From increasing the flexibility of limbs to creating warmth on the surface of the body, Chinese massage is comprised of many different techniques that aid in pain relief and treating various medical concerns. In this article, you will encounter a variety of techniques that involves joint motion, friction, vibration and self-healing.
Joint Manipulation: When you are in need of increased range of joint motion, joint manipulation involves a combination of rotation, pulling, abducing and adducting actions. This technique also aids in the flexibility of the limbs and spine.
Friction: Improving circulation underneath the skin and drumming up heat on the surface of your body can cause positive changes in your system. Through rubbing, pushing, gliding and wiping, a practitioner administers a variety of movements and motions to the stomach, chest, back, arms, and legs to see results. For abdominal issues, rhythmic, small circular movements are used, while the chest, back, and limbs respond better to intense scrubbing motions.
Percussion: During this technique, a patient may experience finger tapping on their head, stomach, and chest regions for treatment. If they are suffering back troubles, fist striking is used. Ailments affecting the waist, hip, arms, and legs respond best to a technique called palm patting.
Gua Sha: This technique has worked wonders on people suffering the common cold, flu, bronchitis, asthma, headaches, fevers, chills, cough, stomach troubles, and diarrhea. Gua Sha has even helped chronic ailments that involve pain and blockage throughout the system. The technique scrapes the back and other places on the body to release blocked energy, as well as cure other illnesses. Interestingly, ‘gua’ translates into ‘to scrape’ and ‘sha’ means ‘red skin rash.’ A piece of cow horn or a wooden scraper is traditiaonlly used to scrape the back, neck, buttocks, arms, and legs during this treatment. In order to decrease the level of pain that a patient feels, oil is used as a lubricant on the skin.
Pinching and Grasping: A practitioner uses his or her fingers to twist, knead, hold, and pinch the skin through a series of rhythmic motions that pick up or squeeze the soft tissues in your body. For example, if you grasp the shoulder, the flow of qi is encouraged in the chest.
Vibration: Further the movement of qi by embracing the power of rapid vibration, shaking and rocking. This technique is administered to selected regions. A patient will also benefit from eliminating stagnancy and uplifting gastro-intestinal functions.
Swing: Through a series of kneading, rolling, and finger pushing, the swing technique helps patients achieve relief. A typical technique that one may use involves pushing into the skin with one finger.
Do-In: If you are looking for a method of self-healing that involves Chinese massage, consider do-in , a system of self-massage that has a history traced back more than 5,000 years ago. In the past, Chinese Taoist monks noted that our natural instincts lead us to touch or hold a part of the body when it has become injured or suffers pain. Because of this observation, a system known as Tao-Yinn was born, which focuses on a gentle approach towards Chinese massage.