body acupoint

Fengchi GB20

Place your fingertips at the base of your skull. Move slightly outward from the center of your neck and feel for the soft hollow where the neck muscles meet the skull. GB20 is in that hollow on each side.

Educational preview · clinical review pending

Reviewed location guidance

Illustrative only · no placement diagram

Use the reviewed location illustration with the safety guidance below.

Locate

Where is it?

Stay below the skull and away from the center line of your neck. You do not need to press deeply to find it.

If helpful, feel behind the bony area behind your ear and follow the groove toward the base of your skull.

Landmarks

Base of skull
Posterior neck midline
Paired suboccipital hollows

Contact

Where should my finger touch?

Contact: Thumb or fingertip pad
Region: Superficial suboccipital hollow
Pressure Envelope · Allowed: Comfortable surface pressure
Pressure Envelope · Allowed: Gentle rubbing
Pressure Envelope · Painful Pressure: Prohibited
Pressure Envelope · Deep Probing: Prohibited
Pressure Envelope · Dig Under Occiput: Prohibited

Duration, rhythm and side order belong to the routine.

Safety

Local Avoid: Numb area
Local Avoid: Wound
Local Avoid: Severe swelling
Local Avoid: Active infection
Local Avoid: Recent blood clot
Additional Conservative Rule: Recent significant neck trauma requires appropriate evaluation
Stop If: Pain or clear discomfort
Stop If: Dizziness
Stop If: Unusual symptoms
Stop If: Shooting sensation
Stop If: Increasing numbness

Traditional use

Traditional context

Traditionally associated with head and neck discomfort.

traditional theory

Educational preview · clinical review pending

TCM-NI-001

Modern evidence

Desk & Body Tension · Limited

GB20 appears in self-care and multi-point neck protocols; independent effects and self-help timing are not established.

manual acupressure

Educational preview · clinical review pending

MOD-NECK-VA-001 MOD-NECK-001

Head & Face Tension · Limited

GB20 appears in headache combinations; its independent contribution is not established.

manual acupressure

Educational preview · clinical review pending

MOD-HEAD-001

Evidence limits

Traditional use and modern evidence are separate. Component research does not validate a PointWell sequence or its timing. Content has completed PointWell’s clinical consumer-copy and release review. Exact PointWell protocols have not been clinically validated.

Evidence & Sources

References are transcribed from the supplied knowledge base. Full sources and exact location pages have not been rechecked in this implementation.

《倪海厦人纪系列之针灸教程.pdf》

TCM-NI-001 · Local reference; direct quotation not verified

U.S. VA: Acupressure for Neck Pain ↗

MOD-NECK-VA-001 · KB-listed reference

Self-applied acupressure for benign cervical pain — PMID 33280397 ↗

MOD-NECK-001 · KB-listed reference

Acupressure and trigger points in chronic headache RCT — PMID 20128040 ↗

MOD-HEAD-001 · KB-listed reference

Safety

General self-care. PointWell offers general self-care and educational guidance and is not a substitute for diagnosis, treatment, or emergency medical care.

Stop if you feel worse. Stop the session if you feel worse. If symptoms are severe, unusual, persistent, or worsening, seek appropriate medical care.

GB20 safety. Stop for dizziness, unusual symptoms, sharp pain or neurological symptoms. Do not enter with severe neck pain, recent injury, radiating pain, numbness, weakness, fever, or balance and coordination problems.

Used in PointWell routines

View all

90 sec

Quick Desk Reset

A 90-second GB20 practice for familiar neck and shoulder tightness after sitting or screen use.

Explore routine

5 min

5-Minute Desk & Neck Ease

A guided sequence using GB20, SI3, slow shoulder movement, and gentle neck rotation.

Explore routine

5 min

5-Minute Head & Face Ease

A slower sequence combining gentle BL2 brow contact, surface pressure at GB20, and a longer screen-free pause.

Explore routine