BL-51 - Vitals Gate

肓门 - Huāng mén

Point Region: Lower back

Bladder Meridian

足太阳膀胱经 - Zú Tàiyáng Pángguāng Jīng

Location & How to Find

Anatomical Location: On the lower back, level with the lower edge of the spinous process of the first lumbar vertebra (L1), 3 cun out from the midline.

Distances are in cun, a unit that scales with each person's body. As a guide, the width of your thumb at its joint is 1 cun, and your four fingers held together, measured across the middle joints, are 3 cun.

How to Locate:

Find T12, the spinal bump level with the midpoint between the lower tip of the shoulder blade and the top of the hip bone, then count one bump down to L1
Go to the level just below the bump of L1
The point is four finger-widths out from the midline

BL-51 (Vitals Gate) acupressure point location: On the lower back, level with the lower edge of the spinous process of the first lumbar vertebra (L1), 3 cun out from the midline.

How to Apply Pressure

Using a fingertip, apply gentle, steady pressure in the groove just below the bump of the first lumbar spinal bone (one bump below the bump level with the midpoint between the lower shoulder-blade tip and the top of the hip bone), four finger-widths out from the midline. Firm but never painful pressure is enough; stop if it hurts. If you cannot reach the spot comfortably, skip it rather than strain, and skip this point over irritated or broken skin.

Traditional Indications

In TCM, this point is traditionally used for:

Stomach pain
Constipation
Breast inflammation