Shousanli (LI10): The Forearm Point for a Tired Grip, a Sore Arm and an Aching Shoulder

Where Shousanli Sits

This point sits on the thumb-side ridge of the forearm, three finger-widths (two proportional units) below the outer end of the elbow crease, and it is used for an aching forearm, a tired grip and a sore arm. This line starts at the tip of the index finger and runs up the thumb side of the back of the hand. It passes through the web between thumb and index finger, climbs the outer edge of the forearm to the elbow, and goes up the outer upper arm to the point of the shoulder. Then it crosses the neck and ends beside the nose. Vietnamese and Chinese texts call it the Large Intestine channel. Its name comes from the organ it is said to connect to inside the body, but its points on the arm are mostly used for the arm. This is the tenth stop, on the upper forearm.

The Vietnamese reference places it two proportional units below the outer end of the elbow crease, on the line that runs from the elbow to the thumb side of the wrist. Those units scale to your own body, and two of them is the width of your own three fingers. The international standard published by the World Health Organization in 2008 says the same. It puts the point on the line between the hollow at the base of the thumb and the outer end of the elbow crease, two units below the crease. So the instruction becomes easy to follow. Find the outer end of the elbow crease, lay three fingers along the forearm toward the wrist, and press at the far edge.

Underneath is the thick ridge of muscle that runs down the thumb side of the forearm. On top is the muscle that bends the elbow with the thumb up, the one that stands out when you lift a full cup (the brachioradialis). Beside and below it lie the two muscles that cock the wrist back. Deeper still is a short muscle that turns the palm up (the supinator). A branch of the radial nerve passes through that muscle on its way to the muscles that open the hand. This narrow passage is a well-known source of deep forearm ache in people who grip a lot.

The nerve supply explains the sensation. The skin here is served by fibres from the sixth root of the neck part of the spinal cord, which also serves the thumb side of the forearm and the thumb. The nerve branch deep under the point explains why a heavy, misplaced press can send a buzz toward the thumb or the back of the hand.

Why This Spot

Every grip runs through this stretch of forearm. Holding a pan, turning a jar lid, pulling weeds, carrying shopping, using a screwdriver or a computer mouse: the muscles under this point fire each time. Over years they thicken and tire. The tenderness that people describe as a "tennis elbow" ache often sits a little below the elbow, right in this area. The spot is easy to find. The end of the elbow crease gives a clear starting point, and three fingers give the distance.

In this tradition the name carries the idea: Arm Three Miles. A li is an old unit of distance, and the name ties the point to a well-known partner below the knee that carries the same name with "leg" in place of "arm". Both are described as places where the body's strength can be gathered, enough to carry you a few more miles of walking or a longer day's work. That is why the tradition pairs the two points: one on the arm, one on the leg.

In this tradition the point is also linked with digestion, through the line it sits on and its partnership with the leg point. That use is part of the tradition's record, not a promise.

What the Old Texts Say About Shousanli

The Vietnamese handbook used by The Neuro Reset, Ngô Trung Triều's Acupoints and Channels of the Human Body (Huyệt vị kinh lạc cơ thể người), lists the uses that have come down through the tradition: pain in the shoulder and the arm, an arm that has lost strength, and complaints of the stomach. The first two cover almost every reason someone presses this point today. The third is part of the tradition's wider view of the channel. It reflects the link the tradition draws between this arm point and its namesake on the leg.

The reference's quick finder is a single phrase: from the elbow-crease point, go down two units. It does not describe the muscles or the bones. It assumes the reader has already found the dip at the end of the elbow crease, which is one of the easiest points on the arm to locate. Then it counts down from there. That is how the tradition teaches the arm: one point leads to the next along the same line, and each one is measured from its neighbour.

The modern international standard adds a check: the line from the elbow to the hollow at the base of the thumb. Hold your thumb up and you can see that hollow on the back of the wrist, between two tendons. Picture the line from it up to the end of the elbow crease. The point sits on that line, three finger-widths down from the crease.

There is a useful lesson in the old method for anyone working on themselves. Do not try to find this point on its own. Find the elbow-crease point first, then walk down. The sting under the thumb tip will tell you when you have arrived.

Points That Work With Shousanli

The closest partner is the dip at the outer end of the elbow crease, three finger-widths above this point. Bend the elbow and follow the crease to its end on the thumb side. The point sits in the dip before the bony knob on the outside of the elbow. It is commonly used for an aching elbow and arm, and the two are often worked one after the other.

The second partner is on the hand, in the mound of muscle in the web between the thumb and first finger. It sits at the start of the same arm line and is commonly used for pain in the head, face and arm. It is traditionally avoided in pregnancy, so leave it out if you are pregnant.

The third partner is the namesake point on the leg. Sit with the knee bent and find the bottom edge of the kneecap. Go down four finger-widths, then one finger-width out from the front edge of the shinbone. In this tradition it is commonly used for tired legs and digestion. It is the classic pairing for this arm point.

How to Find and Press Shousanli

Getting Into Position

Sit at a table and rest the working forearm on it, elbow bent, thumb pointing up. The arm must be able to go heavy; held in the air, the muscles stay tight under your thumb. Drop the shoulder and let the fingers fall loose. Your other hand reaches the point easily from above.

How to Find It

With the elbow bent and resting, find the outer end of the elbow crease, on the thumb side. Lay the first, middle and ring fingers of your other hand along the forearm from there toward the wrist, on the ridge of muscle. The far edge of the third finger marks the level. That is the area. Open and close your hand and you will feel the muscles under it tighten and soften.

Probe slowly around that level with the thumb tip, a little forward and back across the ridge. Most of the muscle will feel firm and generally sore. One small spot will sting. It is a sharp, pinpoint tenderness under the thumb tip that fades as soon as you lift off. That spot is the point. If you feel a buzz or tingling toward the thumb or the back of the hand, lift off and move a few millimetres aside.

How to Press It

The method has three steps. Find the area, probe inside it until one spot stings, then rub that spot in small circles. Use the tip of your thumb with the nail cut short, or a pressing tool with a rounded tip. Wrap your fingers around the underside of the forearm for support so the thumb can work steadily.

Press into the ridge, down toward the bone, not sideways off the muscle. Keep the circles small and slow, no wider than a grain of rice. Keep the hand of the working arm loose. A clenched fist tightens the muscles over the point.

How Much Pressure

Use your body as the gauge. If you are holding your breath, clenching your jaw or hunching the shoulder, you are pressing too hard. Sharp under the thumb tip is right. That sting is the sign you are on the point, and it should fade when you lift off. Stop if the pain stays after you lift off, if it spreads down the forearm, or if the area turns swollen, hot or red. Stop at once for electric, numb or tingling sensations toward the fingers.

How Long

One to three minutes on each arm. In the first sessions stay close to one minute, then add a little as the days go on. Once or twice a day is plenty. Do both arms, even when only one aches. If you are also pressing the elbow-crease point above it, work that one first and then walk down to this one.

When to Do It

Mornings suit a forearm that wakes up stiff. Short rounds in the natural breaks during gripping work, such as gardening, sewing, cooking, knitting or long spells with a computer mouse, help before the ache settles in. A gentle round in the hour before bed can help the arm settle. Do not press in the middle of the night. If the arm wakes you, keep it still and supported on a pillow, and leave the pressing for the morning or the next evening.

What This Won't Do

It will not change how hard the forearm works. For most people over fifty, the ache comes from decades of gripping, a tendon that has frayed where it meets the elbow, or tools and handles that are too thin. Pressing a point on the forearm does not undo that. Use thicker handles, lift with the palm up, rest the wrist when you type, and take breaks from gripping. Then this point has something to add. On its own it is a comfort measure, and it will not promise you an unbroken night.

It will not replace a diagnosis either. Arm pain that comes with chest pressure, breathlessness, sweating or nausea is an emergency. Call for help immediately; do not sit pressing a forearm. See a doctor promptly for a forearm that is swollen or out of shape after a fall, or one that is hot and red. The same applies to numbness in the fingers that does not settle, a grip that keeps failing, or a wrist or fingers that will not lift. Pain that worsens week on week, or any of this with fever or unexplained weight loss, also needs a doctor.

Safety First

Do not work over skin that is broken, burned, infected, badly bruised or covered by a rash. Leave the area alone with a recent fracture, a fresh sprain, unexplained swelling, or any plate or pin under the skin. If you take blood thinners, bruise easily, have a bleeding disorder or reduced feeling in your arms, use lighter pressure and keep sessions short. After surgery on the elbow or shoulder, or where lymph nodes have been removed from the armpit, ask your clinician before pressing anywhere on that arm.

Stop if the pain stays after you lift off, spreads, or the area turns swollen, hot or red, and stop for any electric, numb or tingling sensation toward the fingers. Nothing here asks 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 Shousanli (LI10) pressure point? Shousanli (LI10) sits on the thumb side of the forearm. Bend your elbow and find the outer end of the elbow crease. Lay three fingers along the forearm from there toward the wrist, staying on the ridge of muscle. The point sits at the far edge of the third finger.

Why is Shousanli (LI10) so tender? The muscles that grip and cock the wrist back pass right under it, and so does a branch of a nerve that runs into the forearm. Anyone who grips, lifts or carries a lot loads this stretch of forearm all day. A spot that stings sharply under the thumb tip is common here, and it is how you know you are on the point.

How long should I press Shousanli (LI10)? One to three minutes on each arm. Keep it close to one minute in the first sessions and add a little as the days go on. Once or twice a day is enough. Do both arms, even if only one aches.

What is Shousanli (LI10) used for, and what does the name mean? In Vietnamese traditional medicine it is commonly used for an aching forearm, a tired grip, a sore arm and a stiff shoulder. The name means "Arm Three Miles", linking it to its namesake below the knee; both are described as places that help you carry on a few more miles. In Vietnamese the point is called Thủ Tam Lý. Measure with your own three fingers, because the old units scale to your own body.

Is Shousanli (LI10) related to the well-known point below the knee? In this tradition, yes. The two share the same name apart from one word, meaning arm and leg, and they are often pressed in the same session. The leg point sits four finger-widths below the kneecap, one finger-width out from the shinbone.

I feel a buzz toward my thumb when I press. Should I keep going? No. Lift off and move a few millimetres aside. A buzzing or electric feeling that travels toward the thumb or fingers means you are on a nerve. The right feeling is a sharp, pinpoint sting under the thumb tip that fades when you lift off.

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: LI10 · Shousanli · Arm Three Miles · Thủ Tam Lý.)