The meridian begins at the outer nail corner of the little finger, travels up the ulnar border of the hand, crosses the wrist and follows the postero-medial aspect of the forearm to the elbow, between the olecranon and the epicondyle. It continues along the back of the arm, reaches the shoulder and describes its characteristic zigzag across the scapula. It reaches the seventh cervical vertebra, descends towards the clavicle and connects internally with the heart and small intestine. A superficial branch rises up the neck and cheek and ends in front of the tragus.
The Small Intestine receives broken-down food from the Stomach and separates the pure fraction, passed to the Spleen, from the impure fraction, directed towards the Large Intestine and Bladder. This role of separation links it to urinary as well as digestive disorders. Its pathway makes it one of the most used meridians for scapular tension, neck pain and torticollis. It also treats ear conditions and pain along the ulnar border of the upper limb.