Clinic Services: Tuina

Tuina is one of four pillars (Acupuncture, Herbs and Qigong exercise) of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). It literally means push-pull (Tui=push, Na=pull), is ancient bodywork of healing used by the Chinese for centuries. Tuina practices through hands on techniques to specific body regions for the purpose of stimulating the body’s homeostatic (balancing) mechanisms.

According to Chinese Medicine Differential Diagnosis, Tuina is focused on bringing the dysfunction to function and returning the person to a state of balance. Think of your body as the garden and the water hose as your circulatory system. If there is “kink” in the water hose, the life giving nutrients that the hose supplies the garden will be decreased and the plants will subsequently suffer. Removing the interrupting circumstance to the “water hose”, the “garden” will hydrate and flourish. These same horticultural insights completely apply to the human framework, therefore there is a Chinese saying, “Where there is free flow, there is no pain; where there is no free flow, there is pain.” By working on a group of “acupoints” along the body’s energy pathways called “Meridians or Channels”, Tuina practice always attempts to promote the flow of the Qi (energy), eliminate any blockage of the body and relieve the symptoms.

Based on the functional anatomy of the human body, Tuina therapy also focuses on the improvement of the function of the soft tissues (muscles, ligaments, tendons, and fascia), the adjustment of osseous structures (bones), and the correction of visceral tissue (organs) of the body. Tuina achieves these goals through different type of hand-on manipulation and stretch techniques.

In Chinese Medicine there is a phenomena known as ‘Qi.’ Qi translates to something like energy, although exact translation is difficult. This sensation of Qi by the patient is many times sought after during treatments of Tuina, Acupuncture, and Qigong. This energy feeling in China is sometimes hard to distinguish from “good pain”. Even though this is the mainstay of practice in China many varied forms of techniques have evolved in other parts of the world and are practiced in America. These different forms of practice in Chinese Medicine can be gentler to the patient and yet still very effective. The concept of ‘DeQi’ or ‘meeting the Qi’ can still be utilized in a gentler form by achieving a sensation from the patient that is less intense than pain. Therapist and patient communication is very important in practicing this type of Tuina. So in answering the question: does Tuina hurt; it all depends on the practitioner that you are working with. It is obvious then that the goals of therapy should be conveyed and understood by both parties previous to the commencement of the session. Your Tuina practitioner should be open and willing to deal with any of your concerns and possible special needs. A skilled Tuina practitioner should be able to work with almost all clinical circumstances without ill effects.

While Tuina, like its counterpart Acupuncture, is mainly known for its ability to reduce pain, administered by a well-trained practitioner it has much broader applications. Tuina can be effective as the only treatment used, or as an adjunct to other medical treatment in many medical and surgical disorders. Clinically, Tuina can be applied in the treatment of a wide range of medical problems, including:

1. Digestive Disorders: gastritis, hyperacidity, spastic colon, constipation, diarrhea.
2. Respiratory Disorders: sinusitis, sore throat, bronchitis, asthma, and recurrent chest infections.
3. Neurological & Muscular Disorders: headaches, neck pain, rib neuritis, frozen shoulder, tennis elbow, various forms of tendonitis, low back pain, sciatica, osteoarthritis, etc.
4. Urinary, Menstrual, & Reproductive Problems.