Keep your joints healthy & pain free with one powerful acupressure point
Gallbladder 34 (GB 34) is one of my favorite points to use in clinic as well as teaching people how to use at home. It´s so useful for so many things. GB 34 treats treats joint pain and stiffness, sciatica, knee, or hip pain, and is a very good point to move Liver qi which we all need to stay healthy. It´s used to treat anything related to the sinews, so it´s used to treat all sorts of joint pain whether it´s elbow, hip, or knee related.
In summary - this point is awesome
In summary acupuncture point GB34 can be used to treat any pain, stiffness, cramping or muscle spasm or contraction anywhere in the body, from over use or an external trauma. It can also be used to treat whiplash syndrome or sports injuries, and as prevention to keep the qi flowing freely in the body.
Often used in combo
It´s not typically used alone, but in combination with other distal treatment points (points used remotely from the site of pain). Although when it comes to self-healing, you can use it alone, to keep treating yourself at home in between your acupuncture sessions, or again, as prevention to keep the energy flowing freely in your body, and to relieve pain.
Where do you find it?
Location: on the lateral (outside) aspect of your lower leg, in the (often tender) depression anterior and inferior to the head of your fibula. The fibula is the smaller of the two bones of the lower leg. Head over to @becomingyourowndoctor to watch a short video on where to find this point. You’ll find a video where I’m pinching/rolling my skin over my knee joint, as well as doing guasha over GB 34. Pinching the skin is a great way to warm up the blood and get the blood flow going, before scraping the skin over the acu point.
And, check here.
It´s five major powerful effects
I love Peter Deadman´s work, and according to him, this point have all of these uses:
1. Benefits the sinews and joints
2. Activates the Gall bladder channel and alleviates pain
3. Spreads Liver qi and aides the outside of he ribcage under the axilla
4. Clears Liver and Gall Bladder damp-heat which is one of 7 external pathogenic factors, which Chinese Medicine views as the cause of disease
5. Harmonizes Shaoyang, which represents the meridians or energy pathways of the Triple Energizer and Gall Bladder channels
Guasha it
I love to guasha this point, following the flow and direction of the meridian. Gallbladder meridian starts on the outer corner of our eyes and goes all the way down to your pinky to, criss crossing down the later aspect of your body. So scrape downwards, over the point, and use one of the edges of your guasha tool to press on the point 1-5 minutes.
As explained, I love to pinch and roll my skin first, which is something you can do as a self-healing thing in itself. Keep the qi and blood flowing over your knee joints is one of many ways of keeping the knees healthy. Lots of meridians are passing along the knee joints. The stomach, spleen, kidney, liver, urinary bladder and gallbladder meridians are all passing your knee joints! That’s why there’s many different ways of caring for your knees, and if there’s pain - treatment depends on what meridians are involved. However, GB 34 will always be included in the treatment protocol, since it’s THE major point for all joint pain all over the body.