Zulinqi (GB41): The Top-of-Foot Point for a One-Sided Headache and an Aching Foot

Where Zulinqi Sits

This point sits on the top of the foot, toward the outer side, in the groove between the bones that lead to the fourth and little toes, in front of the spot where those two bones join.

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 back and forth across the side of the head, drops behind the ear, crosses the top of the shoulder, and runs down the side of the ribs and hip. It follows the outer side of the thigh and leg to the front of the outer ankle, then crosses the top of the foot and ends at the fourth toe. Vietnamese and Chinese texts call it the Gallbladder channel. This is its forty-first stop, one of the last before the toe.

The old texts place it in the dip in front of the point where the fourth and fifth foot bones meet, between those two bones. The foot bones run from the toes back toward the ankle, like the bones on the back of your hand. The fourth and fifth of them, counting from the big toe, run side by side and meet near the middle of the outer foot. The World Health Organization standard of 2008 describes the same place: in front of the junction of the bases of those two bones, in the dip on the outer side of the tendon that lifts the little toe.

That tendon is your best guide. Lift your little toe and you will often see or feel a thin cord rise on the top of the foot, running toward it. The point sits right on the outer side of that cord, in the groove, where the two bones come together. Underneath lie small muscles that sit between the foot bones and help spread and steady the toes.

The skin here is served by a branch of the nerve that runs down the outer front of the leg and spreads over the top of the foot. The skin of the top of the foot is served mostly by the fifth lumbar root, with the outer edge served by the first sacral root. That is why the top of the foot can ache along with the lower back and the outer leg.

Why This Spot

On the anatomical side, the outer half of the foot takes a lot of load. When you walk on uneven ground, or when your ankles roll slightly outward, the outer foot bones and the small muscles between them steady you with every step. Shoes that are narrow across the toes squeeze this area too. The groove between the fourth and fifth bones is often tender in people who stand a lot, walk carefully, or wear tight shoes. It is easy to reach sitting in a chair with the foot across the knee.

In this tradition the point plays two roles. It is the stream point of its channel, where the flow is described as gathering pace, like a stream that has left its source. It is also the opening point of the girdle vessel, a channel described as wrapping around the waist like a belt and binding the lengthwise channels together. That is why the old books use it for complaints along the whole side of the body: the temple, the side of the ribs, the hip and the outer foot.

The name links the foot to the eyes. Foot tells you where it is; overlooking tears points to the eyes and to a matching point on the head, above the eye, which bears the same name with head in place of foot. Its Vietnamese name, Túc Lâm Khấp, carries the same idea.

What the Old Texts Say About Zulinqi

The Systematic Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, the Jiayi Jing, compiled by Huangfu Mi in the third century, placed it on the top of the foot in the dip behind the joint of the little and fourth toes. Later standards have tidied the wording, but the place is the same: the groove between the fourth and fifth foot bones, in front of where they meet.

The Vietnamese handbook of points and channels by Ngo Trung Trieu, published by Hong Duc, lists it for red, sore eyes, swelling and tenderness of the breast, swollen glands in the neck, and pain along the side of the chest and ribs. Notice the pattern. The eyes, the neck, the chest and the ribs all sit on or near the path of its channel down the side of the body.

In the wider tradition, Ming-dynasty manuals grouped eight points on the hands and feet as openings to eight special channels, and paired them. This point was paired with a point on the back of the forearm, three finger-widths above the wrist, for headaches at the temple, aching behind the ear, and pain along the side of the body. That pairing is still taught today. It is a reputation built on long use rather than proof, but it shows why a point on the foot ended up in a page about headaches.

Points That Work With Zulinqi

The first partner is on the forearm. Turn your hand palm down and find the crease on the back of the wrist. Measure three finger-widths up toward the elbow, in the middle of the forearm, between its two bones. In this tradition it is the classic partner of this point for a one-sided headache, worked one after the other in the same sitting.

The second sits close by, at the outer ankle. Find the round bone on the outer side of the ankle, then slide forward and down into the soft hollow in front of and below it. It is used with this one when the ache runs along the outer foot and ankle, or when the outer ankle is stiff after an old sprain.

The third is on the other side of the top of the foot. Slide a fingertip back from the web between the big toe and second toe, along the groove, until it stops where the two bones meet. It is used with this one for headaches and for a tense, irritable mood, and the two can be worked on the same foot.

How to Find and Press Zulinqi

Getting Into Position

Sit on a firm chair and rest one foot across the opposite knee, so the top of the foot faces you. If that is hard on the hips, put the foot on a low stool in front of you and lean forward, or sit on the bed with the knee bent and the foot flat.

How to Find It

Place a fingertip in the web between the fourth and little toes, on the top of the foot. Slide it slowly back toward the ankle, staying in the groove between the two bones. After two or three finger-widths the groove narrows and your fingertip stops against bone where the two bones join. Back off a little toward the toes, into the dip right in front of that stop. Lift your little toe to feel the thin cord there; the area is on its outer side.

Now probe that area with a rounded-tip pressing tool, or the tip of your thumb with the nail cut short. Move slowly in small steps along the groove. Most of it will feel like ordinary tissue between two bones. One spot will sting: a small, sharp, pinpoint tenderness. That spot is the point. It is often quite tender, so start gently.

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 down into the groove, between the two bones, slightly back toward the ankle. Hold the sole of the foot with your other hand so the foot stays still. Keep the tip on the same spot; do not let it slide over the bones.

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 foot turns swollen, hot or red, stop and leave it for several days. The skin on the top of the foot is thin, with little padding, so start lighter than you would on the leg. If you are holding your breath or curling your toes, you are pressing too hard. Ease off until you can breathe slowly through the sting.

How Long

Work each foot 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 feet, even when only one side complains. Once or twice a day is plenty. Pressing longer does not add benefit; it mostly adds soreness.

When to Do It

At the first sign of a familiar one-sided headache is a good time. Late afternoon suits feet that ache 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 a headache or an aching foot 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 you have headaches or sore feet. Headaches often come from a tight neck and jaw, too little sleep, too little water, skipped meals, eyes that need new glasses, or the overuse of painkillers. Sore feet often come from tight or worn-out shoes, flattening arches, extra weight, or wear in the small joints of the foot. A point on the foot will not out-argue any of that. Pressing works best alongside the plain things: shoes wide enough for your toes, regular meals and water, and a check of your glasses.

It will not replace a diagnosis either. Call emergency services for a sudden, severe headache that feels like the worst of your life, a headache with fever and a stiff neck, or a headache with weakness or numbness, slurred speech, a drooping face, confusion or loss of vision. The same applies after a blow to the head. Do not press in any of these cases. A foot that is suddenly hot, red and swollen, sometimes at a toe joint, needs to be seen. So does pain on the top of the foot that started after a lot of walking and is worse when you stand, since a small crack in a foot bone can feel like this. Any sore on the foot that does not close up within a week or two, especially with reduced feeling, belongs with a doctor.

Safety First

If you are pregnant, skip this one. Some teachers in this tradition advise against strong work on this point in pregnancy, and there is no reason to take the chance. Do not press over skin that is broken, infected, badly bruised or rashy, or over a fresh sprain, a recent fracture or unexplained swelling. If you have reduced feeling in your feet, poor circulation, take blood thinners or bruise easily, use very light 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. 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 Zulinqi (GB41) pressure point? Zulinqi (GB41) sits on the top of your foot, in the groove between the bones that lead to the fourth and little toes. Start in the web between those two toes and slide back along the groove until the bones meet. The point is in the dip right in front of that meeting. In English it is called the Foot Overlooking Tears; in Vietnamese, Túc Lâm Khấp.

Why press the foot for a headache? In this tradition the channel this point sits on runs from the outer corner of the eye, over the side of the head, down the side of the body to the fourth toe. A headache at the temple is read as trouble along that line, so teachers work it from both ends, the head and the foot.

How long should I press Zulinqi? One to three minutes on each foot. 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 feet.

Can I press this point if I am pregnant? If you are pregnant, skip this one. Some teachers in this tradition advise against strong work on this point in pregnancy, and there is no reason to take the chance. The point on the outer ankle, in front of and below the ankle bone, is a gentler choice for the outer foot.

When is a headache an emergency? Call emergency services for a sudden, severe headache that feels like the worst of your life, a headache with fever and a stiff neck, a headache with weakness, numbness, slurred speech, a drooping face or loss of vision, or a headache after a blow to the head. Do not press any point in these situations.

My feet are numb. Can I press here? Talk to your doctor first. When feeling in the feet is reduced, you cannot judge how hard you are pressing, and the skin can bruise or break without you noticing. If your doctor agrees, use very light pressure and check your feet afterwards.

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: GB41 · Zulinqi · Foot Overlooking Tears · Túc Lâm Khấp.)