TE-12 - Dispersing Luo River

消泺 - Xiāo luò

Point Region: Upper arm

TE

Triple Energizer Meridian

手少阳三焦经 - Shǒu Shàoyáng Sānjiāo Jīng

Location & How to Find

Anatomical Location: On the back of the upper arm, on the line from the tip of the elbow to the back corner of the shoulder (the acromial angle), 5 cun above the tip of the elbow.

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. From the tip of the elbow, measure four finger-widths plus two thumb-widths up the back of the arm
  2. Stay on the line toward the back corner of the shoulder
  3. The point is there
TE-12 (Dispersing Luo River) acupressure point location: On the back of the upper arm, on the line from the tip of the elbow to the back corner of the shoulder (the acromial angle), 5 cun above the tip of the elbow.

How to Apply Pressure

When you have located TE-12, apply gentle fingertip pressure along the line toward the shoulder and stop if it hurts. Skip it after recent neck surgery, a cervical spine injury, or acute neck trauma, which need medical care.

Traditional Indications

In TCM, this point is traditionally used for:

  • Headache
  • Fever
  • Neck stiffness
  • Dizziness
  • Head pain
  • High temperature
  • Stiff neck
  • Vertigo
  • Neck pain

Related Health Concerns

HeadacheNeck and Shoulder PainFeeling Faint

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

Important Precautions

Avoid this point with:

  • Recent neck surgery
  • Severe cervical spine injury
  • Acute neck trauma