Stiff Neck

How Chinese medicine differentiates an acute stiff neck — distinct from Neck Pain and Cervical Spondylosis already covered — the three patterns you'll actually meet in practice, and the points for each. 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 stiff neck with high fever, severe headache, or inability to touch the chin to the chest needs urgent medical evaluation before assuming it is a simple pattern.

General Acupuncture Points

Acupuncture points traditionally used for a stiff neck — 8 key points, used across the patterns below rather than tied to just one.

Point	Key action
G.B.-20	Dispels Wind-Cold from the head and neck.
DU-14	Warms the Yang and expels exterior pathogens.
G.B.-21	Relaxes the neck and shoulder muscles.
S.I.-3	Opens the Governing Vessel and releases the neck.
T.B.-3	Activates the San Jiao channel in the neck and shoulders.
SP-10	Invigorates Blood to dispel stasis.
SP-9	Drains Dampness from the body via the Spleen channel.
ST-36	Strengthens the Spleen and Stomach to transform Dampness.

The Three Patterns

↑ reinforcing ↓ reducing ⊥ even method.

1. Wind-Cold View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Sudden onset after exposure to cold or drafts, neck pain and stiffness that improves with warmth, aversion to cold, chills, no sweating, stiffness extending to upper back and shoulders.

Tongue: Normal or slightly pale body with a thin, white, moist coating. Pulse: Floating and tight.

Treatment principle: Release the exterior and disperse Wind-Cold, soften and relax the sinews.

G.B.-20 ↓ DU-14 ↓ G.B.-21 ↓

Note: moxa applicable given the Cold. Direct match with this site's own Invasion-of-Lungs-by-Wind-Cold slide.

2. Qi And Blood Stagnation View full pattern →

Clinical manifestations: Fixed, stabbing pain in one spot, pain worse with pressure or touch, local dark discoloration or visible distended veins, stiffness that does not ease with gentle stretching.

Tongue: Dark purple body with stasis spots, distended sublingual veins. Pulse: Wiry and choppy.

Treatment principle: Invigorate Blood and dispel stasis, move Qi.

S.I.-3 ↓ T.B.-3 ↓ SP-10 ↓

Note: no moxa. Matches this site's Liver-Blood stasis slide — a dark purple tongue with stasis spots is the same discoloration marker named there.

3. Dampness Invading the Channels, Joints and Muscles

Clinical manifestations: Heavy, aching sensation rather than sharp pain, stiffness worse in damp or rainy weather, swollen, puffy feeling in the neck muscles, limbs feel heavy, poor appetite and abdominal bloating.

Tongue: Pale or slightly swollen with teeth marks and a white, greasy, excessively moist coating. Pulse: Soggy, may feel slippery at right middle.

Treatment principle: Dispel Wind-Dampness, tonify Qi and harmonize Protective and Nutritive Qi.

G.B.-20 ↓ SP-9 ↓ ST-36 ↑

Note: moxa applicable on tonifying points. No deck on this site has a generic Damp-invading-channels Bi-syndrome category, a confirmed and recurring absence, so no pattern link is given here.

Related conditions

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