Xiyangguan (GB33): The Outer Knee Point for a Stiff, Aching Knee

Where Xiyangguan Sits

This point sits on the outer side of the knee, a little above the joint, in a soft hollow right above the bony bump at the lower end of the thighbone.

The line this point belongs to runs down the side of the body like a seam. It starts at the outer corner of the eye, winds across the side of the head, crosses the top of the shoulder and runs down the side of the ribs. It passes the hip and travels down the outer thigh. At the knee it passes this point, then the dip below the outer knee, and continues down the outer side of the leg to the fourth toe. Vietnamese and Chinese texts call it the Gallbladder channel. This is its thirty-third stop, the last one above the knee.

The old texts place it three body-inches above the point below the outer knee, in the hollow above the outer bulge of the thighbone. A body-inch is measured on your own body; four fingers laid side by side are close to three body-inches. The modern standard from the World Health Organization describes the same hollow with anatomy: between the tendon at the back of the thigh and the broad band on the outer thigh, behind and above the outer bump of the thighbone.

Underneath, three structures meet. The thighbone ends in two rounded bumps at the knee, and the outer one (the lateral epicondyle) is the bony mark you feel. Behind it runs the firm cord of the outer hamstring tendon (the biceps femoris), which you can feel tighten when you bend the knee against resistance. In front of the hollow lies the tough, flat band that runs down the outer thigh from the hip (the iliotibial band). The point sits in the soft gap between them.

The skin here is served by a branch of the nerve to the outer thigh, from the upper lumbar roots, and by fibres from the nerve that runs down the back of the thigh. The common fibular nerve, a branch of that large nerve, travels close behind the outer hamstring tendon on its way down to the outer leg. Press in front of the tendon, not on it or behind it.

Why This Spot

On the anatomical side, the outer knee is where the long band of the outer thigh and the outer hamstring both cross the joint. When the knee is stiff, or when you walk with a limp to spare a sore hip or knee, these structures stay tight and rub over the bony bump. The hollow above it often turns tender. It is easy to reach from a chair, the bony bump gives a firm mark, and the gap is soft enough to press into.

In this tradition the outer side of the body is the yang side, and this point is described as a gate at the knee on that side. Gates in point names are places where the flow is said to pass through a narrow opening, so they are used when a joint feels locked or stiff. The Vietnamese handbook lists only one use for it, pain in the knee joint, which makes it one of the plainest points on the leg.

The name tells you what it is for. Knee, yang side, gate: the gate on the outer side of the knee. The Vietnamese name, Tất Dương Quan, uses the same three words.

What the Old Texts Say About Xiyangguan

The point is described in the Systematic Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, the Jiayi Jing, compiled by Huangfu Mi in the third century. That older description places it three body-inches above the point below the outer knee, in a hollow on the outer side of the knee. Later handbooks repeated the measurement. The Vietnamese handbook follows the same line: stretch the leg, find the point below the outer knee, and go up three body-inches.

The World Health Organization's 2008 standard keeps the same spot but finds it by anatomy rather than measurement: a depression between the outer hamstring tendon and the band of the outer thigh, behind and above the outer bump of the thighbone. Both descriptions land in the same hollow on most people. The measurement is useful to start; the bony bump and the tendon tell you when you have arrived.

The Vietnamese handbook of points and channels by Ngo Trung Trieu, published by Hong Duc, gives a single entry: pain in the knee joint. Where many points carry a long list, this one has a narrow job. Over time, teachers have also used it for stiffness when bending and straightening the knee, for cramping in the back of the knee, and for numbness on the outer side of the knee. The thread through all of it is the joint itself.

That narrow focus is worth noticing. It suggests the point was valued for what is right under the hand, a stiff outer knee, rather than for anything far away. Long use rather than proof stands behind it, as it does for most of these points.

Points That Work With Xiyangguan

The first partner is directly below it on the same line. Find the small, round bony knob on the outer side of the leg below the knee, and slide down and forward into the soft dip in front of it. In this tradition that lower point is commonly paired with this one, one above the outer knee and one below, for a knee that is stiff and tight on the outside.

The second sits on the front of the thigh, about two thumb-widths above the outer top corner of the kneecap, in a groove between two thigh muscles. It is used with this one when the knee aches across the front and the side together.

The third is the outer dip right below the kneecap, beside the thick band under it. Bend the knee and you will feel it. It is used with this one when the whole joint feels stiff and complains on stairs.

How to Find and Press Xiyangguan

Getting Into Position

Sit on a firm chair or the edge of a bed with the leg stretched out and the heel resting on the floor, so the outer thigh is soft. Let the leg roll a little inward so the outer side of the knee faces up toward your hand. If you find it easier, lie on your side with the leg to be pressed on top and a pillow between the knees.

How to Find It

First find the small, round bony knob on the outer side of the leg, a little below the knee and toward the back. Lay four fingers flat on the side of the leg above it, going upward past the knee joint. Your top finger rests near a broad, rounded bony bump: the end of the thighbone. Feel right above and slightly behind that bump. Now bend the knee a little and feel for the firm cord that tightens at the back of the outer thigh. The soft hollow between the bone, that cord, and the flat band in front is the area.

Now probe it with a rounded-tip pressing tool, or the tip of your thumb with the nail cut short. Move slowly in small steps around the hollow. Most of it will feel like ordinary tissue. One spot will sting: a small, sharp, pinpoint tenderness. That spot is the point. If you feel an electric jolt or tingling down toward the foot, you are too far back, near the nerve behind the tendon. Lift off, move forward toward the front of the knee, and use less force.

How to Press It

Keep the tip of the tool or thumb on the stinging spot and rub in small circles, about the size of a fingernail, roughly one each second. Aim the pressure inward, toward the middle of the knee, not backward onto the tendon. Hold the inner side of the knee with your other hand so the leg stays still. Keep the tip on the same spot; do not let it slide over the bone.

How Much Pressure

Sharp under the tool 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 the tool, if it spreads, or if the area turns swollen, hot or red, stop and leave it for several days. Stop at once for any electric or numb sensation. If you are holding your breath, you are pressing too hard. Ease off until you can breathe slowly through the sting.

How Long

Work each leg for one to three minutes. In the first sessions keep to about one minute, because the point is often most tender at the start. As the days go on, add a little time, up to three minutes. Do both legs, even when only one knee complains. Once or twice a day is plenty. Pressing longer does not add benefit; it mostly adds soreness.

When to Do It

Morning suits a knee that is stiff on waking. Late afternoon suits a knee that has tightened after walking or standing. Before bed is a good time too, as part of winding down. Do not press in the middle of the night. If an aching knee wakes you, pressing then tends to wake you further. Keep the pressing for the day and the evening.

What This Won't Do

It will not remove the reason your knee aches. The usual reasons are wear in the joint, weak thigh and hip muscles, extra weight, an old injury, or a way of walking that loads one side of the knee. A tight band down the outer thigh often comes from weak hip muscles, not from the knee itself. A point on the outer knee cannot change any of that. Pressing works best alongside the plain things: gentle strengthening of the hips and thighs, regular walking, and shoes that keep you steady.

It will not replace a diagnosis either. A knee that is suddenly hot, swollen and red needs to be seen, especially with a fever. So does a knee that gives way, locks, or will not take your weight after a fall or a twist. One calf that is suddenly swollen, warm and painful needs urgent assessment, because it can mean a clot in a deep vein. Numbness on the outer leg or a foot that drags points to the nerve near this area and needs to be checked, not pressed. Pain that wakes you every night, or worsens week on week, belongs with a doctor.

Safety First

Do not press over skin that is broken, burned, infected, badly bruised or rashy. Leave the area alone with a recent fracture, a fresh sprain, unexplained swelling, or a plate, pin or implant under the skin. Skip this point if the knee is hot and swollen, or if you had surgery on that knee recently, and ask your surgeon when you may start. If you take blood thinners, bruise easily, have a bleeding disorder, or have reduced feeling in your legs, use lighter pressure, keep sessions short, and talk to your doctor first.

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 electric jolt or numbness toward the foot. 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 Xiyangguan (GB33) pressure point? Xiyangguan (GB33) sits on the outer side of the knee, in a soft hollow right above the bony bump at the lower end of the thighbone. The firm cord of the tendon at the back of the thigh lies right behind it. The Vietnamese handbook puts it three body-inches above the point below the outer knee. In English it is called the Knee Yang Gate; in Vietnamese, Tất Dương Quan.

How long should I press Xiyangguan? One to three minutes on each leg. 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 legs, even if only one knee aches.

How is it different from Yanglingquan (GB34)? They sit on the same line, one above the other. Yanglingquan (GB34) is below the knee, in the dip in front of the small bony knob on the outer leg. Xiyangguan (GB33) is above the knee joint, in the hollow over the bony bump of the thighbone. Many people press both in the same sitting, first the lower one, then the upper one.

Why are there three dots in the photo? Only one is this point, the dot on the outer edge of the leg on the right of the picture. The two dots on the other thigh are Futu (ST32) and Liangqiu (ST34), points on the front of the thigh shown for orientation. They help you see that this point sits on the side of the knee, not the front.

Can I press Xiyangguan if my knee is swollen? Not if the knee is hot and swollen, or if you had surgery on that knee recently. A knee that has puffed up and turned warm needs a doctor first. Once it has settled and been checked, you can come back to the point with light pressure.

Does it help with pain down the outside of the thigh? In this tradition the point sits on the line that runs down the outer side of the thigh, so it is often pressed when the outer thigh feels tight above a stiff knee. If the pain runs from the buttock down the outside of the leg with numbness or tingling, see a doctor, because the cause is often in 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: GB33 · Xiyangguan · Knee Yang Gate · Tất Dương Quan.)