臑會 : Naohui : Upper Arm Meeting

Classifications:

Trigger point (Travell & Simons, 1998, Trigger Point Manual)

Meetings:

Meeting of San Jiao with Yang Wei Mai

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Location:

On the upper arm, where the line drawn between Tianjing SJ-10 and Jianliao SJ-14 meets the posterior border of the deltoid muscle, approximately two thirds of the distance between these two points.

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Needling:

Perpendicular or oblique insertion 1 - 2 cun

Classical Needling:

"The Shaoyang usually has little Blood and much Qi" (Su Wen 素問 ch. 24) implying this channel should normally be needled.
"The hand Yin and Yang receive their Qi via nearby paths so their Qi arrive swiftly. The depth of piercing must not exceed 2 fen and must not remain inserted for longer than one exhalation" (Ling Shu 靈樞 ch. 12).
"It is needled to a depth of five fen and moxaed with five cones" (Huangfu Mi 皇甫謐, 3rd Century, Zhenjiu Jiayi Jing 針灸甲乙經).

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TCM Actions:

Regulates Qiand transforms Phlegm
Activates the channel and alleviates pain

TCM Indications:

• Goitre, scrofula, chills and fever, eye diseases, epilepsy, madness.
  
• Weakness and pain of the shoulder and arm, swelling of the shoulder that leads to pain in the scapula, inability to raise the arm.

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Neuroanatomy:

Superficial Innervation: Posterior cutaneous nerve of the arm (C5 - C8)

Dermatome Segment: C5, T1 on dorsal axial line

Trigger Point Associations:

Muscle:
Deltoid and triceps brachii

Myotome Innervation:
Deltoid: Axillary nerve (C5 - C6); Triceps: Radial nerve (C5 - T1) with long head innervated by axillary nerve (C5 - C6)

Location Notes:
Deltoid trigger point may be slightly superior on the body of the muscle along with several other trigger points between this point and Jianneiling. Triceps point may be slightly lower

Pain Referral Pattern:
Deltoid: To local area and around muscle and lateral side of upper arm
Triceps brachii: Local around point and to dorsal aspect of forearm and little and ring fingers

Indications:
If deltoid: shoulder pain with difficulty raising arm in any direction ; If triceps: posterior shoulder and arm pain

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Martial Applications & Effects of Injury:

See Montaigue, Dim Mak Locations, Taijiworld.com for explanation of effects.

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Major Combinations:

• Goitre:
    Naohui SJ-13 with Tianchuang SI-16
    (Haungfu Mi, 皇甫謐, 282: Zhen Jiu Jia Yi Jing, 針灸甲乙經, Systematic Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion).
  
  
• Gotre, tumours of the neck and swollen throat:
    Naohui SJ-13 with Tianfu Lu-3 and Qishe St-11
    (Sun Simiao, 孫思邈, 625: Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang, 備急千金要方, Essential Prescriptions Worth A Thousand Gold).
  
  
• Painful Obstruction with difficulty bending and extending the elbow joint, pain and heaviness of the arm with acute pain of the axilla:
    Naohui SJ-13 with Tianfu Lu-3 and Qishe St-11
    (Sun Simiao, 孫思邈, 625: Bei Ji Qian Jin Yao Fang, 備急千金要方, Essential Prescriptions Worth A Thousand Gold).

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Reference Notes:

Basic information on location, needle depth, TCM actions, indications and combinations is taken from Deadman et al (2001): A Manual of Acupuncture with additional anatomical information researched by reference to Gray's Anatomy (38th Ed., 1995) unless otherwise referenced. Images were found on acupunctureschoolonline.com and can be traced back to Claudia Focks (2008) Atlas of Acupuncture originally. I cannot claim any credit or rights over them. Other sources should be quoted in the text.

For some of the more unusual terms I have created a glossary here

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