Tui Na – Chinese Massage

Tuina (推拏 or 推拿, both pronounced tuīná), is a form of Chinese manipulative therapy often used in conjunction with acupuncture, moxibustion, Chinese herbalism and qigong.

Tuina uses traction, massage and manipulation in conjunction with the stimulation of acupressure points and is used for both acute and chronic musculoskeletal conditions, as well as certain non-musculoskeletal conditions. It is an integral part of traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and is taught in TCM schools as part of formal training in Oriental medicine. Many East Asian martial arts schools also teach tuina to their advanced students for the treatment and management of injury and pain due to training. As with many other traditional Chinese medical practices, there are several different schools with greater or lesser differences in their approach to the discipline. It is related also to Chinese massage or anmo (按摩).

In ancient China, medical therapy was often classified into “external” and “internal” treatments. Tuina was one of the external methods, especially suitable for use on the elderly population and on infants. Today it is subdivided into specialized treatment for infants, adults, orthopedics, traumatology, cosmetology, rehabilitation, sports medicine, etc. Tuina has been used extensively in China for over 2,000 years.

Tuina is said by its proponents to have fewer side effects than many modern drug-based and chemical-based treatments. It has been used to treat or complement the treatment of many conditions; musculo-skeletal disorders and chronic stress-related disorders of the digestive, respiratory, and reproductive systems.

History of Tuina
Massage techniques are ubiquitous in almost all early human cultures. Tuina-like techniques date at least as early as the Shang Dynasty, around 1700 BC. Ancient inscriptions on oracle bones show that massage was used to treat infants and adult digestive conditions. In his book “Jin Dui Yao Lue”, Zhang Zhongjing, a famous physician in the Han Dynasty (206 BC), wrote, “As soon as the heavy sensation of the limbs is felt, “Daoyin”, “Tuina”, “Zhenjiu” and “Gaomo”, all of which are therapeutic methods, are carried out in order to prevent… the disease from gaining a start.” Around 700 CE, Tuina had developed into a separate study in the Imperial Medical College.

The first reference to this type of external treatment was called “anwu”, then the more common name became “anmo”. It was then popularized and spread to many foreign countries such as Korea and Japan.

As the art of massage continued to develop and gain structure, it merged (around 1600 CE) with another technique called tuina, which was the specialty of bone-setting using deep manipulation. It was also around this time that the different systems of tuina became popular, each with its own sets of rules and methods.

Today, the term tuina has replaced anmo within China and in the West. The term anmo is still used in some surrounding countries such as Japan.

It is not unusual to see practitioners working on street corners and parks in modern China. Tuina is an occupation that is particularly suitable to those with physical disabilities and in China, many blind persons receive training in the art of tuina, where their heightened sense of touch is a great benefit.

Push and Grasp
The term tuina translates into “push-grasp” or “poke-pinch” in Chinese. Physically, it is a series of pressing, tapping, and kneading with palms, fingertips, knuckles or implements that are said to remove blockages along the meridians of the body and stimulates the flow of qi and blood to promote healing, similar to principles of acupuncture, moxibustion, and acupressure. Tuina’s massage-like techniques range from light stroking to deep-tissue work which would be considered too vigorous or too painful for a recreational or relaxing massage. Clinical practitioners often use liniment, plasters, herbal compresses and packs to aid in the healing process, which can cause allergic reactions on sensitive skin. Tuina is not used for conditions involving compound fractures, external wounds, open sores or lesions, phlebitis, or with infectious conditions such as hepatitis. Tuina should not be performed on the abdominal portion of a woman in menstrual or pregnant periods, and it is not used for treatment of malignant tumors or tuberculosis.

In a typical adult tuina session, the patient wears loose clothing and lies on a massage table or floor pad. After answering some brief questions about the nature and location of the health problem as well as basic questions about general health, allergies and other existing conditions, the practitioner will concentrate on specific acupressure points, energy trigger points, muscles and joints surrounding the affected area. Occasionally, clothing is removed or repositioned to expose a particular spot that requires direct skin contact. The patient should always be informed before this act, and no inappropriate or unexpected contact should ever be made in a professional session. Treatment sessions last from 10 minutes to over an hour. Patients often return for additional treatments for chronic conditions.

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