Tui Na (twee-na) is Chinese Therapeutic or Medical Massage that incorporates a broad range of techniques and stretches to stimulate the flow of blood and Qi (vital energy) thereby encouraging and enabling the body to heal itself. In China it is used within hospitals primarily for Orthopaedics and Traumatology.
The name is taken from 4 of the hand techniques that are commonly used in treatments :”Tui” means Pushing and “Na” means Grasping. It has had many variants of names throughout the times it has been practiced, Tui Na (Tuina) or Tui Na An Mo (Tuina Anmo) are the more common terms used today.
Using the same theory as Acupuncture, Tui Na can be used for any treatment that would be performed using needles. This makes it an ideal alternative for those who don’t like the concept of needles, yet still want the benefits of Chinese Medicine.
With a history that spans over 4,000 years it could arguably be called the grandparent of all bodywork.
Unlike western bodywork, it is not limited to the treatment of aches and pains. While it effectively addresses these issues, it can also be applied to many other conditions that other manual therapies do not, or cannot. It can be applied for signs and symptoms of respiratory, endocrine, immune, nervous, integumentary (skin) and circulatory conditions as well as musculoskeletal problems – like a bad back or neck.
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