Types of Massage Therapy and Bodywork: Tuina, Traditional Chinese Massage
Traditional Chinese Massage
Background: The origins of Traditional Chinese Massage, or Tuina are obscure, shrouded in the mists of many millenia of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Chinese herbs, Chinese massage, and acupuncture form the three pillars of TCM, comprising a holistic system of medicine. These pillars are connected by shared theoretical and philosophical principles, so that a TCM practitioner can use each component separately or in concert to optimize therapeutic results.
The principles of Tuina developed thousands of years ago in tribal China, and until recently it was the domain of rural farmers, nomads, and poorer urban dwellers. Tuina, Chinese Massage, traditionally was performed by people whose medical skills were handed down from generation to generation within family or clan lines. As with the other pillars of Traditional Chines Medicine, philosophically Tuina incorporates the fundamental Taoist concept of constant change; and it utilizes the principles of Yin and Yang; Five Element Theory; Qi, Blood, and Body Fluids; the Eight Principles; and the Six Divisions.
Methods: Most contemporary Tuina texts classify Tuina techniques as either soft tissue techniques or bone setting manipulations. At most American massage schools and acupuncture schools that teach Tuina, the soft tissue techniques are the only category of techniques taught. Approximately 30 individual hand, or soft tissue, techniques of varying degrees of complexity are taught. These include techniques such as rolling (gun fa), pushing (tui fa), grasping (na fa), pressing (an fa), shaking (dou fa), and a host of others such as round rubbing, rotating, wiping, shaking, brushing, kneading, rubbing, pinching, chafing, nipping, etc. Once the practitioner has mastered the individual techniques, two or three of the techniques may then be combined to create a more sophisticated, compound therapeutic technique. It is also possible for the practitioner to learn routines or protocols for different areas of the body, such as the lower limbs, or upper limbs, neck, shoulders, or abdomen. Bone setting manipulations are taught only to the highest level practitioners.
Tuina is a highly therapeutic modality that goes far beyond most massage techniques, and indeed there are many, including the AOBTA (American Organization of Body Work Therapies of Asia), who argue that Tuina should not be categorized as massage. Nonetheless, Tuina is beginning to be taught at many American Massage and Bodywork Schools.
Results: Tuina can treat a vast array of complaints. Tuina promotes the circulation of vital energy (Qi) and blood; and it regulates the function of the meridians and internal organs to improve vitality and restore health. It can relieve chronic or acute headaches, chronic or acute digestive disorders, stress related problems, muscle fatigue and overuse, sprains and strains, and repetitive use and sports injuries among many other conditions.
