SI-9 - True Shoulder

肩贞 - Jiān zhēn

Point Region: Shoulder

SI

Small Intestine Meridian

手太阳小肠经 - Shǒu Tàiyáng Xiǎochángjīng

Location & How to Find

Anatomical Location: On the shoulder, behind and below the shoulder joint, 1 cun above the back fold of the armpit, behind the deltoid muscle.

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. Let your arm hang against your side
  2. Find the back fold of your armpit
  3. The point is one thumb-width above the top of that fold
SI-9 (True Shoulder) acupressure point location: On the shoulder, behind and below the shoulder joint, 1 cun above the back fold of the armpit, behind the deltoid muscle.

How to Apply Pressure

Once SI-9 is located, reach across with your opposite hand and apply steady, comfortable fingertip pressure without straining your arm. Skip it after recent shoulder surgery, a shoulder dislocation, or an acute shoulder fracture.

Traditional Indications

In TCM, this point is traditionally used for:

  • Shoulder pain
  • Arm numbness
  • Motor impairment
  • Frozen shoulder
  • Shoulder stiffness
  • Brachial nerve problems

Related Health Concerns

Neck and Shoulder Pain

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

Traditionally combined with:

SI-9 + LI-15
Shoulder Bone
SI-9 + SI-10
Upper Arm Shu

Important Precautions

Avoid this point with:

  • Recent shoulder surgery
  • Severe shoulder dislocation
  • Acute shoulder fracture