1

PALPATION OF PARTS OF THE BODY

DR. STELLA NANYK WIDIJARSIH, M.MED.
PALPATION 2

Detect: Temperature

Moisture & texture of the skin

The consistency of the deeper tissues

Presence of masses
TECHNIQUES 3

TOUCHING STROKING PRESSING

Chest, abdomen,
Temperature Abdomen
limbs

Determine the
Tenderness or
Moisture presence of pain and
swelling
masses

Full or Empty
Full or Empty
Sweating condition of internal
conditions
organs
PALPATION 4

Chest and
Skin
Abdomen

Hands and Acupuncture

Feet Points
 5

CHEST AND ABDOMEN

TEXTURE OF ABDOMEN 6

TEXTURE MEANING

Soft and flaccid Stomach and Spleen Qi deficiency

Soft and flaccid lower abdomen
Hard
Spleen and Kidney Deficiency
Full condition
• Qi stagnation (with feeling of
distention)
• Dampness (with feeling of fullness)
• Blood stasis (with pain
• Retention of food (with feeling of
fullness)
TENDERNESS OF PALPATION 7

TENDERNESS MEANING
Tenderness on light palpation Full condition
(Qi stagnation, Blood stasis,
Dampness, Retention of Food, Heat or
Cold)
Tenderness relieved by palpation Stomach and Spleen deficiency
(epigastrium)
Liver and Kidney deficiency (lower
abdomen)
Tender on deep pressure Blood stasis
Tenderness relieved by superficial
pressure and elicited by deeper
pressure
TWO TYPES OF ABDOMINAL MASSES 8

Relatively soft
QI masses that
come and go

BLOOD Hard, fixed

masses
 9

AREAS OF THE
ABDOMEN
CHEST 10

TENDERNESS MEANING

Tender with light palpation of Heart Blood stasis

Ren 17

Tender around thee center Excess condition of the Lungs

Tenderness relieved by Deficiency condition of Heart

palpation and Lungs

Tenderness relieved by light Combined Deficiency and

palpation but elicited by Excess
deeper palpation
BREAST 11

LUMPS MEANING

Fibrocystic disease Small, multiple, movable lumps with

(QI stagnation and Phlegm) distinct edges, changing size
according to the menstrual cycle

Fibroadenoma Single, relatively hard, movable lump

(Blood stasis) with distinct edges, possibly painful

Carcinoma of the Breast Single, hard, immovable, painless

(Blood stasis and Phlegm) lump with indistinct margins
 12

PALPATION OF THE
ABDOMEN
ABDOMEN 13

ABDOMEN REFLECTION OF MEANING

HYPOCHONDRIUM Liver and Gall Bladder Tenderness upon palpation: Liver Qi

stagnation
Tenderness relieved by light palpation:
Liver Blood deficiency
EPIGASTRIUM Stomach & Heart Hardness below the xyphoid process:
Stagnation of Qi or Blood of the Heart
due to emotional problems.
Hard: Excess condition of Stomach (QI
stagnation, Blood stasis, Dampness or
retention of food)
Distended like a drum: Qi stagnation
Soft on palpation with subjective
sensation of fullness: Stomach heat &
Spleen Qi deficiency
ABDOMEN 14

ABDOMEN REFLECTION OF MEANING

UMBILICAL REGION Kidney & Penetrating Hard & full: QI stagnation or
vessel (Chong Mai) Blood stasis in Chong Mai
Painful on palpation: Blood stasis
in Chong Mai
Very soft on palpation: Kidney
deficiency & a deficiency of
Chong Mai
CENTRAL ABDOMEN Stomach, Spleen and Hard: Dampness or food
Intestines retention in the Intestines
Painful: Blood stasis
Distended like a drum: Qi
stagnation
Soft: Spleen deficiency
ABDOMEN 15

ABDOMEN REFLECTION OF MEANING

LATERAL LOWER Intestines and Hard: Dampness in the

ABDOMEN Penetrating Vessel Intestines or Blood stasis in the
(Chong Mai) Chong Mai.
Painful& Mass: Blood stasis in
Chong Mai.
CENTRAL LOWER Intestines, Kidney & Hard: Dampness
ABDOMEN Bladder. Painful: QI stagnation or Blood
stasis
 16

SKIN PALPATION
SKIN PALPATION 17

u Temperature : Hot / Cold

u Moisture & texture :

MOISTURE & TEXTURE

Dry skin Blood deficiency or Lung-Yin deficiency

Rough skin Blood deficiency

Scaly and dry skin Exhaustion of Body Fluids or severe

deficiency and dryness of Liver-Blood
Swollen skin, pitting ‘Water swelling’ from Spleen- and/or
Kidney-Yang deficiency
Swollen skin, not ‘Qi swelling’ from Blood stasis or Qi
pitting stagnation
 18

FOREARM DIAGNOSIS
FOREARM DIAGNOSIS 19

FOREARM MEANING

Hot elbow Heat above the waist

Hot hand Heat below the waist
Hot inner flexure of the elbow Heat in the chest
Hot lateral side of the elbow Heat in the upper back
Hot inner aspect of the arm Heat in the abdomen
Hot 3 to 4 cun below the lateral side of Worms in the intestines
the elbow
Hot palm Heat in the abdomen
Cold palm Cold in the abdomen
Bluish blood vessels on the thenar Cold in the Stomach
eminence
 20

HAND & FEET

PALPATION OF THE LIMBS 21

Cold hands and feet Spleen- or Stomach-Yang deficiency

Cold hands Lung- and/or Heart-Yang deficiency

Cold feet Kidney-Yang deficiency

Cold hands and feet in women Blood deficiency

Cold hands in women Heart-Blood deficiency

Cold feet in women Liver-Blood deficiency

Cold fingers and toes Liver-Qi stagnation

 22

ACUPOINTS
 23

PALPASI
ACUPOINTS
FRONT-MU POINT
 24

PALPASI ACUPOINT

BACK-SHU POINTS
YUAN-SOURCE POINTS 25

LU-9
TAIYUAN
LUNGS

PC-7
DALING
HEART

SP-3
SPLEEN
TAIBAI

LIV-3
TAICHONG
LIVER

KI-3
KIDNEYS
TAIXI
 26

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