Bone Fractures (Supportive Care)

How Chinese medicine supports fracture healing — distinct from Bone Pain and Trauma already covered — the four patterns you'll actually meet in practice, and the points for each. Supportive care only, alongside orthopedic treatment. Acupuncture only — no herbs.

This page is educational, for practitioners and students — it is not a diagnostic tool and does not replace a proper in-person assessment. A suspected fracture always needs medical imaging and orthopedic treatment (setting, casting, or surgery as needed) first; acupuncture here is supportive for pain, swelling, and healing afterward, never a substitute for that care.

General Acupuncture Points

Acupuncture points traditionally used for fracture support — 11 key points, used across the patterns below rather than tied to just one.

Point	Key action
L.I.-4	Expels exterior Wind. Moves Qi and Blood.
LR-3	Subdues Liver-Yang. Promotes the smooth flow of Liver-Qi.
SP-10	Cools Blood. Invigorates Blood and eliminates stasis.
BL-17	Invigorates Blood. Opens the chest and diaphragm.
G.B.-34	Promotes the smooth flow of Liver-Qi. Benefits the sinews.
ST-36	Benefits Stomach and Spleen. Tonifies Qi and Blood.
SP-6	Strengthens the Spleen. Nourishes Blood and Yin.
REN-6	Tonifies Qi and Yang. Tonifies Original Qi.
BL-23	Tonifies the Kidneys and nourishes Kidney-Essence.
BL-18	Nourishes Liver-Blood. Benefits the sinews.
KI-3	Tonifies the Kidneys (both Yin and Yang). Benefits Essence.

The Four Patterns

↑ reinforcing ↓ reducing ⊥ even method.

1. Qi and Blood Stagnation View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Fixed, stabbing pain, local swelling and purple bruising, pain worsens with pressure.

Tongue: Dark purple body with stasis spots. Pulse: Wiry and choppy.

Treatment principle: Move stagnant Blood and Qi to resolve blockage.

L.I.-4 ↓ LR-3 ↓ SP-10 ↓ BL-17 ↓

Note: no moxa in the acute phase. Direct match with this site's own Liver-Blood-stasis slide via the well-established dark/purple stasis-spot-tongue marker.

2. Blood Stagnation With Heat View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Fixed, stabbing pain worsening at night, local redness, warmth, throbbing, irritability.

Tongue: Reddish-purple with stasis spots. Pulse: Choppy and rapid with a wiry quality.

Treatment principle: Invigorate Blood, dispel stasis, cool inflammatory Heat.

SP-10 ↓ L.I.-4 ↓ G.B.-34 ↓

Note: no moxa given the Heat. Linked to the same Liver-Blood-stasis slide as Pattern 1, extended to its Heat-layered variant — the same convention already used for Folliculitis, Skin Abscess and Bruising, capped at two links to this slide on this page.

3. Qi and Blood Deficiency

Clinical manifestations: Dull, persistent aching, slow healing, fatigue, pale complexion, poor appetite.

Tongue: Pale, possibly thin with teeth marks. Pulse: Fine and weak.

Treatment principle: Tonify Spleen-Qi and Blood to rebuild repair resources.

ST-36 ↑ SP-6 ↑ REN-6 ↑

Note: moxa applicable throughout. This site's decks have no combined Qi-and-Blood-deficiency slide (confirmed absent many times before), so no pattern link is given — points still link fine individually.

4. Liver-Blood and Kidney-Essence Deficiency View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Dull, lingering pain, delayed or non-union healing, lower back soreness, dizziness, premature greying.

Tongue: Pale, thin with possible cracks. Pulse: Deep, fine, weak.

Treatment principle: Nourish Liver-Blood and Kidney-Essence to restore the bone foundation.

BL-23 ↑ BL-18 ↑ KI-3 ↑ SP-6 ↑ ST-36 ↑

Note: moxa applicable throughout. Linked to this site's Kidney-Essence-deficiency slide — its own premature-greying/dizziness/backache picture matches closely, with the added Liver-Blood component (delayed healing, dull lingering pain) noted as an extension rather than a perfectly clean fit, since no combined Liver-Blood-and-Kidney-Essence slide exists on this site.

Related conditions

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