Feishu (BL13): The Upper Back Point for a Tight Back and a Cough That Hangs On

Where Feishu Sits

This point sits on the upper back, about two finger-widths out from the centre of the spine, between the spine and the inner edge of the shoulder blade. It is roughly level with the inner end of the bony ridge that runs across the top of each shoulder blade.

It belongs to the line that Vietnamese and Chinese texts call the Bladder channel. That line begins at the inner corner of the eye, runs over the top of the head, and comes down the back in two tracks on each side of the spine. The inner track, about two finger-widths from the centre, carries a row of points, one for each organ in this tradition. This one, the thirteenth stop on the line, is the first of the organ points and belongs to the lung.

The old texts place it below the third vertebra, one and a half units out from the spine. In their count, the first vertebra is the one just under the big knob at the base of the neck, so the third is the third bump of the upper back. The modern standard from the World Health Organization says the same: level with the lower border of the third thoracic spinous process, one and a half units out from the midline. The spinous processes are the bumps you can feel down the middle of your back. One and a half units is about the width of your index and middle fingers laid side by side.

Under the skin lie several layers of muscle. On top is the broad, flat muscle that lifts and braces the shoulders (the trapezius). Beneath it are the diamond-shaped muscles that pull the shoulder blades toward the spine (the rhomboids). Deeper still runs the long muscle that keeps the spine upright (the erector spinae). The skin here is served by small back branches of the third and fourth thoracic nerves. Below all of this are the ribs, and under the ribs, the top of the lung.

Why This Spot

On the anatomical side, this is where the upper back takes the load of the arms and head. Hours of reading, sewing or driving keep the muscles between the shoulder blades working to stop you from slumping. With the years the upper back rounds and these muscles are stretched and strained at once. They answer with a dull, nagging ache and small, tight knots that sting when you press them. This point sits in the middle of that band.

In this tradition, every organ has a transport point on the back, where its energy is said to come close to the surface. This is the one for the lung. In Vietnamese and Chinese medicine, the lung is described as the delicate organ that meets the outside air, the first to be troubled by wind and cold. A cough that hangs on after a cold, a chest that feels tight, and an upper back that feels chilled are all read as the lung being unsettled. That is why this point is one of the first a teacher reaches for when someone says they caught a cold weeks ago and the cough still has not let go.

The name says what it does. Fei is the lung; shu means to transport. Its Vietnamese name, Phế Du, carries the same meaning.

What the Old Texts Say About Feishu

The Spiritual Pivot, the Lingshu, is one of the oldest books of this medicine, from the Han dynasty. Its chapter on the back transport points lists the organ points in a short row: the lung point lies at the third vertebra, the heart point at the fifth, the diaphragm point at the seventh, the liver at the ninth, the spleen at the eleventh and the kidney at the fourteenth. The chapter then gives a simple test. If you want to be sure you have the right place, press on it. If something inside answers, or the ache eases, that is the point. That is the same thing you are doing when you hunt for the spot that stings.

The Systematic Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, the Jiayi Jing, compiled by Huangfu Mi in the third century, fixes the location more exactly: below the third vertebra, one and a half units out on each side. That has hardly changed since.

The Vietnamese handbook of points and channels by Ngô Trung Triều, published by Hồng Đức, follows the same count. To find it, the handbook says, draw a line across the tip of the third bump of the upper back and meet it with a vertical line one and a half units out from the centre. It lists the point for long-standing chest complaints and coughs, wheezing, and sweating that comes too easily or at night. Those are conditions for a doctor to look at. In the wider tradition, this is the point people warm and rub when a cough lingers and the upper back aches after a winter illness. That reputation rests on long use rather than proof.

Points That Work With Feishu

The first partner sits on the centre line of the spine at the same level, in the small gap below the third bump of the upper back. In this tradition the two are often worked one after the other, the centre point first and then the points on each side, when the whole band between the shoulder blades feels stiff.

The second sits two bumps higher, at the level of the first bump below the big knob at the base of the neck, the same two finger-widths out from the spine. It is used with this one when the stiffness climbs up into the base of the neck. A tennis ball moved a little upward reaches it in the same sitting.

The third is on the wrist, on the thumb side, just above the small bony bump at the base of the thumb, in the groove where you would feel a pulse if you slid your finger slightly outward. It is easy to reach in a chair. Pair it with this one when a cough lingers and the upper back feels tight.

How to Find and Press Feishu

Getting Into Position

Be honest with yourself about reach. Almost nobody can press the middle of their own upper back well with their hands, especially with stiff shoulders. That is normal. Stand with your back to a wall, feet about a foot out from it, knees soft, and use a tennis ball between your back and the wall. A stick with a rounded end, hooked over the opposite shoulder, is another way.

How to Find It

Bend your head forward and feel the back of your neck with your fingers. The biggest knob at the base of the neck is your starting mark. Count three bumps down the spine from there. A quick check: with your arms hanging by your sides, this third bump is roughly level with the inner end of the bony ridge on top of each shoulder blade. The point lies on each side of the gap below that bump, two finger-widths out, about halfway to the inner edge of the shoulder blade.

Place the ball there and lean back into it slowly. Shift in small steps, a little up, down, in and out. Much of the area will feel like ordinary pressure on muscle. One spot will sting: a small, sharp, pinpoint tenderness deep under the ball, often on a knot that feels like a grain of rice. That spot is the point. Hunt for the spot that stings, because that is the one. Two balls tied in a sock let you work both sides at once, with the spine resting in the gap between them.

How to Press It

Once you are on the stinging spot, stay on it. Bend and straighten your knees a little, so the ball rubs in small circles about the size of a coin, roughly one each second, without rolling away. Crossing your arms over your chest pulls the shoulder blades apart and opens the area, which makes the spot easier to reach. With a stick, hold the handle steady, place the rounded tip on the spot and make the same small circles. Do not press on the bony bumps of the spine or dig into the edge of the shoulder blade.

How Much Pressure

A sharp sting under the ball is right. Stay on it. When you step away, it should fade within moments. If the pain stays after you lift off, spreads, or the area turns swollen, hot or red, stop and leave it for several days. If you are holding your breath, you are pressing too hard to keep going for a minute or more. Step your feet a little closer to the wall, so less of your weight goes into the ball, until you can breathe slowly through the sting while staying on the spot.

How Long

One to three minutes on each side. Keep the first sessions to about a minute, because the upper back is often more tender than expected and can feel bruised the next day. Add a little time over the following days, up to three minutes. Work both sides, even when only one complains. Once or twice a day is plenty. Longer sessions bring more soreness, not more benefit.

When to Do It

Midday or late afternoon suits the ache that builds after hours of reading, sewing or sitting at a table. When a cough lingers after a cold, a warm shower and then a few minutes on the ball is a pleasant routine. Before bed is a good time too, as part of winding down. Do not press in the middle of the night. If a cough or a stiff back wakes you at two or three in the morning, getting up to lean on a wall will only wake you further. Keep the pressing for the day and the evening.

What This Won't Do

It will not straighten a rounded upper back or undo years of posture. Pressing can ease tight, tender muscle and give you a few minutes of relief, which is real and worth having. What changes an upper back over months is plainer: walking with your arms swinging, gently squeezing your shoulder blades together several times a day, lifting your reading to eye level, breaks from sitting, and a pillow that supports your neck. This point works best as one small part of that.

It will not do anything for your lungs as organs, and it is no substitute for a diagnosis. A cough that lasts more than three weeks needs a doctor. See a doctor promptly for a cough that brings up blood, for green or rusty phlegm with fever, for night sweats or weight loss you cannot explain, and for a cough that keeps you breathless. Call emergency services at once for sudden pain between the shoulder blades with chest pressure, breathlessness, sweating or sickness, because that can come from the chest itself and not from the muscles.

Safety First

Do not press over skin that is broken, burned, infected, badly bruised or rashy. Leave the area alone after a recent rib or back injury or fall, with a known fracture, after recent chest or back surgery, or with unexplained swelling or a lump. If you take blood thinners, bruise easily, have thin bones or have broken a rib before, use a softer ball, lean in less, keep sessions short, and ask your doctor first. Never jab a hard stick into the back over the ribs.

Stop at once if pain stays after you lift off, spreads, or brings tingling, numbness or trouble breathing. Nothing here requires you to push through pain that lingers. For the full list of cautions and the situations where pressing on yourself is not appropriate, read the full safety guide before you begin.

Questions People Ask

Where is the Feishu (BL13) pressure point? Feishu (BL13) lies on the upper back, about two finger-widths out from the centre of the spine, level with the third bump below the large knob at the base of the neck. That is roughly halfway between the spine and the inner edge of the shoulder blade. In Vietnamese it is called Phế Du.

How do I press a point between my shoulder blades? Most people cannot reach this spot well with their own hands, and that is normal. Stand with your back to a wall and lean on a tennis ball placed over the spot. Two tennis balls tied in a sock sit on both sides of the spine at once. A stick with a rounded end, hooked over the shoulder, also works.

Can Feishu (BL13) help a cough that will not go away? In this tradition Feishu (BL13) is commonly used for a cough that lingers after a cold, and many people find warming and pressing the upper back soothing. It does not replace a check-up. A cough that lasts more than three weeks, brings up blood, or comes with fever, weight loss or breathlessness needs a doctor.

Why is it called a lung point? In this tradition each organ has a matching point on the back, and this is the one for the lung. The name reflects old ideas about energy and the upper back, not the lungs you see on an X-ray. Pressing here does not test or change how your lungs work.

How long should I press Feishu? One to three minutes on each side. Keep the first sessions to about a minute, then add a little as the days go on, up to three. Once or twice a day is enough. Work both sides, even if only one side aches.

Is it safe to press over the ribs? Yes, for most people, because a tennis ball spreads the pressure over muscle. If you have thin bones or have broken a rib before, use a softer ball, lean in less, and ask your doctor first. Never jab a hard stick into the back.

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: BL13 · Feishu · Lung Transport Point · Phế Du.)