SI-6 - Nourishing the Old

养老 - Yǎng lǎo

Point Region: Forearm

SI

Small Intestine Meridian

手太阳小肠经 - Shǒu Tàiyáng Xiǎochángjīng

Location & How to Find

Anatomical Location: On the back and inner side of the forearm, 1 cun above the wrist crease on the back of the hand, in the hollow on the thumb side of the head of the ulna.

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:

  1. Hold your hand palm down and put a finger on the highest point of the bony knob on the little-finger side of the wrist
  2. Keep the finger there and turn your palm to face your chest
  3. Your finger slides into a gap beside the bone: the point is in that gap
SI-6 (Nourishing the Old) acupressure point location: On the back and inner side of the forearm, 1 cun above the wrist crease on the back of the hand, in the hollow on the thumb side of the head of the ulna.

How to Apply Pressure

Turn the palm down and feel for the bony bump on the little-finger side of the wrist; turning the palm toward the chest opens a hollow on its thumb side. Press gently there. Skip it after arm surgery, and sudden changes in vision need medical care.

Traditional Indications

In TCM, this point is traditionally used for:

  • Blurred vision
  • Shoulder pain
  • Arm weakness
  • Visual problems
  • Shoulder stiffness
  • Arm fatigue
  • Eye strain

Related Health Concerns

Neck and Shoulder PainFatigue

Select a point to see its location, how to find it, and its traditional uses.

Traditionally combined with:

SI-6 + LI-4
Joining Valley
SI-6 + SI-3
Back Stream

Important Precautions

Avoid this point with:

  • Recent arm surgery
  • Severe shoulder injury
  • Acute visual disturbances