TUINA Chinese Medical Massage
What is Tuina?
Tuina or tui-na (pronounced twee-nah) massage originated in ancient China and is believed to be the oldest system of bodywork. It’s one of the four main branches of traditional Chinese medicine, along with acupuncture, qi gong, and Chinese herbal medicine.
It’s based on the theory that imbalances of qi, which is the body’s vital life force or energy, can cause blockages or imbalances that lead to symptoms such as pain and illness.
Tuina massage stimulates the flow of qi to promote balance and harmony within the body using many of the same principles of acupuncture.
It is similar to acupuncture in the way it targets specific acupoints, but practitioners instead of using needles use massage techniques to apply pressure to stimulate these points. Tuina massage is often used in combination with acupuncture.
Who will benefit from Tuina?
Most people, it can be adapted for most ages and is thought to have many benefits.
What does it treat?
Tuina massage can be used to treat specific health concerns or areas in the body. Since tuina massage is considered to be an alternative treatment, it’s essential that you talk to your doctor before using it to treat any medical condition.
Tuina massage can be used to treat pain and illness, or to maintain good health. The technique is effective in reducing stress, encouraging relaxation, and deepening sleep. It’s often used for conditions and injuries related to the musculoskeletal and nervous systems.
Here are some conditions tuina massage can treat:
● neck and back pain
● musculoskeletal disorders
● premenstrual syndrome
● fatigue and insomnia
● carpal tunnel
● headaches
● arthritis
● osteoporosis
● stress
● digestive conditions
● respiratory conditions
Benefits of Tuina
There is plenty of evidence to back the effectiveness of tuina massage in treating health conditions. Here is what some of the studies say about the benefits.
1. Boosts blood circulation
One of the main intentions of tuina massage is to boost blood circulation by stimulating the body’s energy flow.
A small study from 2015 indicates that yi zhi chan tuina manipulation on BL 56 acupoint is effective in improving circulation. In this study, manipulation using medium force for 10 minutes was found to be more effective than treatments using light or heavy force for shorter amounts of time.
Larger studies are needed to expand on these findings.
2. Reduces neck pain
Tuina massage relieves neck pain and the accompanying tension, tightness, and irritation.
A 2018 study concluded that tuina massage is a cost-effective option for reducing pain in people with chronic neck pain. People who received six tuina treatments within three weeks reduced the intensity of their neck pain more than people who had no treatment.
Further research that compares tuina to other treatments is necessary, though.
3. Relieves low back pain
Tuina massage is known to greatly reduce lower back pain.
4. Treats depression
Focusing on whole-body healing is essential for people with depression, since the causes can be both physical and emotional.
A 2015 review of studies concluded that tuina massage has a therapeutic effect on depression. It was shown to be significantly more effective in reducing depression than conventional treatments.
More high-quality studies are needed to confirm and expand on these findings.
5. Promotes healthy lactation
Tuina massage is used to encourage postpartum lactation.Tuina massage on breasts increased the quantity of lactation compared to women who received only conventional treatment.It could help new mothers produce greater quantities of milk more quickly.
6. Treats osteoarthritis
The therapeutic benefits of tuina massage extend to alleviating symptoms of osteoarthritis.
It improves muscular tension of the flexor and extensor muscles in people with knee osteoarthritis. The treatment used gun, an, na, and ca maneuvers. The patients received treatments three times per week over the course of nine months.
Patients saw improvement in pain, stiffness, and function.
7. Eases carpal tunnel syndrome
Tuina massage can relieve symptoms from carpal tunnel syndrome.
People with carpal tunnel syndrome who received acupuncture in addition to tuina massage showed significantly more improvements than people who were treated using hormone block therapy and medication.
8. Treats musculoskeletal disorders
Tuina massage is often used to improve function and reduce pain affecting the joints, bones, and muscles.
9. Maintenance of health and wellbeing
Can promote overall health and wellbeing, mentally physically and emotionally, due to working with flow of qi and blood.
10. Can improve quality of life in cancer patients
Tuina massage is a viable option for people with cancer who want to manage symptoms related to the disease and its conventional treatment.
When combined with acupuncture, tuina massage was effective in improving quality of life in people with terminal cancer. Tuina massage was also shown to be effective in relieving stomach discomfort.
Though tuina massage shows promise as a therapy to treat people with cancer, more in-depth research is needed, as many of the studies have limitations.
How does tuina work?
The philosophy and principles of tuina massage are based on traditional Chinese medicine, which focuses on emotional and physical components of a person’s well-being, as well as aspects such as climate, relationships, diet and exercise.
The underlying philosophy of tuina massage is that true health is achieved when one has found harmony and balance inside the self and their environment.
The goal of tuina massage is to create harmony in the yin and yang of the body by moving through any blockages and disturbances that manifest as illness, disease, and emotional issues using the tuina massage techniques.
Similar to acupuncture, tuina massage uses the same energetic meridians and acupoints to balance the qi and blood in your body, leading to better health. Qi that is not flowing smoothly or flowing incorrectly can cause blockages, for example poor blood circulation in an affected area.
The main therapeutic goal of tuina massage is to clear any energetic blocks that are causing qi stagnation.
Technique
During a session, practitioners use oscillating and pressure techniques that differ in force and speed. Tuina massage can be done as a stronger deep-tissue massage or a more gentle, energetic treatment.
Some techniques are more yin, which is more gentle, passive, and meditative. The yang approach is more active, dynamic, and physical, creating more intense sensations by stimulating and releasing deep blockages and knots.
The practitioner massages the muscles and tendons and uses manipulation techniques to realign the body. Passive joint movements are used to restor function to muscles and joints.
Depending on your practitioner as well as your specific needs, various techniques will be used in a session. Tuina may be used in conjunction with acupuncture for therapeutic benefits. Tuina massage uses massage techniques such as acupressure, myofascial release, and reflexology. Sometimes, techniques that are common to osteopathy and chiropractic, such as stretching and joint mobilizations, are also used.
There are eight basic techniques used in tuina massage:
● palpating (mo)
● rejoining (jie)
● opposing (duan)
● lifting (ti)
● pressing (an)
● kneading (mo)
● pushing (tui)
● holding (na)
Other techniques include:
● Rolling. This is used for injuries such as sprains and strains.
● One-finger technique. This is one-finger stimulation of acupressure points.
● Nei gung. This is a full-body manipulation technique.
Are there any side effects of TuiNa
Tuina massage is a safe treatment and is generally well-tolerated. However, remember that it’s not a gentle or relaxing massage, and you may feel some discomfort during or after a session. Slight bruising is possible.
It’s not recommended for people who have fractures or are prone to fractures, vein inflammation, or any type of open wound. It’s also not recommended for people with previous chronic back issues, such as ankylosing spondylitis.