Shangjuxu (ST37): The Front Shin Point for Tired, Heavy Legs

Where Shangjuxu Sits

This point sits on the front of the lower leg, about eight fingers below the outer dip under the kneecap and one finger-width out from the sharp front edge of the shinbone.

The line this point belongs to is one of the longest on the body. It starts under the eye, runs down the face and neck, crosses the chest and belly, and comes down the front of the thigh to the knee. Below the knee it runs down the front of the shin, a finger's width outside the edge of the bone, to the top of the foot and the second toe. Vietnamese and Chinese texts call it the Stomach channel. This is its thirty-seventh stop, the next one down from the well-known point four fingers below the knee.

The old texts place it three body-inches below that well-known point, which itself lies three body-inches below the outer dip under the kneecap. That makes six body-inches from the dip. A body-inch is measured on your own body, and four fingers laid side by side are close to three body-inches, so eight fingers bring you to the right height. The Vietnamese handbook adds the sideways measure: one finger outside the edge of the bone. The World Health Organization's 2008 standard says the same in modern words: six body-inches below the outer dip of the knee, on the line to the front of the ankle.

Underneath lies the muscle that runs down the front of the shin and lifts the foot (the tibialis anterior). You can feel it harden if you pull your toes up toward you while the heel stays on the floor. Deeper, between the shinbone and the thin outer leg bone, a band of tough tissue holds the two bones together, and a nerve and an artery run down in front of it. The point presses into the belly of the front shin muscle, well away from the bone edge.

The skin here is served by the lateral sural cutaneous nerve and branches of the superficial fibular nerve, from the fifth lumbar root. The muscle beneath is supplied by the deep fibular nerve, from the fourth and fifth lumbar roots. That shared low-back wiring is one reason an aching shin and a tired lower back often seem to travel together.

Why This Spot

On the anatomical side, the front shin muscle lifts your foot with every step so that your toes clear the ground. When you walk carefully, shuffle, or walk further than usual, this muscle tires first. People in their sixties and seventies who walk for exercise often feel a dull ache down the front of the shin by the end of the day. The muscle is broad and easy to reach from a chair, and the shinbone edge gives a firm mark to measure from.

In this tradition the point has a particular role. It is the lower sea point of the large intestine. The oldest texts describe six lower sea points on the legs, each linked with one of the hollow organs of the body. Because of that link, this point is in this tradition also linked with the belly. This page does not make claims about the belly; it uses the point for the leg it sits on.

The name describes the shape of the leg. Between the shinbone and the outer leg bone there is a long, shallow groove. The old writers saw it as a great hollow and named an upper and a lower point along it. This is the upper one. The Vietnamese name, Thượng Cự Hư, means the same: the upper great hollow.

What the Old Texts Say About Shangjuxu

The Lingshu, the Spiritual Pivot, a Han-dynasty text, has a chapter on the lower sea points, the places on the legs that connect with the hollow organs. It names the upper point of the great hollow as the lower sea point of the large intestine, and the lower point of the great hollow, further down the shin, as that of the small intestine. That pairing was set down in the oldest layer of the tradition and has not changed since.

The Vietnamese handbook of points and channels by Ngo Trung Trieu, published by Hong Duc, places it three body-inches below the well-known point under the knee, six body-inches below the outer dip of the knee, and one finger outside the bone. Its list of uses concerns the belly, matching the old role. On this page the point is used for the leg, where people pressing on themselves most often find it useful.

The World Health Organization's 2008 standard keeps the same place: on the front of the leg, on the line connecting the outer dip of the knee with the front of the ankle, six body-inches below the dip. The modern and the old descriptions agree almost word for word.

In the wider tradition, teachers often work down the front of the shin in a line, pressing the point four fingers below the knee, then this one, then the lower point of the great hollow, for legs that feel weak or heavy after walking. Long use rather than trials stands behind this practice. It tells you the front of the shin was trusted, over many generations, as a place to bring some ease to tired legs.

Points That Work With Shangjuxu

The first partner is directly above it on the same line. From the outer dip below the kneecap, measure four fingers down and move one finger out from the shin's edge. In this tradition it is commonly paired with this one for tired, heavy legs, and the two are easy to work in one sitting.

The second sits on the inner side of the same leg, in the hollow under the bony flare below the knee. Run your thumb up the inner edge of the shinbone until it stops there. It is used with this one when the legs feel heavy and puffy.

The third is also on the inner side, about four fingers below that hollow, against the back edge of the shinbone. It is used with this one for heavy legs, one point on the front of the shin and one on the inner side. That inner point carries a caution in pregnancy.

How to Find and Press Shangjuxu

Getting Into Position

Sit on a firm chair with the knee bent to roughly a right angle and the foot flat on the floor. The front of the shin should face you and the leg should be relaxed. If bending is hard, sit on a bed with the leg out straight and a pillow under the knee.

How to Find It

Find the kneecap and feel below it for the thick band that runs down to the top of the shinbone. On the outer side of that band there is a soft dip. Lay four fingers flat below the dip, then lay another four below those. The area is right below your bottom finger. Now find the sharp front edge of the shinbone and move one finger-width toward the outer side, onto the soft muscle.

Now probe it with a rounded-tip pressing tool, or the tip of your thumb with the nail cut short. Move slowly in small steps up and down that line. Most of it will feel like ordinary muscle. One spot will sting: a small, sharp, pinpoint tenderness. That spot is the point. It may be a little higher or lower than the measurement; the sting is the guide.

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 straight into the muscle, toward the back of the leg, not onto the bone. Hold the back of the calf with your other hand so the leg stays still. Keep the tip on the same spot; do not let it slide.

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 area turns swollen, hot or red, stop and leave it for several days. If you are holding your breath, you are pressing too hard. Ease off until you can breathe slowly through the sting.

How Long

Work each leg 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 legs, even when only one feels tired. Once or twice a day is plenty. Pressing longer does not add benefit; it mostly adds soreness.

When to Do It

Late afternoon suits legs that feel heavy after walking, standing or gardening. Before bed is a good time too, with your feet raised for a few minutes afterwards. Morning works for legs that feel weak on waking. Do not press in the middle of the night. If an aching leg 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 your legs are tired. Tired, heavy legs often come from weak muscles, long hours of sitting or standing, extra weight, poor footwear, veins that no longer close well, or certain medicines. An aching front shin can also come from walking further or faster than the muscles are used to. A point on the shin cannot strengthen a muscle on its own. Pressing works best alongside the plain things: walking a little every day, raising the toes and heels while seated, raising the legs in the evening, and shoes that fit and support you.

It will not replace a diagnosis either. One calf that is suddenly swollen, warm and painful needs urgent assessment, because it can mean a clot in a deep vein. Pain in one spot on the shinbone that is sharp when you press the bone can mean a stress injury and should be checked. A foot that drops or drags, or numbness on the top of the foot, needs to be seen. New swelling in both legs, or changes in bowel habits that last, belong with a doctor.

Safety First

Do not press over skin that is broken, burned, infected, badly bruised or rashy, or over swollen veins. Leave the area alone with a recent fracture or shin injury, unexplained swelling, or a plate, pin or implant under the skin. If you take blood thinners, bruise easily, have a bleeding disorder, or have reduced feeling in your legs and feet, use lighter pressure, keep sessions short, and talk to your doctor first. The skin of the shin is thin and bruises easily in later life, so start gently.

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 Shangjuxu (ST37) pressure point? Shangjuxu (ST37) sits on the front of the lower leg. From the soft outer dip below the kneecap, measure about eight fingers down, then move one finger out from the sharp edge of the shinbone. Probe there until one spot stings. In English it is called the Upper Great Hollow; in Vietnamese, Thượng Cự Hư.

How long should I press Shangjuxu? One to three minutes on each leg. 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 legs, even if only one feels tired.

How is Shangjuxu (ST37) different from Zusanli (ST36)? They sit on the same line down the front of the shin. Zusanli (ST36) is four fingers below the outer dip under the kneecap. Shangjuxu (ST37) is four fingers further down. Many people press Zusanli (ST36) first and then slide down to this one.

Is Shangjuxu (ST37) linked with digestion? In this tradition it is also linked with the belly, because the line it sits on runs through the stomach and the point is tied to the large intestine. This page uses it for the legs. Any change in your bowel habits that lasts more than a few weeks, or blood in the stool, needs a doctor, not a pressure point.

My shins ache after walking. Is this the right point? The front of the shin is where the muscle that lifts your foot works hardest, and this point sits on it. In this tradition it is commonly pressed for tired, aching shins and heavy legs. If the pain is on the bone itself and sharp in one spot, have it checked before pressing.

Can I press it if my ankles are swollen? Light pressure on the shin is usually fine, but new swelling in both legs, swelling that leaves a dent when pressed, or swelling with breathlessness should be checked by a doctor first. One calf that is suddenly swollen and warm needs urgent assessment.

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: ST37 · Shangjuxu · Upper Great Hollow · Thượng Cự Hư.)