Arm Pain

"Arm Pain" Issue / Symptom Connections

Below you will find various relationships to, and potential clinical treatment approaches for arm pain.

Content Related to Arm Pain

It is critical to appreciate that in Chinese Medicine, treatment for "arm pain" is rarely focused on the symptoms exclusively. Alternatively, a practitioner is looking at the factors that led to the development of "arm pain" - i.e. the "cause(s)".

For non-practitioners, we recommend reading treating the "cause" and not the "symptoms" for more on the overall approach and the importance of the TCM diagnostic system in formulating treatment approaches.

• View HT 2 (Cyan Spirit)
  
      With the elbow flexed, 3 cun above HT 3 on the ulnar side of the biceps brachii in the medial groove.
  
      Local point - in many classics needling this point is contraindicated.  Moxabustion, however, is applicable. Pain in the shoulder or arm. Pain in the lateral chest and/or hypochondriac regions.
• View HT 4 (Spirit Pathway)
  
      1.5 cun above the wrist crease on the radial side of the flexor carpi ulnaris tendon, on the HT 3 - HT 7 line.
  
      Sudden loss of voice. Restless Zang Disorder (fluctuating emotions, mania, depression, anxiety, insomnia), various emotional disturbances. Chest pain that perhaps worsens with emotional distress. Local point for pain in the elbow and/or…
• View HT 5 (Connecting Li)
  
      1 cun above the wrist crease on the radial side of the flexor carpi ulnaris tendon, on the HT 3 - HT 7 line.
  
      Speech a/or vocal disorders - aphasia (post-stroke), stiff tongue, stuttering, sudden loss of voice, sore throat. Spirit disorders and related physical manifestations, anxiety w/palpitations, arrhythmia, nervousness, depression - although…
• View HT 8 (Lesser Mansion)
  
      When a loose fist is made where the tip of the little finger rests between the 4th and 5th metacarpal bones.
  
      HT Fire effecting the SI effecting the UB, heat descending to the lower jiao - incontinence, difficult urination, fungal infections, genital itching. Channel issues, sore throat, tongue stiffness, pain along the ulnar aspect of the arms. …
• View LI 12 (Elbow Bone Hole)
  
      With the elbow flexed, on the radial side of the upper arm 1 cun above LI 11 at the border of the humerus (1 cun supero…
  
      Local point for pain in the elbow and/or upper arm, tennis elbow.  
• View LI 13 (Arm Five Li)
  
      3 cun above LI 11 on the LI 15 to LI 11 line.
  
      Local point for pain in the elbow and upper arm. Difficulty breathing, cough, vomiting of blood. Scrofula  
• View LI 14 (Upper Arm)
  
      On the radial side of the upper arm, 7 cun above LI 11 at the insertion of the deltoid muscle.
  
      Local point for pain in the shoulder and upper arm. Weakness in the upper arms Benefits the eyes - redness, swelling, pain. Scrofula  
• View LU 4 (Guarding White)
  
      1 cun below LU 3 on the radial side of the biceps brachii muscle, on the LU 3 to LU 5 line.
  
      Local Point. May be used for cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, heart pain. Pain in the medial aspect of the upper arm.
• View SI 1 (Lesser Marsh)
  
      .1 cun posterior to the corner of the nail on the ulnar side of the little finger.
  
      Breast disorders of any etiology, insufficient lactation, mastitis, breast abscess, cysts. Jing Well Point, clear heat from the opposite end of the channel, for eye redness, earache, tinnitus, sore throat, stiff tongue. Headache, dizzine…
• View SI 3 (Back Ravine)
  
      When a loose fist is made, at the ulnar end of the distal palmar crease proximal to the 5th metacarpal phalangeal joint…
  
      Master Point of the GV, effects entire pathway. Pain in the scapula, arm a/or hand combine with local points. Stiff neck, cervical strain/sprain, pain of the back or neck. Occipital headaches, combine with local points. Night sweats, c…
• View SI 6 (Nursing the Aged)
  
      Dorsal to the head of the ulna in the body cleft on the radial side of the styloid process, found with the palm facing …
  
      Acute and Severe Pain, in the neck, shoulder a/or arms. Useful point for treating elderly patients, deafness, tinnitus, failing vision, upper body/limb stiffness. Overwork a/or overstrain, fatigue in the extremities.  
• View SI 7 (Branch to the Correct)
  
      5 cun proximal to the dorsal crease of the wrist on the SI 5 to SI 8 line.
  
      Local point for pain and/or strength/control issues in the elbow, arm, and fingers.  May be helpful for weakness of all the limbs as well. Stiff neck, headaches, vision issues - blurry, obstructed. Useful with onset of exterior wind-heat…
• View SI 8 (Small Sea)
  
      Between the olecranon process of the ulna and the medial epicondyle of the humerus, found with the elbow flexed.
  
      Elbow problems, swelling, trembling, pain, numbness, weakness - channel issues with excess wind a/or heat. Submandibular region swelling or pain, toothache, gums, cheek, neck, scapula, axilla. Epilepsy  
• View SI 9 (True Shoulder)
  
      1 cun above the posterior end of the axillary fold, posterior and inferior to the shoulder joint, found with the arm ad…
  
      Local point for shoulder and arm pain and/or movement/control issues.  Motor control issues of the hand. Wind-heat invasion - chills and fever from the common cold. Tinnitus, deafness.  
• View SI 10 (Upper Arm Shu)
  
      With the arm abducted, directly above SI 9 in a depression inferior to the scapular spine.
  
      Local point for shoulder and upper arm pain, swelling and/or weakness. Wind-heat, wind-cold - chills and fever.  
• View SI 11 (Celestial Gathering)
  
      On the scapula in a depression at the center of the infrascapular fossa, found at the junction of the upper and middle …
  
      Breast problems, mastitis, insufficient lactation, breast pain. Emotional issues, anxiety that presents with asthma, expands and relaxes the chest, asthma generally. Local point for channel pain within the shoulder, scapula region, elbow…
• View SI 12 (Grasping the Wind)
  
      Directly above SI 11 in the center of the suprascapular fossa, found in a depression when the arm is lifted.
  
      Local point for shoulder, scapula and/or arm pain, numbness, weakness along the course of the channel.  
• View UB 39 (Bend Yang)
  
      Lateral to UB 40 on the medial border of the tendon of biceps femoris.
  
      Harmonize the triple warmer, damp heat conditions effecting the lower warmer: disperse for difficult urination, tonify for urinary incontinence. Frees the channel - lumbar pain, lower intestinal distention, hemorrhoids. Swellings in the …
• View UB 41 (Attached Branch)
  
      3 cun lateral to the GV line, level with T2, on the spinal border of the scapula. Lateral to UB 12.
  
      Useful for dispelling cold and wind from the upper back and neck - neck pain, shoulder problems, arm and/or elbow issues.