What is tuina massage therapy?

​Tuina is a form of therapeutic massage or manual manipulation of the body for relieving pain and disease. Tuina is a major component of traditional Chinese medicine.

How is it different from other massage therapies?

Unlike massage therapies purely for relaxation, tuina is therapeutic: it helps treat diseases and symptoms.

Tuina therapy can improve blood and lymphatic circulation and promote the balanced functioning of muscles, joints, nerves and internal organs.

As a result, tuina is particularly helpful for pain management and recovery from certain types of injury and musculoskeletal conditions.

Tuina is often paired with acupuncture as an alternative and complementary therapeutic approach that avoids the use of drugs.

How is tuina therapy done?

In a tuina treatment session, the practitioner uses his or her fingers, hands and elbows to massage different parts of the patient’s body depending on the patient’s condition or symptoms. The pressure applied may be gentle or quite firm.

​Specific tuina techniques include pushing (“tui”), lifting and squeezing (“na”), rhythmic tapping (tapotement), kneading, rubbing and shaking. Tuina therapy can include what is commonly known as acupressure, where the practitioner uses finger pressure instead of needles to stimulate the acupuncture points.

The practitioner may also instruct the patient to do self-massage and certain exercises at home to extend the benefits of the tuina session.

When to consider tuina therapy

​Tuina massage is suitable for both adults and children, even infants. The therapy can help treat a variety of chronic and acute musculoskeletal problems as well other medical conditions, including the following:

• Superficial injuries such as bruising
• Arthritis
• Back pain
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Sciatica
• Fibromyalgia
• Muscle spasms
• Headaches and migraines
• Menstrual cramps
• Constipation
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Insomnia

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