Fengchi (GB20): The Point Under the Skull for a Stiff Neck and Headache

Where Fengchi Sits

The points sit under the base of the skull, one on each side of the neck, in a soft hollow between two large muscles. The first is the broad muscle that runs down the back of the neck to the shoulders (the trapezius). The second is the long muscle that runs from behind the ear down the side of the neck to the breastbone (the sternocleidomastoid). Where these two muscles leave the skull, a small hollow forms between them. That hollow is the area.

This is the twentieth stop on a line that begins at the outer corner of the eye. It zigzags over the side of the head, comes down behind the ear, and crosses the shoulder. It then runs down the side of the body and the outer leg to end at the fourth toe. Vietnamese and Chinese texts call it the Gallbladder channel. This point is where the line leaves the head for the neck.

The World Health Organization's location manual describes it in modern terms: below the skull bone, in the dip between the origins of the two large neck muscles. It adds that the point lies at the same level as the hollow on the midline right below the skull. The Vietnamese reference gives a measured version. Go straight up the middle of the back of the neck into the hairline by one proportional unit, then out to each side by a unit and a half, into the hollow.

Under the skin, deeper than the two big muscles, are the thick muscles that hold the head up, and below them the small, deep muscles that make fine adjustments in the position of the head. The skin is served by nerves from the second and third nerve roots of the neck. A nerve that carries feeling over the back and side of the head (the lesser occipital nerve) runs close by, and the larger greater occipital nerve comes up a little closer to the midline. Branches of the artery to the back of the head run nearby. Deeper still, out of reach of any thumb, an important artery runs alongside the top of the spine on its way into the skull. That is one reason this area is worked with steady, gentle pressure, never with vigorous neck manipulation.

Why This Spot

Anatomy gives the first reasons. The muscles under this point hold up a head that weighs about as much as a bowling ball. When the head drifts forward over a screen, a book or a steering wheel, they work much harder than they were built to. Many people with chronic pain hold the neck braced and the shoulders raised for hours. The ache that results often sits right at the base of the skull and spreads up over the back of the head. The point sits in the middle of that strain.

The nerves explain where the ache goes. The nerves that serve the back of the head come up out of the neck right here. Tension at the base of the skull is often felt as a headache that climbs up the back of the head, sometimes to behind the eyes. That is why pressing these hollows is felt so clearly, and why this point is so often tender.

In this tradition the name explains the use. The name means the wind pool. Wind, in this tradition, is the cause of complaints that come on suddenly and settle at the top of the body, and the hollows at the back of the neck are where it is said to gather. Vietnamese teachers call it Phong Trì, the same characters. It is one reason so many Vietnamese families keep the back of the neck covered on a cold morning. The point is used to clear the head, to loosen the neck and to brighten the eyes. Those are traditional descriptions, offered as such.

What the Old Texts Say About Fengchi

This is one of the old channel points. It belongs to the points set down in the great early catalogues. The oldest that survives is the Systematic Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, compiled by Huangfu Mi in the third century, which arranged the points channel by channel. Its address under the skull has stayed essentially the same since.

The Vietnamese reference we work from is Ngô Trung Triều's Huyệt vị kinh lạc cơ thể người (Points and Channels of the Human Body). It places the point inside the hairline, in the hollow on each side of the back of the neck. It gives the measured method set out above: one unit up into the hairline from the middle of the neck, then a unit and a half out to each side.

The same book lists a wide range of uses. Among them are headache, colds and fever, a stiff, painful neck, light-headedness, cough, poor sleep, and complaints of the eyes, nose and ears, including ringing ears and toothache. It also includes several serious conditions that belong with a doctor, not a thumb. The breadth of that list shows how central this point is in the tradition. On this page we keep to the everyday ones: a stiff neck, a headache at the back of the head and a heavy, light-headed feeling.

The World Health Organization's location manual of 2008 gives the modern version and adds the useful check that the point lies level with the hollow on the midline right below the skull. Ancient catalogue, Vietnamese handbook and modern standard all put the thumb in the same place.

We have not found a classical passage for this point that we can quote with confidence, so we will not invent one.

Points That Work With Fengchi

The first partner sits right beside it, a little closer to the spine. From the hollow, move your thumb in toward the midline onto the thick vertical muscle beside the spine, about one thumb-width out from the centre of the neck, right below the skull. It is often pressed together with this one, in turn, for a neck that is stiff from the skull downward.

The second is on the top of the shoulder. Halfway between the base of the neck and the bony tip of the shoulder, the muscle forms a thick ridge. Squeeze it between thumb and fingers and the tender spot at its highest point is the one. Many neck headaches begin as tight shoulders, and working the shoulder ridge and then the base of the skull follows the strain upward. That point carries its own caution in pregnancy, explained on its page.

The third is on the hand. Make a loose fist and look at the outer edge of the hand, on the little-finger side. The crease below the little-finger knuckle ends in a small ridge of flesh; the point is at the end of that crease. In this tradition it is the main hand point for a neck that will not turn, and many people press it while gently turning the head from side to side.

How to Find and Press Fengchi

Getting Into Position

Sit upright in a chair with your back supported and both feet flat on the floor. Rest your elbows on a table so your arms do not tire. Keep your head level and your chin slightly tucked, as if you were making a small double chin. Do not tip the head back. Let your shoulders drop away from your ears.

How to Find It

Lace your fingers loosely behind your head and let your thumbs rest on the back of your neck, either side of the spine. Slide them upward until they meet the bony edge of the skull. You will feel two thick vertical muscles running up beside the spine. Move the thumbs outward, past those muscles, and they will sink into a soft hollow on each side. That is the area.

Now probe with the tips of your thumbs or a rounded-tip tool. Press up under the skull, move a few millimetres in or out, up or down, and press again. Most of the hollow feels like a dull ache. One spot will sting more sharply, a pinpoint tenderness that may spread up over the back of the head. That is the point. Many people find it a little further out from the spine than they expect, nearer the ear than the middle of the neck.

How to Press It

Use the tips of the thumbs with the nails cut short, or a pressing tool with a smooth, rounded tip. With the fingers laced behind the head, the hands support each other and both points can be worked at once. Aim the pressure up under the edge of the skull and slightly in, as if pointing toward the opposite eye.

Once you have the stinging spot, rub in small circles, no wider than a grain of rice. Keep the tip in contact with the skin so the skin moves with it. Keep the head still and level; do not tip it back or roll it around while your thumbs are in place. Breathe out slowly as you rub, and let the weight of the head settle.

How Much Pressure

A sharp sting under the tip is what you are looking for, and it is right, but this area needs a steady, moderate pressure, not force. When you lift off, the sting should fade within a few seconds, leaving the neck warm and the head a little lighter. If the pain stays after you lift off, spreads, or the area turns swollen, hot or red, stop for the day. Dizziness, a buzz or tingling down the arm, numbness or a change in vision means stop at once. If your shoulders have climbed toward your ears or you are holding your breath, you are pressing too hard.

How Long

Rub each side for one to three minutes. Stay near one minute in the first sessions and build toward three as the days go on. Working both sides at once with both thumbs is the easiest way, and keeps the head balanced. Do both sides even when only one side of the neck is stiff. Once or twice a day is plenty.

When to Do It

The morning suits it when the neck is stiff on waking, after a few gentle shoulder rolls have warmed it up. The late afternoon suits it when a headache starts to climb the back of the head after hours at a desk or behind the wheel. A short round before bed helps the neck let go before you lie down. Do not press in the middle of the night. If a stiff neck or headache wakes you, change position, adjust the pillow, sip some water, and leave the point until morning.

What This Won't Do

It will not change the posture or the habits behind a stiff neck. A head held forward over a screen or a book, a pillow that is too high or too flat, sleeping on the front, and carrying bags on one shoulder all keep loading these muscles. So do long hours without moving. With age, wear in the joints of the neck plays a part too. A point under the skull sits downstream of all of that. Raise the screen, find a pillow that keeps the neck level, take breaks to move, and then this point has something to add. On its own it is a comfort measure, and a worthwhile one.

It will not replace a diagnosis either. A sudden, severe headache unlike any before is an emergency. So is dizziness or headache with slurred speech, double vision, weakness or numbness down one side, or a face that droops. Call for help at once. A stiff neck with high fever, a rash, sensitivity to light or confusion needs a doctor immediately. Neck pain after a fall or accident needs to be checked before any pressure is applied. So does pain that spreads into the arm with numbness, tingling or a weak grip, or neck pain that keeps getting worse week on week.

Safety First

After a recent neck injury, whiplash, a fall onto the head or neck, or neck surgery, leave this area alone until your doctor agrees. Even then, use the lightest pressure and no vigorous rubbing, stretching or cracking of the neck. If you have a known condition of the neck bones or joints, such as rheumatoid arthritis affecting the neck or marked bone thinning, ask your doctor first. Do not press on broken, bruised or infected skin. Keep the head still while you press. If you take blood thinners or bruise easily, use lighter pressure and shorter sessions.

Stop at once if you feel dizzy, if your vision changes, if you feel a buzz, tingling or numbness down an arm or across the head, if the pain stays after you lift off or spreads, or if the area turns swollen, hot or red. Nothing here requires you to push through pain. For the full list of cautions and situations where self-applied pressure is not appropriate, read the full safety guide before you begin.

Questions People Ask

Where is the Fengchi (GB20) pressure point? Fengchi (GB20) is a pair of points under the base of your skull. Slide your thumbs up the back of your neck until they meet bone, then move them out to each side, past the thick muscles beside the spine, into a soft hollow. The point on each side is the one spot in that hollow that stings when you press.

How long should I press Fengchi? One to three minutes on each side. Stay near one minute in the first sessions and build up as the days go on. Many people press both sides at once with both thumbs, which saves time and keeps the head balanced. Once or twice a day is plenty.

Which way should I press? Up under the skull, and slightly in toward the opposite eye. Pressing straight forward into the neck is less comfortable and finds the point less well. Keep the head still and level while you press. Do not tip it far back or roll it around while your thumbs are in place.

I feel dizzy or my arm tingles when I press. What should I do? Stop at once and sit quietly until it passes. Dizziness, tingling, numbness or a buzz down the arm are signs to leave the neck alone. If they do not settle within a few minutes, or come back, see a doctor. If dizziness comes with slurred speech, double vision or weakness, call for help immediately.

Can I press Fengchi after a neck injury? Not while the injury is recent. After whiplash, a fall onto the head or neck, or neck surgery, leave the neck alone until your doctor says it is fine. When you do start again, use the lightest pressure, keep the head still, and avoid any vigorous rubbing, stretching or cracking of the neck.

Can I use Fengchi for the stiff neck that comes with a cold? Many people do. In this tradition, the back of the neck is where a chill is said to settle first, and this point is often worked when a cold starts with a stiff neck and a heavy head. Keep the neck warm, press gently and rest. A stiff neck with high fever, a rash, or a headache that keeps getting worse needs a doctor at once.

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: GB20 · Fengchi · Wind Pool · Phong Trì.)