Acupuncture point

An acupuncture point is a location on the body selected for stimulation with needles or other techniques. Traditional Chinese medicine maps these points along pathways called meridians; biomedical explanations focus on local anatomy and nerve responses.

Acupuncture: A therapeutic practice that stimulates selected body sites with needles or other techniques. Acupuncture points are the selected sites used in this broader practice.
Peripheral nervous system: The nerves and ganglia outside the brain and spinal cord that connect the central nervous system with the body. Many proposed effects of point stimulation involve peripheral nerves beneath or near the skin.
Electroacupuncture: A form of acupuncture in which electrical current is passed between inserted needles. It applies controlled electrical stimulation to selected acupuncture points.
Trigger point: A tender, taut area in skeletal muscle associated with referred pain or other symptoms. Trigger points are identified through muscle findings, unlike points defined by traditional meridian maps.
Meridian (Chinese medicine): A pathway in traditional Chinese medicine along which qi is said to flow and acupuncture points are mapped. Traditional maps organize many acupuncture points along these pathways.
Nociceptor: A sensory receptor that detects potentially damaging stimuli and contributes to pain signaling. Needling can activate nociceptors and other sensory endings in the stimulated region.
Moxibustion: A traditional therapy that warms body locations by burning dried mugwort near or on the skin. Moxibustion stimulates locations that may also be used as acupuncture points.
Sham acupuncture: A control procedure designed to resemble acupuncture while omitting or altering its presumed specific components. Studies use it to test whether point location or needling adds effects beyond the procedure’s context.
Qi: A concept in Chinese philosophy and medicine describing vital activity or energy. Traditional accounts connect point stimulation with the movement and balance of qi.
Afferent nerve fiber: A nerve fiber that carries sensory signals from the body toward the central nervous system. Signals from stimulated tissue travel centrally through sensory afferents.

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