This traditional Chinese medicine technique can help relieve pain, improve circulation, and improve the symptoms of certain diseases. Find out how.
Everything that is old is somehow becoming new again. In this case, we are referring to gua sha, a traditional Chinese medicine technique that is believed to offer numerous health benefits.
The wellness practice involves scraping the skin with a coin, spoon, or stone until small red spots (called petechiae) appear. Petechiae indicate broken capillaries under the skin and are believed to have therapeutic effects, including promoting blood flow and circulation and potentially enhancing the body's natural healing process.
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“Gua sha means ‘sand scraping’ and was traditionally used in China to promote the movement of ‘qi,’ or energy flow,” says Elizabeth Bahar Houshmand, MD, a Dallas-based board-certified dermatologist and fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology.
Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners believe that by stimulating petechiae and promoting energy flow, gua sha can relieve symptoms of certain diseases and other health conditions, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
But what does the research say? Read on to find out what benefits gua sha can offer.
1. May help relieve chronic pain
According to Houman Danesh, MD, director of integrative pain management at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, gua sha helps promote blood flow to the scraping area, which can help reduce pain and stiffness. "It's commonly used to relieve tension headaches, neck and back pain, or swelling," he says.
In fact, many physical therapists use the Graston technique, a method similar to gua sha, to reduce pain and improve mobility in people with musculoskeletal conditions.
"So, if someone has adhesive capsulitis, also known as frozen shoulder, you might do gua sha on the shoulder to break down microscopic scar tissue or adhesions," says Jeff Gould, a licensed acupuncture practitioner at the Johns Hopkins Integrative Medicine and Digestive Center in Lutherville, Maryland. Scraping mobilizes the tissue, stimulates circulation, and flattens muscle knots, improving range of motion and pain, he explains.
For example, in a previous study, adults with chronic neck pain who received a single gua sha treatment saw significant improvements in pain severity after one week, compared to those who used a heating pad. However, whether gua sha is effective for long-term neck pain management needs further study.
Similarly, a randomized clinical trial published in 2019 in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice found that patients with chronic low back pain reported lower pain intensity and better overall health after two gua sha treatments, compared to a control group. However, more research is needed to confirm these findings.
2. May help relieve perimenopause symptoms
Perimenopause refers to the transition to menopause, or when women reach the end of their reproductive years, according to the Mayo Clinic. It often has physical symptoms, causing many women to experience hot flashes, sleep problems, and mood swings.
While there are many different treatments available for menopause symptoms, some women turn to complementary therapies such as gua sha, under the guidance of a healthcare provider, to build an integrated approach to addressing the perimenopausal transition.
In a study conducted in China, published in 2017 in Menopause, women with perimenopausal symptoms who received 15-minute gua sha treatments once a week, in addition to conventional treatment, saw greater improvements in symptoms and quality of life than women who did not receive them. T. Specifically, women in the gua sha group reported greater reductions in hot flashes, insomnia, fatigue, nervousness, and headaches after eight weeks.
More research is needed, but preliminary evidence suggests that gua sha may serve as a promising, effective, non-drug treatment for perimenopausal syndrome in some women.
Everything that is old is somehow becoming new again. In this case, we are referring to gua sha, a traditional Chinese medicine technique that is believed to offer numerous health benefits.
The wellness practice involves scraping the skin with a coin, spoon, or stone until small red spots (called petechiae) appear. Petechiae indicate broken capillaries under the skin and are believed to have therapeutic effects, including promoting blood flow and circulation and potentially enhancing the body's natural healing process.
3. May help improve diabetic neuropathy
Diabetic neuropathy is a serious complication of diabetes that can affect up to 50 percent of people with diabetes, according to the Mayo Clinic. It is a type of nerve damage that occurs when high blood sugar (glucose) levels damage nerves throughout the body. Diabetic neuropathy is commonly seen in the legs and feet, causing numbness and pain, and can also cause problems with the digestive system, urinary tract, blood vessels, and heart, the Mayo Clinic notes.
Gua sha may help by increasing circulation and improving nerve communication. In a randomized, controlled study conducted in China, published in 2019 in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, patients with diabetic neuropathy experienced significant improvements in symptoms after 12 weekly gua sha sessions, compared to those who did not receive gua sha. Specifically, patients reported improvements in sensory function, balance, nighttime burning sensations in the legs and feet, and plasma glucose levels (a common method for diagnosing and monitoring diabetes). Given that research is very limited, it's probably best to stick with conventional diabetes and neurology treatments at this time and consult your doctor before trying gua sha as a complementary therapy.
4. May increase exercise performance and recovery
There is some evidence from China to suggest that gua sha may improve physical performance and speed recovery afterwards.
In a 2019 study published in the Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, researchers had 44 men receive gua sha, sham gua sha (without petechiae), or no gua sha, along with their regular weightlifting workout twice a week. After eight weeks of therapy, the men receiving gua sha reported less perceived effort in completing the snatch and clean and jerk exercises than the other men, even though they all used only 85% of their maximum repetition (the maximum amount of weight they can lift in a single repetition).
The researchers hypothesized that gua sha may have helped promote faster muscle recovery, since the men were not limited by fatigue from previous workout sessions.
These findings echo those of a study published in 2017 in the Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine. However, larger studies are needed to confirm these findings.
5. May Soothe Autoimmune Diseases
Although research is limited, gua sha may benefit people with autoimmune diseases. "You can use gua sha to reduce systemic inflammation, so I use it a lot on patients with autoimmune diseases, like lupus," says Gould, describing anecdotal reports of his patients' care. It can help reduce inflammation and provide symptomatic relief if done on a regular basis, he says.
Scraping the tissue promotes better circulation of blood and nutrients in the body, which can help reduce inflammation. Stimulating petechiae is also thought to activate anti-inflammatory immune proteins known as cytokines, according to a review published in 2021 in the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care.
Please note that gua sha is not a cure for autoimmune disease and you should always consult with your primary care physician before trying any new complementary therapy. More research is needed to understand how gua sha can help people with autoimmune disease.
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