In order to find acupoints, it is important to have a basic understanding of the human skeletal system. However, it is not necessary to memorize the names of all the bones in the body. Knowing which bones are present in different parts of the body can be very helpful in finding acupoints.
One particularly important bone is the vertebral column. The vertebral column is a bone that runs through the center of the body from the neck to the buttocks. From top to bottom, it consists of the cervical vertebrae (7), thoracic vertebrae (12), lumbar vertebrae (5), sacrum, and coccyx. There are prominent bones on the vertebral column that can be felt from the outside, which are important references when finding acupoints.
When looking for acupoints in the vertebral column, you can count the prominent bones to locate the acupoints. However, it is not necessary to always start counting from the topmost cervical vertebra. Therefore, you can use the following methods to find the reference spinous process.
When you lower your head, the bone that is exposed at the back of the neck is the seventh cervical vertebra. The protrusion below the seventh cervical vertebra is the first thoracic vertebra.
If you connect the lower ends of the left and right scapulae with a line, it will coincide with the protrusion between the seventh and eighth thoracic vertebrae.
On the left and right sides of the waist, there are prominent "iliac bones" (also known as "hip bones"). The line connecting the upper ends of these bones is the protrusion of the fourth lumbar vertebra spinous process, which is also the position where the belt is fastened.
For the locations of other bones in the body, such as clavicles, scapulae, ribs, ulna, patella (knee bone), tibia, please refer to images of the human skeletal system and related information.
