Jianzhongshu (SI15): The Base-of-the-Neck Point for a Stiff Neck and Tight Shoulders

Where Jianzhongshu Sits

This point sits at the base of the neck, on both sides, about three finger-widths out from the big bony bump where the neck meets the back.

The line it belongs to begins at the outer corner of the little fingernail. It runs along the little-finger edge of the hand, up the back of the forearm and upper arm, zigzags across the shoulder blade, and then climbs the side of the neck to the cheek and the front of the ear. Vietnamese and Chinese texts call it the Small Intestine channel. This is its fifteenth stop, the last one on the back before the line turns up the neck.

The landmark is the bump at the base of the neck. When you bow your head, one bony knob sticks out further than the rest. That is the spine of the seventh neck bone, the lowest one in the neck. The World Health Organization standard of 2008 places this point level with the lower edge of that bump, two units out from the midline of the back. Two units is roughly the width of three fingers held together. The Vietnamese handbook by Ngo Trung Trieu gives a second way: draw a line from the dip below that bump to the point on top of the shoulder, and this point lies on that line, two units from the spine.

Under the skin is the broad, flat muscle that covers the top of the back and the back of the neck (the trapezius). Beneath it run the muscle that lifts the shoulder blade toward the ear (the levator scapulae) and the small muscles that tie the shoulder blade to the spine (the rhomboids). All three get tight when the head pokes forward, when you hunch over a book or a screen, or when you carry tension in your shoulders. The trapezius is supplied by a nerve that comes straight down from the skull, the accessory nerve; the skin here is served by the nerves of the lowest neck and highest back levels.

Why This Spot

On the anatomical side, the base of the neck is where the head's weight is held. Every inch the head drifts forward adds load to the muscles here. For people who have spent decades reading, sewing, driving or working at a desk, the base of the neck is often the first place that tightens and the last that lets go. The spot is easy to find because of the bony bump, and it is often tender even before you press hard.

In this tradition the point is a transport point for the middle of the shoulder. The word in its name is the one used for points that pass flow from one area to another, here from the shoulder to the neck. Its Vietnamese name, Kiên Trung Du, means much the same. Teachers use it when the neck is stiff and will not turn, when the shoulders feel heavy, and when an ache settles across the top of the back.

What the Old Texts Say About Jianzhongshu

The Systematic Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, the Jiayi Jing, compiled by Huangfu Mi in the third century, places this point inside the shoulder blade, two units from the spine. That description has held for nearly two thousand years. It tells you how the old writers saw the area: not as the neck, but as the inner part of the shoulder, where the shoulder blade is tied to the spine.

The Vietnamese handbook of points and channels by Ngo Trung Trieu, published by Hong Duc, lists it for pain of the shoulder and back and for a stiff neck. It also lists some chest complaints, such as a persistent cough. Those belong with a doctor, not with a pressing tool. On this site we use the point for what most people want from it: a neck that will not turn and shoulders that feel bound.

The WHO standard of 2008 kept the old placement and tied it to the seventh neck bone. That bony landmark is the same on almost everyone, which makes the point reliable to find on yourself.

In the wider tradition this point sits in a small group at the base of the neck. One sits on the spine itself, below the big bump. One sits beside it here. One sits further out, on top of the shoulder. Teachers often work the three in turn, from the spine outward, as a way of unwinding the whole band of tension that runs from neck to shoulder. That habit comes from long practice rather than proof, but it matches what you feel when you press: the tightness runs along that band.

Points That Work With Jianzhongshu

The first partner sits on top of the shoulder, halfway between the base of the neck and the bony tip of the shoulder, on the thick ridge of muscle you squeeze when someone rubs your shoulders. In this tradition it is commonly pressed with this one when the neck and the tops of the shoulders are tight together.

The second sits on the spine itself, in the dip right below the big bony bump at the base of the neck. It is the centre of the band that this point belongs to. Press the centre first, then move out to each side.

The third sits higher, at the top of the neck. Run your fingers up the back of the neck to where the skull begins. On each side, in the hollow between the two thick ropes of muscle and the bony bump behind the ear, is a soft dip under the edge of the skull. It is used with this one when the stiffness reaches up into the head.

How to Find and Press Jianzhongshu

Getting Into Position

Sit upright on a firm chair with your feet flat. Let your head bow forward a little so the muscles at the base of the neck soften and the bony bump stands out. Rest the arm on the side you are working on your lap. If reaching over your shoulder is uncomfortable, use a long-handled pressing tool, the hooked or S-shaped kind, or stand with your back near a wall with a firm ball, such as a tennis ball, between the wall and the base of your neck.

How to Find It

Reach behind with one hand and feel the base of the neck. With the head bowed, one bump sticks out more than the others. That is the landmark. Find the dip right below it. From that level, slide about three finger-widths out to one side, onto the thick muscle beside the spine. That is the area. If you are unsure which bump is the right one, keep a fingertip on it and turn your head slowly left and right: the lowest neck bump shifts a little under your finger, while the one below it, the first bone of the back, stays still.

Now probe the area with the tool's rounded tip, the ball, or the tip of your thumb with the nail cut short. Move in small steps. Most of it will feel like firm muscle. One spot will sting: a small, sharp, pinpoint tenderness. That spot is the point. Do not press on the bony bumps of the spine themselves. Stay on the muscle beside them.

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 inward and slightly downward, toward the chest, not sideways toward the spine. With a tool, make the pressure by pulling the handle with your front hand. With a ball, shift your weight in small movements to make the circles. Keep the tip on the same spot; do not let it slide over the muscle.

How Much Pressure

A sharp sting 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 or your shoulder creeps up toward your ear, you are pressing too hard. Ease off until you can breathe slowly through the sting. The neck does not respond well to force.

How Long

Work each side for one to three minutes. Keep the first sessions to about one minute, because the base of the neck is often tender at first. As the days go on, add a little time, up to three minutes. Do both sides, even when only one is stiff. Once or twice a day is plenty. Pressing longer adds soreness, not benefit.

When to Do It

Mid-morning suits a neck that is stiff on waking, once you have been up and moving for a while. Late afternoon suits the tightness that builds after reading, screen work or driving. Before bed is a good time too, as part of winding down, so you lie down with looser shoulders. Do not press in the middle of the night. If a stiff neck wakes you, pressing then tends to wake you further. Keep the pressing for the day and the evening, and check that your pillow keeps your head level with your spine.

What This Won't Do

It will not change the reason your neck is stiff. A stiff neck in later life often comes from wear in the small joints of the neck, from the head drifting forward over many years, from a pillow that does not suit you, or from long hours looking down. A point at the base of the neck cannot argue with any of that. Pressing works best alongside the plain things: raising your screen or book to eye level, gentle neck turns through the day, shoulder rolls, and a pillow that fits.

It will not replace a diagnosis either. Neck pain after a fall or a car accident needs to be checked before you press anywhere near it. Numbness, tingling or weakness in the arms or hands, clumsiness, or trouble with balance can mean pressure on the nerves or the spinal cord in the neck, and needs to be seen. A sudden, severe headache with a stiff neck, especially with fever, needs urgent care. Neck pain that comes with pain in the chest, jaw or arm, or with breathlessness, needs emergency care, not pressing.

Safety First

Do not press over skin that is broken, burned, infected, badly bruised or rashy. Leave the area alone after a recent neck injury or neck surgery, and with any lump or swelling at the base of the neck. Do not press on the bony bumps of the spine. If you have osteoporosis, arthritis in the neck, take blood thinners or bruise easily, 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 dizziness, tingling or numbness down the arm. Nothing here requires you to push through pain. For the full list of cautions, read the full safety guide before you begin.

Questions People Ask

Where is the Jianzhongshu (SI15) pressure point? Jianzhongshu (SI15) sits at the base of your neck, on both sides. Bow your head and find the bony bump that sticks out most where the neck meets the back. Level with the dip right below it, move about three finger-widths out to the side. The point is in the muscle there. In English it is called the Middle Shoulder Transport; in Vietnamese, Kiên Trung Du.

Can I reach Jianzhongshu with my own hand? Many people can, with the thumb tip of the opposite hand reaching over the shoulder, or by holding the back of the neck with the thumb on the spot. If your shoulders are stiff, a long-handled pressing tool, the hooked or S-shaped kind, is kinder. A ball between the base of the neck and a wall also works well.

How long should I press Jianzhongshu? One to three minutes on each side. Start with about a minute, then add a little time over the days, up to three. Once or twice a day is enough. Work both sides, even if only one is stiff.

Is it the same as the point on top of the shoulder? No. The point on top of the shoulder sits halfway out along the ridge of muscle, between the neck and the shoulder tip. This one is closer to the spine, at the base of the neck. The two are often pressed together when the neck and shoulders are tight.

What if I feel tingling down my arm? Stop and lift off. Tingling, numbness or weakness down the arm is not the sensation you want here, and if it happens often, even without pressing, a doctor should check your neck. The sensation you want is a small sting under the tip that fades when you lift off.

Does it help with a stiff neck in the morning? In this tradition the point is commonly used for a stiff neck and tight shoulders. Press it after you have been up and moving for a little while, rather than straight out of bed, and look at your pillow too. A pillow that is too high or too flat is a common reason for a stiff neck on waking.

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: SI15 · Jianzhongshu · Middle Shoulder Transport · Kiên Trung Du.)