: Yinmen : Gate of Abundance

Bl-37 : Foot Taiyang Bladder 37

Location Guides:

Classifications:

Trigger point (Travell & Simons, 1998, Trigger Point Manual)

Meetings:

Meeting of Bladder with Bladder Divergent


Location:

On the back of the thigh, in the depression between the hamstring muscles, 6 cun distal to Chengfu Bl-36, and 8 cun proximal to Weizhong Bl-40, on the line connecting Chengfu Bl-36 and Weizhong Bl-40.

Needling:

Perpendicular insertion 1 - 2 cun

Classical Needling:

It is needled to a depth of five fen, (the needle) is retained for a duration of seven exhalations, and it is moxaed with three cones. (Huangfu Mi 皇甫謐, 3rd Century, Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing 針灸甲乙經)


TCM Actions:

Activates the channel and alleviates pain
Benefits the lumbar spine

TCM Indications:

  • Pain and rigidity of the lumbar spine, sciatica, Painful Obstruction (痹, Bi) and atrophy disorder of the lower limb, pain of the thigh, swelling of the lateral thigh.
  • Watery diarrhoea.

Neuroanatomy:

Superficial Innervation: Posterior cutaneous nerve of the thigh (S1 - S3)
Dermatome Segment: S2
Deeper Structures: Sciatic nerve (L4 - S3)


Trigger Point Associations:

Muscle:
Adductor magnus or biceps femoris

Myotome Innervation:
Adductor magnus: Posterior branch of obdurator nerve (L2 - L4) and sciatic nerve (L4 - S3); Biceps femoris: Common peroneal and tibial branches of sciatic nerve (L5 - S2)

Location Notes:
Biceps femoris trigger points would lie either side

Pain Referral Pattern:
Adductor magnus: To medial side of thigh and knee
Biceps femoris: either to lower buttock and down medial side of knee (medial point) or to posterior apsect of the knee (lateral point)

Indications:
Diseases of the hip and knee

Martial Applications & Effects of Injury:

See Montaigue, Dim Mak Locations, Taijiworld.com for explanation of effects.

Major Combinations:



Notes:

Avicenna describes cupping at this point in his treatise On Cupping:

"cupping on the back of the thighs is beneficial in the swellings and abscesses of the buttocks." (Aspects of Treatment According to General Diseases, 22nd section in Abu-Asab, Amri & Micozzi, 2013, Avicenna's Medicine)



In ayurvedic medicine:
Arvi marma point
Size: 1 angula (cun)
Structure: Blood vessels
Effect of Injury: Disability (vaikalyakar marma)
(Harish Johari, 1996, Ayurvedic Massage, Sanatan Society; Anupama Bhattacharya, n.d. Marma Shastra)

Lad and Durve (2008) in Marma Points of Ayurveda locate a point called the posterior Sakthi Urvi slightly superior to this point 1-2 anguli superior to the midpoint of a line drawn from Sphij / Chengfu Bl-36 to posterior Janu / Weizhong Bl-40. They associate it with the doshas: Vyana Vayu, Udana Vayu and Apana Vayu.

They give the following functions:
- Promotes circulation in lower extremities, especially the thighs
- Benefits bladder, colon and kidneys
- Benefits ovaries and testicles

Another anterior Sakthi Urvi is located at Jimen Sp-11.

In Tibetan medicine:
Moxa point (AMNH, Tibetan Medical Paintings)

In Thai massage:
Acupressure point along the Itha (left) and Pingala (right) sen lines running from the navel Shenque Ren-8 to this point and up the back to the neck and head.
Indicated for back and hip pain/injury/arthritis.
(Salguero & Roylance, 2011, Encyclopedia of Thai Massage)


Reference Notes:

Basic information on location, needle depth, TCM actions, indications and combinations is taken from Deadman et al (2001): A Manual of Acupuncture with additional anatomical information researched by reference to Gray's Anatomy (38th Ed., 1995) unless otherwise referenced. Images were found on acupunctureschoolonline.com and can be traced back to Claudia Focks (2008) Atlas of Acupuncture originally. I cannot claim any credit or rights over them. Other sources should be quoted in the text.

For some of the more unusual terms I have created a glossary here