ST-13 - Qi Door

气户 - Qì hù

Point Region: Chest

ST

Stomach Meridian

足阳明胃经 - Zú Yángmíng Wèi Jīng

Location & How to Find

Anatomical Location: On the front of the chest, just below the collarbone, 4 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:

  1. Find the line straight up from your nipple (4 cun from the midline)
  2. Follow it up to the collarbone
  3. The point is just below the collarbone
ST-13 (Qi Door) acupressure point location: On the front of the chest, just below the collarbone, 4 cun out from the midline.

How to Apply Pressure

Once ST-13 is located just below the collarbone, make only light contact and do not press into the chest. Skip it after recent chest surgery or a chest wall injury, and get medical care for chest pain or breathing difficulty.

Traditional Indications

In TCM, this point is traditionally used for:

  • Chest tightness
  • Cough with reflux
  • Hiccups
  • Shallow breathing
  • Respiratory problems
  • Intercostal pain

Related Health Concerns

Cold and Flu OnsetHiccup

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

Important Precautions

Avoid this point with:

  • Recent chest surgery
  • Severe respiratory conditions
  • Chest wall injuries