The aim of this study is to provide anatomical information of ST36 including applicable needling depth and related physiological effect. Methods: The contents about ST36 were extracted from literature. Then we investigated the clinical effect and needling feature (depth/angle) of ST36, searching on-line databases like 'Oasis', 'RISS', 'DBpia', 'Pubmed' and 'Google scholar' from 2008 to 2021. Results: According to the classic test, the needling depth of ST36 is 12-39 mm, that of previous research is 9-25 mm. When acupuncture is applied at that level, stimulatable anatomical structures were skin, subcutaneous tissue, lateral sural cutaneous nerve, anterior tibialis muscle, deep peroneal nerve, anterior tibial vessels, and interosseous membrane.
Conclusion:The remarkable effect of ST36 is originated from stimulation of deep peroneal nerve. It is necessary for ST36 to be stimulated as 1.9-2.5 cm depth.
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