《黃帝素問靈樞集註》Vol. 7

This passage describes the pathways, pathological manifestations, and treatment methods for the three yang meridians (tendon channels) of the foot: the Foot Taiyang, Foot Shaoyang, and Foot Yangming.

The Foot Taiyang tendon channel originates from the little toe, ascends past the outer ankle and behind the knee, running along the back of the calf to the heel. It then continues upward through the popliteal fossa (the depression behind the knee), with its inner branch following alongside the spine to the back of the neck. The main tendon proceeds upward to the occiput, then downward to the face, with branches connecting to the tongue and eye area. When this channel is affected, symptoms include pain in the little toe, swollen heels, stiff knees, arched spine, rigid neck, inability to lift the shoulders, and pain from the armpit to the clavicle region. Treatment involves swift insertion of heated needles (known as "fan zhen jie ci") at painful points—this condition is called "Mid-Spring Bi" (Zhongchun Bi).

The Foot Shaoyang tendon channel begins at the fourth toe, traveling along the outer calf to the outer knee. Its branches extend across the outer thigh—the anterior branch reaching the front of the thigh, the posterior branch to the buttocks. The main tendon passes through the rib area to the chest, connecting with the clavicle before ascending behind the ear to the forehead. Disorders here cause toe cramps, inability to bend the knee, radiating pain in thighs and buttocks, rib pain, and may affect eyelid movement. Treatment similarly uses heated needle puncture—this condition is termed "Early-Spring Bi" (Mengchun Bi).

The Foot Yangming tendon channel starts from the middle three toes, crosses the outer dorsum of the foot to the fibula, then connects with the outer knee before ascending straight to the groin. While the text describes its pathway, the section regarding symptoms and treatment remains incomplete.

Note: The mentioned "fan zhen jie ci" refers to an ancient acupuncture technique using fire-heated needles for rapid puncturing; "Bi" denotes pain and stiffness caused by Qi-blood stagnation; "wei jin xiang jiao" describes the physiological phenomenon of left-right tendon channels crossing and interconnecting at the head.

This passage describes the pathways, associated disorders, and treatment methods for the three yin meridians of the foot (Foot Lesser Yang, Foot Greater Yin, and Foot Lesser Yin).

The Foot Lesser Yang tendon channel originates from the middle toe, ascends along the outer side of the lower leg to the knee, where a branch connects with the fibula to meet the Lesser Yang meridian. The main pathway continues upward through the front of the thigh, converges at the genital region, then distributes across the abdomen before extending through the supraclavicular fossa to the neck. Manifested disorders include spasmodic pain in the middle toe, calf cramps, swelling and pain in the thigh, and in severe cases, hernia, abdominal tendon tension, even facial distortion affecting the mouth and eyes. Treatment involves applying horse oil to tense areas, a mixture of white wine and cinnamon to relaxed areas, combined with mulberry wood hooks for correction, along with warm compresses, hot wine consumption, and roasted meat as supplementary therapy.

The Foot Greater Yin tendon channel begins at the inner side of the big toe, passes the medial malleolus to connect with the inner knee bone, ascends along the inner thigh to converge at the genital region, then continues upward to the abdomen linking with the navel before spreading across the chest and ribs. Pathological manifestations include big toe pain, medial malleolus cramps, and pulling pain along the inner thigh, with severe cases involving twisting pain in the genital region radiating to the back. Treatment employs fire needling (burning the needle before quick insertion), with effectiveness gauged by the patient's pain response.

The Foot Lesser Yin tendon channel starts below the small toe, runs parallel with the Greater Yin tendon beneath the medial malleolus, then joins with the Greater Yang tendon to ascend past the inner knee. It continues upward along both sides of the spine to connect with the occipital bone at the back of the neck. Disorders manifest as sole cramps and potential pain along any part of its pathway. The same fire needling technique is applied.

Note: The mentioned "burning needle swift insertion" (燔针劫刺) refers to an ancient acupuncture technique using heated needles for rapid puncturing. "Using pain as the guide" (以痛为输) indicates taking the patient's pain response as the standard for effective needling. These meridian pathways show similarities with modern anatomical descriptions of nerve and muscle distributions.

This medical classic primarily discusses the manifestations and treatments of tendon channel disorders occurring in different meridians of the human body, covering pathological conditions of the Foot Jueyin Channel, Hand Taiyang Channel, and Hand Shaoyang Channel.

The tendon channel of the Foot Jueyin meridian originates from the big toe, ascending past the inner ankle, the medial side of the lower leg, and the inner thigh, finally converging at the genital region. When this channel malfunctions, symptoms include pain in the big toe, inner ankle pain, groin pain, muscle spasms, and genital dysfunction. Internal injuries may cause impotence, exposure to cold can lead to scrotal retraction, while heat exposure may result in persistent erection. The treatment involves swift puncturing with red-hot needles (known as "rapid-fire needling"), with the number of insertions determined by therapeutic effect, targeting the most painful points. Severe spasms can be life-threatening—this condition is called "Late Autumn Bi (blockage syndrome)."

The Hand Taiyang tendon channel begins at the little finger, passing through the wrist, the inner forearm, behind the elbow, extending to the armpit before circling to the scapula and neck, ultimately connecting behind the ear and at the outer eye corner. When afflicted, it causes twinging pain in the little finger, inner elbow pain, armpit and scapular pain, along with tinnitus and neck stiffness. Severe cases manifest as neck swelling with alternating fever and chills. Treatment similarly employs red-hot rapid puncturing, with bloodletting at swollen areas using sharp needles. This disorder is termed "Midsummer Bi."

The Hand Shaoyang tendon channel starts at the ring finger tip, traversing the wrist, forearm, and elbow, then winding up the outer upper arm to the shoulder. Though the latter portion of this passage is fragmentary, it evidently describes spasmodic pain symptoms along this meridian and their treatment with fire needles.

The repeatedly mentioned "fán zhēn jié cì" (rapid-fire needling with heated needles) refers to a special acupuncture technique using red-hot needles for swift puncturing at affected sites. The principle "yǐ zhī wéi shù, yǐ tòng wéi shū" means the number of needle insertions depends on therapeutic response, with the most painful points serving as treatment locations. These disorders are all seasonally named, indicating the ancients' belief in the intimate connection between tendon channel diseases and seasonal changes.

This passage describes the pathways, associated disorders, and treatment methods for several major meridians in the human body (Hand Taiyang, Hand Yangming, Hand Taiyin, Hand Heart Governor, and Hand Shaoyin).

The Hand Taiyang meridian's sinew channel originates from the neck. One branch follows the curved area of the cheek to connect with the tongue root, while another ascends past the front of the ear to the outer corner of the eye, then continues upward from the chin to the forehead's corner. When these areas malfunction, symptoms like muscle spasms and curled tongue may occur. The treatment involves swift punctures with heated needles until the patient feels pain—this condition is called "Late Summer Bi (blockage syndrome)."

The Hand Yangming meridian's sinew channel begins at the index finger's tip, passing through the wrist and forearm to the elbow's outer side, then ascending to the shoulder blade. One branch circles the shoulder blade along the spine, while another rises from the shoulder to the neck, continuing through the cheek to connect with the cheekbone. Malfunctions cause pain, spasms, inability to raise the shoulder, and restricted neck movement. Treatment similarly uses heated needle puncture—this is termed "Early Summer Bi."

The Hand Taiyin meridian's sinew channel starts at the thumb, passes the palm's outer side to the wrist, then follows the forearm's inner side to the elbow before entering the armpit where it divides: one branch reaches the supraclavicular fossa, another to the chest. Disorders manifest as spasmodic pain, shortness of breath, tight ribs, or even blood vomiting. The same treatment applies—called "Midwinter Bi."

The Hand Heart Governor (Pericardium) meridian's sinew channel begins at the middle finger, running parallel with the Taiyin channel to the elbow's inner side, then to the armpit where it disperses across the chest and ribs. Malfunctions cause chest pain and breathing difficulties. Treatment again uses heated needle puncture—termed "Early Winter Bi."

The Hand Shaoyin meridian's sinew channel originates at the little finger's inner side, passing the wrist's protruding bone to the elbow's inner side, entering the armpit to intersect with the Taiyin channel, then crossing the breast to the chest before descending to connect with the navel. Disorders create internal tightness and heart pressure sensations, potentially progressing to blood vomiting and suppuration. The same heated needle treatment applies.

All treatments emphasize "using awareness as the measure and pain as the transport point"—meaning therapy should evoke sensation, with painful areas serving as primary needle insertion points.

This passage discusses the symptoms and treatments for tendon channel disorders. When tendons are affected by cold, the body arches backward (becoming taut like a bow) with rigid tendons; when affected by heat, the tendons become slack and lose their normal contractile function.

Specifically: Disorders in the yin channels (the interior meridians of the body) can lead to impotence and limb immobility; when yang channels (the exterior meridians) become rigid, the body arches backward; when yin channel tendons contract, the body bends forward and cannot straighten. The "withered needling" technique is used to treat tendon rigidity caused by cold pathogens. For slack tendons caused by heat patterns, cauterized needles (heated needles) should not be employed. These conditions are most severe in winter and are termed "Late Winter Bi (blockage syndrome)."

When rigidity occurs in the foot Yangming channel (leg yang meridian) and hand Taiyang channel (arm yang meridian), symptoms include facial distortion, eyelid twitching, and sudden visual impairment. The treatment principles follow those mentioned above.

Note: The character "頄" (pronounced "qiú") refers to the cheek region. This content comes from the commentary section of Volume 7 in the Lingshu portion of the Huangdi Neijing (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon).