Tui Na: Chinese Medical Massage

In Chinese medicine, pain is primarily caused by a blockage of chi and blood. Chi is an energy that circulates along pathways called channels and, like blood, it is supposed to flow smoothly and freely all over the body. Both chi and blood can become blocked due to things like injury, stress, or inactivity, resulting in pain, tension, and reduced range of motion. Tui na and the associated traditional bodywork techniques, like zhi ya (acupressure), chi nei tsang (abdominal massage), ba guan (fire cupping), and gua sha (massage with jade and horn tools) can effectively stop pain by releasing tension and constriction, breaking up scar tissue, warming and realigning muscle fibers, and opening the channels. If your condition calls for it, I will incorporate tui na into your acupuncture session at no extra charge.

Tui Na Breaks Up Knots and Releases Tissues

Tui na is a deeper and more technical form of medical massage that primarily aims to treat pain by getting the chi and blood flowing. It is similar in some ways to what is commonly referred to as deep tissue massage, working on multiple layers of tissue at once to break up knots and other areas of constriction. It incorporates a range of strokes, from broad and superficial, to deep and focused, and everything in between. For example, many of the so-called "trigger points" of deep tissue massage correspond to acupuncture points. Unlike deep tissue massage, however, instead of focusing on soft tissue anatomy, tui na focuses more on the acupuncture channels, aiming to open and unblock the free flow of chi and blood along these pathways all over the body as a whole. Since these pathways run very deep, passing through the internal organs, tui na can have positive systemic effects way beyond pain relief.