ST-36 - Leg Three Miles
足三里 - Zú sān lǐ
Point Region: Lower leg
Location & How to Find
Anatomical Location: On the front of the lower leg, on the line from ST-35 to ST-41, 3 cun below ST-35, on the tibialis anterior 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:
- Find ST-35, in the hollow below and outside the kneecap
- Measure four finger-widths down the leg
- The point is on the muscle just outside the shin bone, on the line toward the middle of the front of the ankle
How to Apply Pressure
Start from ST-35, the hollow below and outside the kneecap, measure four finger-widths down and press into the muscle just outside the shin bone with the thumb, firm but never painful. Skip it after leg surgery or with an injury or infection of the lower leg.
Traditional Indications
In TCM, this point is traditionally used for:
- Gastrointestinal problems
- Fatigue
- Edema
- Sciatica
- Weight loss
- Abdominal pain
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Chronic fatigue
- Digestive disorders
- Low energy
Related Health Concerns
Related Acupoints
Select a point to see its location, how to find it, and its traditional uses.
Important Precautions
Avoid this point with:
- Recent leg surgery
- Severe leg fracture
- Acute leg infection