Yuji (LU10): The Thumb Mound Point for an Aching Base of the Thumb

Where Yuji Sits

This point sits on the fleshy mound at the base of the thumb, halfway along the thumb bone, near the edge where the pale palm skin meets the skin of the back of the hand.

The line it belongs to begins on the upper chest, below the outer end of the collarbone. It runs down the front of the upper arm on the thumb side, through the elbow crease, along the thumb side of the forearm to the wrist, across this mound, and ends at the corner of the thumbnail. Vietnamese and Chinese texts call it the Lung channel. This is its tenth stop, the second to last, and the only one on the palm.

The old texts place it on the outer side of the hand, at the midpoint of the first metacarpal bone, at the border of the red and white skin. The first metacarpal is the bone inside the thumb mound, running from the wrist to the knuckle where the thumb joins the hand. The red and white border is the line where the paler, thicker skin of the palm meets the skin of the back of the hand. Find the halfway point along that bone and stay close to that skin border.

Underneath lies the thenar mound, the cushion of small muscles that move the thumb. The nearest to the surface lifts the thumb away from the palm (the abductor pollicis brevis). Below it lies the muscle that swings the thumb across to meet the fingertips (the opponens pollicis). These muscles are supplied by a short branch of the median nerve that curls back into the mound from the wrist. The skin over the point is served by fine branches of the radial and median nerves, both from the sixth cervical root.

Why This Spot

On the anatomical side, the thumb does about half the work of the hand. Every pinch, twist and grip depends on the small muscles in this mound, and the joint at the base of the thumb carries the load. In later life that joint is one of the most common places for arthritis in the whole body, and the muscles around it tighten to protect it. Many people with a stiff, aching thumb find a sore spot right here. The point is also easy to reach with the other hand while you sit and rest.

In this tradition the point is the spring point of its channel, where the flow is described as first gathering like water bubbling from a spring. It is also called the fire point of the line. The old books turn to it for heat and dryness in the throat and chest: a sore throat, a dry cough, a feverish feeling. In Vietnamese practice it is commonly used for an aching thumb as well, because it sits on the mound that moves the thumb.

The name describes the place. Yu is a fish: the thumb mound was pictured as the belly of a fish. Ji is a border, the edge where two kinds of skin meet. Its Vietnamese name, Ngư Tế, carries the same picture.

What the Old Texts Say About Yuji

The Lingshu, the Spiritual Pivot from the Han dynasty, lists this point in its chapter on root points as the spring point of the Lung channel, and describes it as the fish of the hand. That five-part list of transport points along each limb is one of the oldest frameworks in point study, and this point has kept its place in it for about two thousand years.

The Vietnamese handbook of points and channels by Ngo Trung Trieu, published by Hong Duc, lists it for fever, cough with wheezing, and belly pain. It places the point on the palm side of the hand, at the midpoint of the thumb bone, where the skin changes colour. The book gives two practical ways to find it. First: bend your first finger into the palm, and where its tip touches the thumb mound, that is the point. Second: draw a line from the middle of the palm to the outer edge of the thumb bone, divide it in four, and the point sits one part in from the edge and three parts from the centre.

The World Health Organization, in its 2008 standard, places it at the midpoint of the first metacarpal, at the red and white skin border. The Vietnamese method places the point a little further into the mound. Both describe the same small area, and in practice the stinging spot settles the question. The thumb and hand use most self-pressers will want rests on long use, not modern trials, as do the throat and chest entries.

Points That Work With Yuji

The first partner sits right below this one, on the wrist crease, on the thumb side, in the small dip beside the pulse. It is the next stop down the same line, and in this tradition the two are commonly pressed together for an aching wrist and base of the thumb. Press that one lightly, beside the pulse rather than on it.

The second sits on the back of the hand, in the soft web between the thumb and first finger, on the highest point of the muscle when you press the thumb against the side of the first finger. It is commonly used with this one for a tired, aching hand. If you are pregnant, skip that partner.

The third sits on the thumb side of the wrist, in the hollow that appears between two tendons when you lift the thumb up and back. It is used with this one when the ache sits on the outer edge of the wrist as well as in the mound.

How to Find and Press Yuji

Getting Into Position

Sit at a table and rest the back of your hand on it, palm up, fingers loosely curled. A folded towel under the hand helps it stay still. Your other hand comes from above, so your thumb tip or the tool lands on the mound from the palm side.

How to Find It

Find the knuckle where the thumb joins the hand and the wrist crease below it. Picture the thumb bone between the two and find its halfway point. On the palm side, at that level, run your fingertip across the mound toward its outer edge until you reach the line where the palm skin meets the back-of-hand skin. Then come back a little toward the centre of the mound. Bending the first finger into the palm and noting where its tip lands gives you the same place.

Now probe the area with a rounded-tip pressing tool, or the tip of your other thumb with the nail cut short. Move slowly in small steps. Much of the mound will feel firm and a little achy. One spot will sting: a small, sharp, pinpoint tenderness. That spot is the point. If the pain shoots into the thumb or fingers, ease off and move a little.

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 mound, toward the bone underneath. Wrap your fingers around the back of the hand to hold it still. Keep the tip on the same spot; do not let it slide across the mound.

How Much Pressure

Sharp under the tip 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 off, if it spreads, or if the area turns swollen, hot or red, stop and leave it for several days. If you are holding your breath, you are pressing too hard. If your own pressing thumb aches, use the tool instead and let that thumb rest.

How Long

Work each hand for one to three minutes. In the first sessions keep to about one minute. As the days go on, add a little time, up to three minutes. Do both hands, even when only one 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 thumb that is stiff on waking, before you start opening jars and turning taps. Late afternoon suits the ache that builds after cooking, gardening, writing or using a phone. Before bed is a good time too, as part of winding down. Do not press in the middle of the night. If an aching hand 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 change the reason your thumb aches. The usual reason in later life is wear in the joint at the base of the thumb, where the cartilage thins and the bones begin to rub. Inflamed tendons on the thumb side of the wrist, an old injury, and inflammatory arthritis are other causes. A point on the thumb mound will not out-argue any of that. Pressing works best alongside the plain things: thicker grips on pens and tools, a jar opener, a thumb splint at night if your doctor or hand therapist suggests one, and gentle daily movement.

It will not replace a diagnosis either. A thumb joint that is suddenly hot, red and swollen needs to be seen, especially with a fever. A thumb that is painful and unstable after a fall may have a torn ligament or a broken bone. Numbness and tingling in the thumb and first fingers, often worse at night, points to a trapped nerve at the wrist, and wasting of the thumb mound is a sign to see a doctor soon. Stiff, swollen joints in both hands, worse in the morning, need assessment.

Safety First

Do not press over skin that is broken, burned, infected, badly bruised or rashy. Leave the area alone with a recent fracture or sprain, or after hand surgery until your surgeon agrees. Skip this point if the thumb joint is hot and swollen. If you take blood thinners, bruise easily, have a bleeding disorder, or have reduced feeling in your hands, 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 numbness or tingling into the fingers. 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 Yuji (LU10) pressure point? Yuji (LU10) sits on the fleshy mound at the base of your thumb, on the palm side. Find the halfway point of the thumb bone, between the wrist and the knuckle where the thumb joins the hand. The point is on the mound at that level, near the edge where the pale palm skin meets the darker skin of the back of the hand. In English it is called the Fish Border; in Vietnamese, Ngư Tế.

Can it help an arthritic thumb? The joint that wears most often in the hand, where the thumb bone meets the wrist, sits a little below this point. In this tradition the point is commonly used for an aching, stiff thumb. Pressing will not change the joint itself, but many people find it eases the ache in the muscles around it. Keep the pressure off the joint if it is swollen.

How long should I press Yuji? One to three minutes on each hand. Keep the first sessions to about a minute, then add a little time over the days. Once or twice a day is enough. Work both hands, even if only one aches.

Is there a quick way to find it? Yes. The old Vietnamese handbook gives one. Bend your first finger into the palm, and the place where its tip touches the thumb mound is the point. Another way is to picture a line from the middle of the palm to the outer edge of the thumb mound; the point sits about a quarter of the way in from the edge.

My thumb mound is tender everywhere. Am I on the point? Probe slowly. The whole mound may ache, but one spot will sting sharply under the tip, small and pinpoint. That spot is the point. If the sting stays after you lift off, or the pain shoots into the fingers, press more lightly and move a little.

Is it all right to press it when my throat is sore? In this tradition it is commonly used for a sore throat and a cough, and gentle pressing is fine. But a sore throat that lasts more than a week, makes swallowing hard, or comes with a high fever needs a doctor.

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: LU10 · Yuji · Fish Border · Ngư Tế.)