Searching acupoints means that the doctor presses around the acupoint to decide its exact location. The acupoints are usually located in the bone spaces, muscular interstices and depression, pressing around is helpful for finding such spaces and interstices. Acupoints usually reflect pathological changes. Under pathological conditions, searching such tenderness points for needling is often satisfactorily effective.
Searching acupoints is the method used to find the exact location of acupoints after the application of other methods. For example, Lanwei (EX-LE7) is the tenderness point 2 cun below Zusanli (ST 36) and Dannang (EX-LE 6) is the tenderness point 1-2 cun directly below Yanglingquan (GB 34).