Du Mai (Governing Vessel) Channel
Sinew Contraction
筋缩Jīn SuōAnatomical location
Below the spinous process of the 9th thoracic vertebra (T9).
Main function
Relaxes the tendons, relieves spasms, regulates the Liver.
Therapeutic indications
- Muscle spasms
- back pain
- epilepsy
- jaundice
- Stiffness of the back
- Contractures
- Gastric pain
Name and classical tradition
Jinsuo, 筋缩, is the “contraction of the sinews.” 筋 is the tendon, the muscle, the tissue that Chinese theory associates with the Liver (肝主筋); 缩 (縮) means to contract, to shrink. The name is clinical: the point treats contracture of the sinews and, according to the sources, their flaccidity as well.
The point lies below the ninth thoracic vertebra, at the same level as BL18, Ganshu, the Liver Shu point, located one and a half cun to each side. This verifiable correspondence reinforces the connection between the name and the Liver. The sources give its classical indications as epilepsy, madness, stomach pain, and spinal stiffness, probably from the Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing (Systematic Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion), though without a confirmed verbatim quotation. No alternative names are known for it.
