In ancient China, long before there was the science to understand why it worked, gua sha, a muscle-scraping technique, was known to be extremely effective. Why? Because it worked so well.
Gua sha can be thought of as the forerunner to instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM). New research is beginning to explain why opening the muscle fibers and releasing fascia adhesions are so important for pain relief. One such article is“Fascial tissue research in sports medicine: from molecules to tissue adaptation, injury and diagnostics: consensus statement.”
Some people believe that pain is caused by the bones; however, the soft tissue that holds the bones together is the biggest cause of pain for people of all ages. Let’s look at the body this way: We are all a pile of bones on the floor without all the muscles and tendons holding them into place. Muscles and tendons are where pain begins and ends.
What is pain? The Chinese like to look at the root of the problem. Nerves must be fed blood, body fluids and energy to feel good. Take one of these away and the nerve is not being fed what it needs and it starts sending a pain signal.
As an example, intertwine your fingers and clutch them very tightly together. You can see how your fingers are no longer getting the blood supply, body fluids and energy they need. The longer you clutch your fingers and hands together, the more pain you are in. When you release them, the pain goes away. This is why massage is so important.
My Pain Story
I was personally in pain for 25 years. I experienced neck and mid-back issues along with lower-back issues. Then I took an advanced course on gua sha and cupping. Between stretching every morning and these Chinese massage techniques, I was no longer in pain.
It wasn’t until I fractured my pelvis after falling off a step ladder that I discovered an easier way to perform gua sha. At times, it takes a personal experience to really teach you about the effectiveness of a particular technique.
My orthopedic doctor told me where I had fractured my pelvis, there was nothing they could do for me. “Stay off it, and let your pain be your guide on how much activity you do,” she told me. I was in a wheelchair for six weeks, then on crutches for six more weeks. When I learned to walk again, I was in tremendous pain.
I knew the importance of stretching, and I had continued to stretch throughout my recovery. However, there was muscle and tendon damage and 12 weeks of atrophy to deal with. (This helped me realize how my patients are dealing with similar issues.)
Acupuncture, electrical stimulation, stretching and massage weren’t enough, I needed to help my body get rid of toxins that had been building up for 12 weeks. I started doing gua sha with my small hand tool. It wasn’t enough. I started using the stick from my shower brush. This worked. I began looking for a gua sha massage stick, and I found it. It has changed the way I practice medicine, not only on myself but also on my patients.
Gua Sha Sweeps Away Sand
As we age, our muscles and tendons get tighter. When muscle regeneration occurs, old cells cannot escape tight muscles. I use the analogy of a pebble in the shoe. If there is a pebble in the shoe, the area is going to hurt.
In traditional massage, the muscle fibers are opened using your hands. The Gua Sha Massage Stick uses the grooves cut into it to pull on the skin to break up fascia adhesions and knots in the muscles. The red marks it sometimes leaves behind are petechiae that result from bleeding from capillaries, which occurs when a fascia adhesion breaks up. Petechiae are not painful and usually go away within three days.
Being mindful of your client’s comfort, you can use whatever speed and pressure is best for them. This gua sha technique is less painful than a regular deep-tissue massage because you are working over a larger area at one time.
I like to use this analogy: There is sand in the carpet. When you step on the carpet, it moves the carpet fibers, but it does not get the sand out of the carpet. If you sweep the carpet with a broom, it will open the carpet fibers and the sand will be released. This is why gua sha, or muscle scraping, is so effective.
The Gua Sha Massage Stick
The Gua Sha Massage Stick is available in multiple sizes. The longer stick is best used for the upper and lower back. It allows you to use your body weight to manipulate the fascia and muscle tissue. Your hands are gripping the stick, but you are using the power of your upper back and your body weight to give the massage. This allows you to do more work on your client with less effort. The smaller massage sticks are good for arms and legs. A North Dakota Bison football player named Hunter Brozio keeps his smaller gua sha massage stick in his bag. If he gets a muscle cramp in his calf during a workout, he can use it to work it out instead of quitting. It’s a very simple tool to use that is extremely effective.
Self-care is another benefit of the gua sha massage stick. The longer stick can be used on the abdomen, upper back, lower back and hips. It is also good for encouraging lymph drainage and it helps break up cellulite.
The length of the stick is one of its best features. As many of you have experienced, some clients need daily care due to their injury, aging or training. No matter the circumstances, muscles and fascia need flexibility and pliability to keep circulation flowing.
If your client is sitting in front of a computer all day, to feel better they need to get up and stretch every couple of hours. If they have an upper neck or lower back issue, using the Gua Sha Massage Stick can increase their circulation and make their day more pleasant.
This massage tool can make a deep tissue massage be less painful and more effective. It will also make it much easier on you, the massage therapist, so you can do what you love longer.
About the Author
Katherine Teisinger, DAOM, is a doctor of acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. She has been treating patients since 1997. She graduated from the Florida College of Integrated Medicine in Orlando with her master’s. She received her doctorate from the Atlantic Institute of Oriental Medicine in Ft Lauderdale, Florida, and completed an internship working in a hospital in China. Her office is located in Winter Haven, Florida. For free training videos on how to use the Gua Sha Massage Stick, visit her website.