Juliao (GB29): The Side-of-the-Hip Point for a Stiff, Aching Hip

Where Juliao Sits

This point sits on the side of the hip, below the waist, in the soft area between two bony landmarks you can feel through your clothes. In front is the bony point at the front of the pelvis, where the side of a belt buckle rests. Behind and below is the large bony knob at the top of the thigh, the one that touches the mattress when you lie on your side. The point lies halfway between them.

It belongs to the line that Vietnamese and Chinese texts call the Gallbladder channel. That line runs down the side of the body like a seam. It starts at the outer corner of the eye, zigzags over the side of the head, crosses the top of the shoulder and runs down the side of the ribs. At the hip it passes this point, turns back to the buttock, and then runs down the outer thigh and leg to the fourth toe. This is its twenty-ninth stop.

The old texts place it in the hollow on the side of the hip between the pelvis and the top of the thigh bone. The World Health Organization standard gives a precise version: at the midpoint of the line connecting the front upper point of the pelvis (the anterior superior iliac spine) and the most prominent part of the large knob at the top of the thigh bone (the greater trochanter). Both landmarks are bone, so they do not shift with weight or age.

Under the skin lie the muscles that hold the pelvis level when you walk. In front is a small muscle that tightens the long band down the outside of the thigh (the tensor fasciae latae). Behind and deeper are the two smaller buttock muscles (the gluteus medius and minimus) that stop the hip dropping on one side with each step. A nerve from the pelvis serves these muscles. The skin is served by a nerve that comes out near the front hip bone and runs down the outer thigh, from the second and third lumbar roots.

Why This Spot

On the anatomical side, this is where the side-of-hip muscles do their hardest work. Every step you take on one leg, they hold the pelvis level. When they tire, from a long walk, a limp, stairs or standing on one leg to dress, they tighten and ache. The ache sits on the side of the hip, often spreads into the buttock and the outer thigh, and can make lying on that side uncomfortable. In people over fifty, the tendons of these muscles, where they attach to the bony knob, are a common source of side-of-hip pain.

In this tradition, the line this point sits on is the hinge channel of the body, the one that runs down the side and governs turning and twisting. The hip is its great joint. This point opens the front of that joint, and it is used when the hip feels stiff, when bending and squatting are hard, and when pain runs from the side of the hip into the low back.

The name describes a posture. Ju means to squat or crouch; liao means a crevice in the bone. When you squat, a crease forms at the side of the hip, and the point sits at its outer end. The Vietnamese name, Cư Liêu, carries the same meaning.

What the Old Texts Say About Juliao

The Systematic Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, the Jiayi Jing, compiled by Huangfu Mi in the third century, places this point on the side of the hip and names it for the squatting posture used to find it. The modern standard locates the same spot by the two bony landmarks.

The Vietnamese handbook of points and channels by Ngô Trung Triều, published by Hồng Đức, gives both methods. Draw a line from the front upper point of the pelvis to the highest point of the knob at the top of the thigh bone; the point is at the middle of that line. Or bend the thigh up toward you, and the point lies at the outer end of the crease that forms at the front of the hip. The handbook lists it for back pain, pain in the lower belly, and some complaints of the pelvic organs and the bladder.

Notice how the list follows the place. The point sits over the hip and on the edge of the lower belly, and the old entries cover both. In practice, teachers lean on it most for the hip and the low back.

In the wider tradition, this point is often pressed together with the large point in the buttock behind it, the two covering the front and back of the hip. It is a point for the hip that will not bend easily, the one that makes getting in and out of a car slow. Its reputation rests on long use rather than proof. It tells you where generations of hands found tender, useful tissue on hips like yours.

Points That Work With Juliao

The first partner lies in the side of the buttock, behind this point. Find the bony knob at the top of the thigh and move about a third of the way from it toward the base of the spine. In this tradition the two are the main pair for a stiff, aching hip. The buttock point is easiest with a tennis ball against a wall.

The second sits on the outer thigh. Stand with your arms hanging by your sides; where the tip of your middle finger touches the outer thigh is the spot. It is used with this one when the ache runs down the outer thigh from the hip.

The third sits below the knee, on the outer side of the leg, in the dip in front of and below the small bony knob there. In this tradition it gathers the sinews of the whole body. Pair it with this one when the hip is tight and the leg feels bound.

How to Find and Press Juliao

Getting Into Position

This point is easy to reach, which makes it a good one to learn early. Sit on the front edge of a firm chair with your feet flat, or stand side-on to a table and rest one hand on it. Keep the hip relaxed; do not lean your weight onto that leg. If you sit, let the knee fall a little outward so the side of the hip is open to your hand.

How to Find It

Run your fingers along the top of your hip bone toward the front until it ends in a firm bony point below the waist. That is the front landmark. Then slide your hand down the side of the hip to the large, hard knob at the top of the thigh. You can feel it move if you turn the foot in and out. Halfway between the two, the fingertip sinks into a slightly softer dip.

Probe that dip with a rounded-tip pressing tool, or the tip of your thumb with the nail cut short. Move slowly in small steps, a little forward, back, up and down. Most of it will feel like ordinary muscle. One spot will sting: a small, sharp, pinpoint tenderness. That spot is the point. If you feel tingling or burning running down the outer thigh, you are too far forward, near a skin nerve. Lift off, move back a little, and press more gently.

How to Press It

Keep the tip on the stinging spot and rub in small circles about the size of a fingernail, roughly one each second. Aim the pressure straight into the side of the hip, slightly backward toward the buttock. Brace your other hand on the table or your thigh so the pressing hand stays steady. Keep the tip on the same spot; do not let it slide forward onto the front hip bone or down onto the knob.

How Much Pressure

A sharp sting under the tip is right. When you lift off, 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. Stop at once for any tingling, burning or numbness on the outer thigh. If you are holding your breath or your shoulders are rising toward your ears, you are pressing too hard. Ease off until you can breathe slowly through the sting.

How Long

One to three minutes on each hip. In the first sessions keep to about one minute, because the side of the hip is often tender at the start. As the days go on, add a little time, up to three minutes. Do both hips, even if only one complains. Once or twice a day is plenty. Longer sessions add soreness, not benefit.

When to Do It

Morning suits a hip that is stiff on getting out of bed. Late afternoon suits the ache that builds after walking, shopping or stairs. Before bed is a good time too, as part of winding down. Do not press in the middle of the night. If hip pain wakes you when you lie on that side, pressing then tends to wake you further. Turn over, put a pillow between your knees, and keep the pressing for the day and the evening.

What This Won't Do

It will not change wear in the hip joint itself. Hip arthritis is common after sixty and usually shows up as pain in the groin and the front of the thigh, with stiffness putting on shoes and socks. No point reverses it. Nor will pressing undo a worn tendon on the side of the hip. What this point can do is ease tight side-of-hip muscle and give you a small, useful daily routine. The changes that last come from gentle strengthening for the side-hip muscles, walking, not crossing your legs or standing on one leg for long, and a pillow between the knees at night.

It does not replace a diagnosis. A hip that suddenly will not take your weight after a fall needs to be seen the same day, even if you can still move it, because the top of the thigh bone can break with a simple fall when bones are thin. A hot, red, swollen hip, especially with fever, needs urgent care. See a doctor promptly for groin pain that is getting worse, a hip that locks or gives way, pain that is worse at rest and at night, and pain with weight loss you cannot explain.

Safety First

Do not press over skin that is broken, burned, infected, badly bruised or rashy. Leave the area alone after a recent fall onto the hip, with a known or suspected fracture, or with unexplained swelling or a lump. If you have had hip surgery or a hip replacement in the past months, ask your surgeon before you press anywhere near the scar. Avoid pressing hard on the bony knob itself if it is very tender to touch. If you take blood thinners, bruise easily, have thin bones or reduced feeling in your legs, use lighter pressure, keep sessions short, and ask your doctor first.

Stop at once if pain stays after you lift off, spreads, or brings tingling, burning or numbness. Nothing here requires you to push through pain. 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 Juliao (GB29) pressure point? Juliao (GB29) lies on the side of the hip. Find the bony point at the front of your pelvis below the waist, and the large bony knob on the outer side of the thigh. The point sits halfway between the two, in a soft dip. In Vietnamese it is called Cư Liêu.

Can I reach this point myself? Yes. Unlike most points on the back, this one sits on the side of the hip, within easy reach of your own thumb. Sit on the front edge of a firm chair or stand side-on to a table. A rounded-tip pressing tool saves the thumb if your hands are stiff.

Is Juliao (GB29) good for hip pain? In this tradition it is commonly used for a stiff, aching hip and for pain across the side of the hip and low back. Pressing can ease tight muscle on the side of the hip. It does not change wear in the hip joint itself.

My outer thigh tingled or burned when I pressed. Is that normal? No. Lift off. A skin nerve for the outer thigh runs close to the front hip bone, and pressing too far forward can irritate it. Move your tool a little back toward the side of the hip and use less force. You want a small sting under the tip, nothing that spreads.

Should I press if side-of-hip pain wakes me when I lie on that side? Press in the daytime and before bed, not in the middle of the night. Avoid pressing hard on the bony knob itself if it is very tender to touch, since a sore cushion of tissue can sit over it. Mention night hip pain to your doctor if it keeps waking you.

How long should I press Juliao? 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 hips.

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: GB29 · Juliao · Squatting Crevice · Cư Liêu.)