Shuiquan (KI5): The Inner Heel Point for a Sore, Tender Heel

Where Shuiquan Sits

This point sits on the inner side of the heel, one thumb-width straight below the hollow between the inner ankle bone and the heel tendon. It lies in a small dip on the inner face of the heel bone, in front of the rounded knob at the back of the heel.

It belongs to the line that Vietnamese and Chinese texts call the Kidney channel. That line begins on the sole, comes out along the inner arch and then makes a small loop around the inner ankle before running up the inner leg. Four of its points cluster behind the ankle. The main point sits in the hollow behind the ankle bone. The fourth sits at the corner where the tendon meets the heel bone. This is the fifth, the lowest of the group, below the main point.

The old texts place it one unit below the main ankle point. The unit here is a body-relative measure: the width of the joint of your own thumb is a good guide. The standard from the World Health Organization describes the same place: one unit below the point behind the ankle, in a depression in front of the rear knob of the heel bone. No ruler is needed. The ankle bone and the tendon give you the starting point, and one thumb-width takes you down.

To find it, start at the round inner ankle bone. Behind it is a soft hollow, and behind that the firm cord of the heel tendon. Rest a fingertip in the middle of the hollow, then drop it one thumb-width straight down. You land on the inner side of the heel bone. Under the skin there is little padding here: skin, a thin layer of tissue, and bone. The main nerve of the inner leg and sole (the tibial nerve) passes close by on its way under the arch, and its small branches to the heel serve the skin here, from the first sacral root. That is why the inner heel can feel sharp and tender when it is irritated.

Why This Spot

On the anatomical side, the heel takes the full weight of the body with each step. The thick band under the sole starts from the underside of the heel bone, a little below and in front of this point. When that band is strained, the whole inner heel can turn tender, and the first steps out of bed hurt. Small nerves to the heel run past this area, and they can be irritated by a flat foot or swelling. People who stand on hard floors, walk in thin-soled shoes or have gained weight often find the inner heel sore to touch.

In this tradition, this point is the cleft point of its channel. Each channel has one cleft point, a deep spot where the flow is said to gather like water in a crack in the rock. Cleft points are traditionally turned to when pain along the channel flares up and feels sharp. For this channel, the place where it gathers is the heel. That is why the point is used for a heel that suddenly feels bruised and sore.

The name tells the same story. Shui means water, quan means spring. The flow of the channel, having looped down around the ankle, wells up here like a spring from the ground. The Vietnamese name Thuỷ Tuyền carries the same picture.

What the Old Texts Say About Shuiquan

The Systematic Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, the Jiayi Jing, compiled by Huangfu Mi in the third century, places this point one unit below the main point behind the inner ankle and names it the cleft point of its channel. That role, and the short distance that sets the place, have come down through the centuries almost unchanged.

The Vietnamese handbook of points and channels by Ngô Trung Triều, published by Hồng Đức, places it one unit below the main ankle point, under the inner ankle bone. To find it, the handbook says, take the dip straight down one unit from that point. It lists the point for heel pain, and also for complaints of the monthly cycle and of the pelvic organs, for difficult urination, and for trouble with the eyes. Most of that list belongs with a doctor. The heel is where home pressing fits.

In the wider tradition, the four points behind the inner ankle are often worked as a group, in a small circle around the ankle bone. Teachers use them for people who feel weary in the legs and low in the back, and for an aching heel that will not settle. That reputation comes from long use, not proof. It reflects how often practitioners over the generations found these small dips tender in people with sore heels.

Points That Work With Shuiquan

The first partner sits right above, in the middle of the hollow between the inner ankle bone and the heel tendon, level with the most prominent part of the ankle bone. It is the main point of this channel. In this tradition the two are commonly pressed together for heel and ankle ache.

The second is the other dot in the photo, a little behind and above this one, in the dip where the heel tendon joins the top of the heel bone. It is used with this one for a sore heel and a tight heel tendon. The three points behind the inner ankle are easy to work as a small set.

The third sits in the small dip right below the tip of the inner ankle bone, a little in front of this point. It is used with this one for an aching inner ankle and for evenings that feel restless.

How to Find and Press Shuiquan

Getting Into Position

Sit on a firm chair. Lift one foot and rest it across the opposite knee, so the inner ankle and heel face up toward you. If that is hard on the hip, put the foot on a low stool and lean forward, or sit on a bed with the foot drawn up. Let the foot relax and keep the ankle loose.

How to Find It

Find the round inner ankle bone and the cord of the heel tendon behind it. Rest a fingertip in the hollow between them. Now move straight down by the width of your thumb. Your fingertip lands on the inner side of the heel bone, and you may feel a shallow dip there. That is the area.

Probe it with a rounded-tip pressing tool, or the tip of your thumb with the nail cut short. Move in small steps, a little forward, back, up and down. Much of the area will feel like plain pressure on bone. One spot will sting: a small, sharp, pinpoint tenderness. That spot is the point. If you feel a tingle running into the sole, you are close to the nerve that passes under the arch. Move a little back 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 heel bone. Hold the top of the foot with your other hand to keep it steady. Keep the tip on the same spot; do not let it slide over the bone.

How Much Pressure

A sharp sting under the tip is right. When you lift off, it should fade within moments. The heel has little padding on this side, so it needs less force than a fleshy point. 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 or clenching your jaw, 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 a sore heel is often very tender at the start. As the days go on, add a little time, up to three minutes. Do both feet, even if only one heel aches. Once or twice a day is plenty. Longer sessions add soreness, not benefit.

When to Do It

Morning is the most useful time for heel pain. Sit on the edge of the bed, press for a minute, then circle and flex the ankle a few times before you stand. Late afternoon suits a heel that aches after walking or standing. Before bed is a good time too. Do not press in the middle of the night. If heel pain wakes you, keep the pressing for the day and evening, and mention night pain to your doctor.

What This Won't Do

It will not change the reason your heel hurts. Most heel pain in later life comes from strain on the thick band under the sole, a thinning fat pad under the heel, tight calves, flat feet, worn shoes or long hours on hard floors. A small point on the side of the heel cannot rebuild a fat pad or lengthen a calf. Supportive shoes with a cushioned heel, calf stretches, a gel heel cup, and a slow return to walking do more. Pressing can ease tender tissue and make the first steps of the day a little easier.

It will not replace a diagnosis either. Heel pain after a fall or a jump, especially if you cannot put weight on the foot, needs an X-ray. A heel that is hot, red and swollen, or heel pain with fever, needs a doctor promptly. Numbness or burning in the sole, or pain that wakes you every night, should be checked. Heel pain that comes with stiffness and pain in other joints, or with a swollen eye or skin rash, can belong to a wider joint condition that a doctor needs to see.

Safety First

Do not press over skin that is broken, cracked, infected, blistered or rashy. Leave the area alone after a recent fall or fracture, a fresh sprain, or heel surgery until your surgeon says you may. There is no traditional pregnancy caution on this point, but if you are pregnant, ask your midwife before pressing around the ankles and keep the pressure light. If you have numb feet, poor circulation, take blood thinners or bruise easily, use only light pressure, check the skin afterward, and ask your doctor first.

Stop at once if the pain stays after you lift off, spreads, or the area turns swollen, hot or red. Nothing here asks 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 Shuiquan (KI5) pressure point? Shuiquan (KI5) sits on the inner side of the heel. Find the hollow between the round inner ankle bone and the heel tendon behind it. Drop one thumb-width straight down. The point is in a small dip on the inner side of the heel bone there. In Vietnamese it is called Thuỷ Tuyền.

The picture shows two dots. Which one is Shuiquan? The lower dot. Shuiquan (KI5) is the one on the inner side of the heel. The upper dot is Dazhong (KI4), a neighbouring point where the heel tendon meets the top of the heel bone. It is shown only to help you find your way. The two are close, and many people press both.

What is Shuiquan (KI5) used for? In Vietnamese traditional medicine it is commonly used for a sore heel, an aching inner ankle and pain along the inner foot. The old texts count it as the cleft point of its channel, a deep spot traditionally turned to when pain along the channel flares. It is easy to reach sitting in a chair.

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

Can I press Shuiquan if I am pregnant? It does not carry a traditional pregnancy caution. In this tradition, though, it is used for the monthly cycle, and a nearby point on the outer ankle does carry a caution. If you are pregnant, ask your midwife or doctor before pressing around the ankles, and use only light pressure.

My heel hurts most with the first steps in the morning. Will this help? Many people with morning heel pain find the inner heel tender, and gentle pressing before you stand can make the first steps easier. It does not change the strain on the band under the sole. Calf stretches, supportive shoes and a doctor's or podiatrist's advice matter more if the pain lasts.

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: KI5 · Shuiquan · Water Spring · Thuỷ Tuyền.)