Introduction: The Yintang acupoint is located on the Governor Vessel (Du Mai) meridian. The spine is the pathway through which the Governor Vessel flows. Therefore, for pain caused by Qi and blood stagnation—whether in the cervical, thoracic, or lumbar vertebrae, the lumbosacral region, or the coccyx—acupuncture at the Yintang acupoint can promote the smooth flow of Qi and blood. Once Qi and blood circulate freely, pain in all parts of the spine will completely disappear.

Using the Yintang Acupoint to Treat Pain at Various Locations Along the Spine

Wan Fangqin

I. Overview of Yintang Acupoint Treatment for Spinal Pain

The Yintang acupoint is located between the eyebrows. It belongs to the Governor Vessel meridian and is precisely situated in the center of this area, neither deviating to the left or right nor positioned above or below.

As the Yintang acupoint lies on the Governor Vessel meridian, and the spine is the pathway through which the Governor Vessel flows, acupuncture at the Yintang point can promote the smooth circulation of qi and blood for pain caused by blockages in these meridians. This applies to pain in any part of the spine—whether it be the cervical, thoracic, or lumbar vertebrae, the lumbosacral region, or the coccyx. Once qi and blood flow freely, pain in all areas of the spine will completely disappear.

For cervical spondylosis, whether it involves disc herniation, spondylolisthesis, or spinal stenosis, selecting the Yintang acupoint can largely lead to a cure. The following are practical examples for reference.

Whether the pain is caused by a blockage of qi and blood at a specific point or a certain segment along the spine, needling the Yintang acupoint can vibrate and clear the Du meridian. Once qi and blood flow smoothly, the pain will inevitably subside. This is based on my accumulated experience in treating many patients with spinal disorders, and the therapeutic effect is excellent.

Select the Yintang acupoint and insert the needle approximately 0.5 cun from top to bottom.

The Yintang acupoint can treat various conditions. For instance, when addressing diseases at a specific point along the spine, if there is low back pain on one side, the needle should be inclined toward that side.

Yintang acupoint treats cervical spondylosis. Most patients with cervical spondylosis experience symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, neck stiffness and discomfort, some unable to tilt their heads backward, and others suffering from shoulder and back pain. Using the method of acupuncture at the Yintang acupoint for treatment yields fast and effective results.

I have treated two special patients: one had suffered from cervical spondylosis for over 20 years and could only lower their head, unable to lift it; the other had cervical spondylosis for 10 years and could only lift their head, unable to lower it. After receiving treatment primarily involving acupuncture at the Yintang acupoint, both were essentially cured.

II. Examples of Effective Treatments Using the Yintang Acupoint

Case 1: Lower back pain for 30 years following a lumbar puncture during adolescence.

Li M, male, 43 years old, driver.

Patient's self-report: At the age of 13, he underwent a lumbar puncture due to an unexplained illness, and has since suffered from chronic low back pain as a sequela. His lower back is always somewhat painful. After becoming a driver as an adult, the low back pain worsened, with increasing frequency of attacks, often causing significant discomfort.

Acupuncture treatment: Yintang (EX-HN3) point. Routine treatment, needle retention for 20 minutes, with reinforcing technique.

Point explanation: The Yintang (EX-HN3) point is an acupoint on the Governor Vessel (Du Meridian). The Governor Vessel runs along the entire spine. Any area of qi and blood stagnation along the spine can be treated by needling the Yintang point to dredge the meridians and alleviate pain.

Outcome: At that moment, the lower back pain disappeared, function was restored, and there was no pain or discomfort when bending forward, backward, left, or right. The long-term outcome was very good, with no recurrence of the condition.

Case 2: Inability to bend due to lower back pain for 4 years following a lower back injury

Patient: Wen, female, 19 years old, student.

Patient's account: Injured the lower back 4 years ago, pain persisted since, now the pain has intensified. Difficulty straightening up after bending over, inability to lie flat while sleeping, and inability to get up after lying down. Frequent pain in the cervical spine area, restricted head movement, and long-term unresponsiveness to treatment.

Acupuncture treatment: Select the Yintang point, perform routine needling, retain the needle for 25 minutes, and apply reinforcing technique.

Efficacy: After 25 minutes of needle insertion, the patient's neck, lower back, and bilateral pain completely disappeared. They were able to bend down and stand up smoothly on the spot, and experienced no difficulty lying down and getting up again. The patient felt very comfortable all over their body. The patient said to their mother: "This grandma is amazing! She only inserted one needle on my forehead and cured several of my ailments."

Case 3: 8-year history of lumbar spondylolisthesis, lumbar disc herniation, and lumbar spinal stenosis

Xu, male, 78 years old, senior journalist.

Patient Self-Report: I have suffered from lumbar spondylolisthesis, lumbar disc herniation, and lumbar spinal stenosis for about 8 years, with frequent pain, inability to bend forward, restricted movement in the lower back, and particularly worsened pain when walking. I have often sought treatment at major hospitals, all to no avail. Specialists have said this condition is incurable.

Acupuncture Treatment: The Yintang (印堂) acupoint was selected. Routine acupuncture was performed with the needle retained for 10 minutes, using the reinforcing needle technique.

Treatment Outcome: After needle insertion, the low back pain gradually disappeared. Movement of the lower back—forward, backward, left, and right—became quite flexible. The patient immediately felt almost completely recovered and was very excited. Later, when walking, the lower back no longer felt particularly painful. After a total of 3 treatments, the condition was essentially cured.

Case 4: Low back pain for 3 years, difficulty turning over when lying down.

Mrs. Zhu, female, aged 59, cadre.

The patient reported: For the past three years, the area near the spine in the lower back has been extremely painful, with constant discomfort. Turning over at night is very difficult and requires sitting up and lying down again to change position. The patient cannot stand for long periods and cannot tolerate fatigue. During this period, she has visited numerous major hospitals and tried many treatment methods, but to no avail.

Acupuncture Treatment: Insertion from Yintang point (EX-HN3) through bilateral Zanzhu points (BL2) with standard acupuncture technique, retain the needles for 30 minutes, using reinforcing method.

Efficacy: Pain gradually disappears, and mobility becomes free. The long-term effect is also very good.

Case 5: Lumbar Discomfort Persisting for Years Without Improvement

Patient Zhao, female, 56 years old, professor.

Patient self-report: Suffering from long-term lumbar discomfort, unable to bend over or exert force, often experiencing sudden immobility, unable to turn over while sleeping at night, which affects sleep. Frequently used pain-relief patches with unsatisfactory results. Later, Dr. Wan performed acupuncture on me. Unexpectedly, just one needle insertion was very effective—I could bend over, squat down, and twist left and right, moving freely and feeling very comfortable. With just one needle, it resolved the lumbar spine issue that had troubled me for years. Acupuncture is truly miraculous.

Acupuncture Treatment: Needle at the Yintang point using standard acupuncture technique, retain the needles for 10 minutes. Tonify with supplementation manipulation.

Effect: Cured on the spot.

Case 6: Neck pain accompanied by limited head movement for over 20 years, back pain, and hand numbness for 3 months.

He, Female, 72 years old, Accountant.

Patient's self-report: My neck has been in constant pain for over 20 years, with restricted head movement. I have undergone treatments including small-needle knife therapy, physical therapy, acupuncture, traction, and medicated plasters, but the symptoms have worsened. Now I cannot tilt my head backward at all; when I try, I experience severe dizziness. Recently, I’ve also developed constant shaking of the head. Left-sided back pain has persisted for three months, and recently, numbness in both hands has appeared.

Acupuncture treatment: The Yintang (GV29) acupoint was selected. Conventional acupuncture was performed, retaining the needle for over 10 minutes with reinforcing manipulation.

Efficacy: Immediately after needle insertion, the patient could tilt their head backward by approximately 40 degrees. The patient reported feeling much more relaxed in the neck. By the second treatment, significant improvement was observed—no dizziness or shaking occurred when tilting the head backward, and left-sided back pain had reduced. After a total of five treatments, the patient was essentially cured and reported feeling well.

Case 7: Severe Coccyx Pain for Over a Month

Zhang, male, 40 years old, engineer.

I once made a house call to Ms. Weng, and it happened that her eldest son came to visit her. He originally intended to ride his bicycle, but due to coccyx pain that had persisted for over a month, the pain was so severe when he got on the bike that he couldn't ride it and had to push the bicycle instead. After hearing this, I took the opportunity to treat him.

Effect: Within 10 minutes of needle insertion, the tailbone pain gradually diminished and eventually disappeared completely. The patient was able to ride their bicycle back home, achieving a cure in a single session.

Case 8: Neck Pain and Discomfort with Inability to Extend the Head for 2 Years

Ms. Zhou, 67 years old, government official.

The patient reported: For 2 years, there has been a constant feeling of pain and discomfort in the neck, varying in intensity, mild at times and severe at others. The head could not tilt backward; she could only look straight ahead, and tilting the head back caused severe pain. The area around the neck was also painful. Long-term treatment had been ineffective.

Effect: After needle insertion, the neck pain gradually lessened. After 15 minutes, the neck pain completely disappeared. The head could be tilted back freely without pain, and moving it left and right was also very flexible. Cured in one session. Long-term follow-up showed good results.

Case 9: Mid-back pain for 2 years

Tang, female, 30 years old, homemaker.

The patient reported: For the past two years, persistent pain and discomfort in the mid-back, worsening with fatigue, and becoming more pronounced upon bending forward or arching backward.

Acupuncture treatment: Using the reinforcing method, apply manual pressure and knead the Yintang (EX-HN3) acupoint for approximately two minutes.

Effect: cured in one session, and there has been no pain since.

Case 10: Localized back pain with tenderness

Once when I was taking the elevator, Ms. He, a 42-year-old elevator operator, said to me, "Dr. Wan, look, why is this spot so painful? I'm thinking of going to the hospital to get it checked." The area she pointed to was slightly to the right of the 7th thoracic vertebra. There was no abnormality on palpation, but tenderness was present. I told her, "Let me treat it for you first. If it gets better, you won’t need to go to the hospital, saving you the trouble of taking time off work and having your wages deducted."

I then applied acupressure to her Yintang point (Ex-HN3) and massaged it for a while. She said, "It feels much better!" I continued massaging for a little longer, and as she twisted her back, she happily exclaimed, "Hey, it doesn't hurt anymore! I don’t need to go to the hospital."

The next day, she saw me and said, "Thank you so much. The pain hasn’t come back at all, and it’s already healed. I don’t need to go to the hospital anymore—you’ve saved me a lot of trouble."