ST-39 - Lower Great Hollow

下巨虚 - Xià jù xū

Point Region: Lower leg

ST

Stomach Meridian

足阳明胃经 - Zú Yángmíng Wèi Jīng

Location & How to Find

Anatomical Location: On the front of the lower leg, on the line from ST-35 to ST-41, 9 cun below ST-35, on the tibialis anterior muscle. It is level with GB-35 and GB-36.

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 ST-38 (8 cun below ST-35)
  2. Move one thumb-width down the same line
  3. The point is there
ST-39 (Lower Great Hollow) acupressure point location: On the front of the lower leg, on the line from ST-35 to ST-41, 9 cun below ST-35, on the tibialis anterior muscle.

How to Apply Pressure

Having located ST-39, use comfortable fingertip contact on the lower shin muscle and stop if it hurts. Do not press after recent leg surgery; a red, hot, or tender breast or active bowel symptoms need medical evaluation.

Traditional Indications

In TCM, this point is traditionally used for:

  • Breast abscess
  • Intestinal inflammation
  • Watery diarrhea
  • Lower limb edema
  • Abdominal pain
  • Breast problems
  • Bowel disorders
  • Leg swelling

Related Health Concerns

Stomach Cramps

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 breast infections
  • Acute intestinal disorders