medicine, distances on the body are traditionally
measured in cun. In contrast to the official Chinese cun
(1 cun2.5 cm), the cun used in a medical context is a pro-
portional unit of measurementthat takes the individual pro-
portions of each body into account.
This relative unit of measurement is defined either by using the
width of a particular finger or fingers (finger cun) or by the dis-
tances between clearly defined landmarks of the body (body
cun).
In clinical practice, many points can be located by using finger
cunmeasurements (Fig. 2.1). It is important, however, to use
the patient’s fingers, not the practitioner’s fingers, for refer-
ence. If the fingers of both the practitioner and the patient have
approximately the same width, the width of the practitioner’s
fingers can be applied for point location. Otherwise, measure-
ments have to be adapted to correct minor deviations, for exam-
ple by adjusting the spaces (narrow or wide) between the
practitioner’s fingers when using finger cun measurements.
The body or proportional cunis based on the proportions of
particular sections of the body, which are divided into a specific
number of units (Fig. 2.3). In clinical practice, the measure-
ment of these divisions can be quite cumbersome. Therefore,
the spreading hands technique is commonly applied (Koenig
and Wancura 1979/1983). It allows the practitioner to quickly
determine the midpoint of a given distance (2.3.3) and, com-
bined with finger cun measurements and palpation, is in most
cases sufficient for correctly locating a point. For point location
on the abdomen, a prepared elastic tape can be useful for meas-
uring proportional cun (2.3.1).2 Location Methods and Cun Measurements
Claudia Focks