Dazhu (BL11): The Upper Back Point Beside the Spine for a Stiff Neck and Shoulders

Where Dazhu Sits

This point sits at the top of the back, on both sides of the spine, about two finger-widths out, level with the first bone of the back, right below the big bump at the base of the neck.

The line it belongs to is the longest in the body. It begins at the inner corner of the eye, climbs over the top of the head, runs down the back of the neck, and then travels in two parallel tracks down either side of the spine to the buttocks. It continues down the back of the thigh and calf and ends at the outer corner of the little toenail. Vietnamese and Chinese texts call it the Bladder channel. This is its eleventh stop, the first point on the back where the line settles beside the spine.

The landmark is the spine itself. When you bow your head, one bump at the base of the neck sticks out further than the rest. That is the spine of the seventh neck bone. The next bump down belongs to the first bone of the back, the first of the twelve that carry ribs. The World Health Organization standard of 2008 places this point level with the lower edge of that first back bone, one and a half units out from the midline. One and a half units is roughly the width of two fingers, the index and middle, held together. The Vietnamese handbook by Ngo Trung Trieu gives the same place: below the first back bone, one and a half units out to each side.

Under the skin, several layers sit over one another. On top is the broad, flat muscle of the upper back and neck (the trapezius). Beneath it are the small muscles that tie the shoulder blade to the spine (the rhomboids) and a thin sheet that lifts the upper ribs (the serratus posterior superior). Deeper still lie the long muscles that run up beside the spine and hold the neck and back upright (the splenius and erector spinae). The skin and the deep muscles here are served by small branches of the nerves of the first back level.

Why This Spot

On the anatomical side, this spot sits at the hinge between the neck, which moves a great deal, and the upper back, which hardly moves at all. Much of the strain of holding the head up gathers at that hinge. When the head drifts forward over many years, the long muscles beside the spine at this level work harder and harder to hold it back. People who read, sew, drive or look at screens for long hours often find this spot tender, and many people have a slight hump here that makes the muscles even busier.

In this tradition the point carries a special role. It is counted among the eight influential points, each said to gather one kind of tissue, and this one gathers the bones. That is why the old books turn to it for stiffness of the neck and spine. It is also described as a meeting point, where the line of the back crosses the line of the arm and shoulder. The name refers to the shape of the first back bone: the old writers thought its side processes looked like the shuttle of a loom. The Vietnamese name, Đại Trữ, keeps that image.

What the Old Texts Say About Dazhu

The Classic of Difficulties, the Nanjing, a Han-dynasty text, sets out the eight influential points in its forty-fifth difficulty. Each gathers one part of the body: the organs, the bowels, the sinews, the marrow, the blood, the bones, the vessels and the breath. For the bones, the text names this point. That single line made the spot famous, and every later handbook repeats it.

The Vietnamese handbook of points and channels by Ngo Trung Trieu, published by Hong Duc, lists it for a twisted, stiff neck, for pain and cramping of the muscles of the shoulders and back, and also for cough and fever. Cough and fever belong with a doctor, not with a pressing tool. On this site we keep to what most people want from the point: a neck that will not turn and an upper back that feels tight and bound.

The WHO standard of 2008 kept the old placement, tied to the first back bone. That bone is easy to count from the big bump at the base of the neck, which makes the point reliable to find.

It is worth being clear about what gathering the bones means. It is a traditional idea about where a kind of tissue is influenced, not a promise about bone health. The old writers used this point for stiffness and aching along the spine and the shoulders. They were not measuring bone density, and neither are we.

Points That Work With Dazhu

The first partner sits on the spine itself, in the dip right below the big bony bump at the base of the neck. It is one bump above this point and in the centre. In this tradition the two are commonly pressed together for a stiff neck and tight upper back: the centre first, then one side, then the other.

The second sits at the top of the neck. Run your fingers up the back of the neck to where the skull begins. On each side, in the hollow between the thick ropes of muscle and the bony bump behind the ear, there is a soft dip under the edge of the skull. It is used with this one when the stiffness runs up into the head.

The third sits on the same line as this one, higher up. Follow the two thick ropes of muscle beside the spine up the back of the neck to the hairline. The point is on the outer edge of each rope, about a finger-width inside the hairline. Teachers often press it and this one in turn, to work the whole column of the neck.

How to Find and Press Dazhu

Getting Into Position

This point is hard to reach with your own hand without straining the shoulder, so use a tool or a ball. For a tool, sit upright on a firm chair and hold a long-handled pressing tool, the hooked or S-shaped kind, in the hand opposite the side you are working, with the hook over that shoulder. For a ball, stand with your back to a wall, feet a small step away from it, and place a firm ball, such as a tennis ball, between the wall and your upper back, beside the spine. Two tennis balls tied tightly in a sock are useful here: the gap sits over the spine and each ball rests on one side.

How to Find It

First find the landmarks with your fingers. Bow your head and reach behind your neck. One bump at the base of the neck sticks out more than the rest. Slide down to the next bump below it. That is the first bone of the back. Find the dip right below it, then move about two finger-widths out to one side, onto the thick muscle beside the spine. That is the area. If you are unsure which bump is which, keep a fingertip on the big bump and turn your head slowly: the lowest neck bump shifts a little, and the first back bone below it stays still.

Now probe the area with the tool's rounded tip, or with the ball by bending your knees slightly and shifting your weight. Most of it will feel like firm muscle. One spot will sting: a small, sharp, pinpoint tenderness. That spot is the point. Stay on the muscle; do not press on the bony bumps of the spine.

How to Press It

Keep the tip or the ball on the stinging spot and rub in small circles, about the size of a fingernail, roughly one each second. Aim the pressure straight in, toward the front of the body, and slightly in toward the spine. With a tool, make the pressure by pulling the handle with your front hand. With a ball, make the circles by bending and straightening your knees a little and shifting your weight side to side. Keep the movement small, so the tip stays on that one spot.

How Much Pressure

A sharp sting under the tip is right. That small sting tells you that you are on the point. The test is what happens when you lift off: the sting should fade within moments. If the pain stays after you lift off, if it spreads, or if the area turns swollen, hot or red, stop and leave it for several days. If you are holding your breath or your shoulders creep up toward your ears, you are pressing too hard. With a ball, step your feet closer to the wall to lighten the pressure. Never throw your weight backward onto it.

How Long

Work each side for one to three minutes. Keep the first sessions to about one minute, because this spot is often tender at the start. As the days go on, add a little time, up to three minutes. Do both sides, even when only one is stiff. Once or twice a day is plenty. Pressing longer adds soreness, not benefit.

When to Do It

Mid-morning suits a neck that is stiff on waking, once you have been up and moving for a while. Late afternoon suits the stiffness that builds after reading, screen work or driving. Before bed is a good time too, as part of winding down. Do not press in the middle of the night. If a stiff neck wakes you, pressing then tends to wake you further. Keep the pressing for daytime and the evening, and look at your pillow if the neck is often stiff on waking.

What This Won't Do

It will not change the reason your neck and upper back are stiff, and it will not strengthen your bones, whatever the old name suggests. Stiffness at the top of the back often comes from the head drifting forward over many years, from wear in the joints of the neck and upper back, from a rounded upper back, or from long hours looking down. Pressing works best alongside the plain things: raising your book or screen, gentle chin tucks and neck turns, shoulder rolls, and moving often.

It will not replace a diagnosis either. Upper back pain after a fall, or sudden sharp pain in the upper back with no clear reason, needs to be checked, especially if your bones are thin, because a small fracture in the spine can feel like a pulled muscle. Numbness, tingling or weakness in the arms or hands needs to be seen. Pain between the shoulder blades that comes with pain in the chest, jaw or arm, with sweating or with breathlessness, needs emergency care, not pressing. A cough or fever that does not clear belongs with a doctor.

Safety First

Do not press over skin that is broken, burned, infected, badly bruised or rashy. Leave the area alone after a recent neck or back injury or surgery, and with any lump or swelling there. Do not press on the bony bumps of the spine. If you have osteoporosis or have been told your bones are thin, ask your doctor before using a ball against the wall, and keep the pressure light. If you take blood thinners or bruise easily, use lighter pressure and keep sessions short.

Stop at once if the pain stays after you lift off, spreads, or if the area becomes swollen, hot or red. Stop too for any dizziness, tingling or numbness down the arm. Nothing here requires you to push through pain. For the full list of cautions, read the full safety guide before you begin.

Questions People Ask

Where is the Dazhu (BL11) pressure point? Dazhu (BL11) sits at the top of your back, on both sides of the spine. Bow your head and find the bump that sticks out most at the base of the neck. Go down to the next bump. From the dip below it, move about two finger-widths out to the side. In English it is called the Great Shuttle; in Vietnamese, Đại Trữ.

How can I press Dazhu on myself? Your own thumb reaches it only with flexible shoulders. A long-handled pressing tool, the hooked or S-shaped kind, held in the opposite hand works well. So does a firm ball against a wall. Two tennis balls tied tightly in a sock make a useful tool here; the gap between them sits over the spine and each ball rests on one point.

How long should I press Dazhu? One to three minutes on each side. Start with about a minute, then add a little time over the days, up to three. Once or twice a day is enough. Work both sides.

Is Dazhu good for my bones? The old books call it the gathering point of the bones, and it is used in this tradition for stiffness of the neck and spine. That is a traditional idea, not a medical one. Pressing it will not change bone density or reverse arthritis. If you have been told your bones are thin, keep the pressure light and ask your doctor first.

Should I press on the spine itself? No. Stay on the muscle two finger-widths out from the bony bumps. Pressing hard on the bumps of the spine is uncomfortable and not useful, and with fragile bones it can be risky.

Does it help if my neck is stiff after sleeping badly? In this tradition the point is commonly used for a stiff neck that will not turn. Press it gently in the daytime, together with slow neck turns within comfort. If the stiffness does not ease in a few days, or comes with numbness in the arm, see a doctor.

Other Points in This Library

Each of these sits within reach of the same hand. They are often worked in the same sitting.

This page shares general information about a traditional practice. It is not medical advice and does not replace what your doctor has given you. If you are pregnant, managing a health condition, or unsure whether this applies to you, check with your doctor first.

The whole inner edge of the foot, laid out on one page with photographs, is in The Foot Map — the free book. For every point in this library, see the full pressure point index.

(Point shown: BL11 · Dazhu · Great Shuttle · Đại Trữ.)