Are Tuina and Massage the same thing? What diseases can Tuina treat?

Author: Tang Xuezhang, Chief Physician of China-Japan Friendship Hospital

Reviewer: Yang Weibin, Chief Physician, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences

Everyone is familiar with massage. If you have cervical discomfort, stiff neck, or twisted waist, the first thing that comes to mind is probably to get a massage, and the effect may be immediate.

There are special Tuina departments in hospitals, and Tuina and massage shops can be found everywhere on the streets. Do you subconsciously think that Tuina is much more formal and professional than massage? So, are Tuina and massage the same thing?

1. Are Tui Na and Massage the same thing?

Massage is the rubbing of limbs with hands. Massage is considered to be the "most primitive and instinctive medicine". In ancient times, people used their hands to press and caress the injured body. These simple instinctive actions may be regarded as the origin of massage therapy.

The earliest work named after massage, "Huangdi Qibo Massage" (now lost), is a contemporary work of the "Huangdi Neijing" and is classified as "immortal category" in "Han Shu·Yiwenzhi·Fangjilue".

Massage, also known as Anqiao, Anwu, Qiaomo, etc. in ancient times, was officially recognized in the Sui Dynasty, and the government established a massage department, which was listed alongside medicine and incantations. In the Tang Dynasty, there were also massage doctors, masseurs, massage workers, etc.

In the Ming Dynasty, the medical administration was reformed and the massage department was abolished. It was also from this period that massage was called Tui Na, and the name changed. The word "Tui Na" began to appear. At this time, pediatric massage became more popular and was carried out more. At that time, several monographs appeared, such as "Pediatric Massage Sutra", "Pediatric Massage Prescriptions and Pulses to Live Infants Secrets", and "Pediatric Massage Immortal Technique".

After the Qing Dynasty, "massage" and "tui na" began to be confused in medical books, and there was a phenomenon of different names in different regions, such as "tui na" in the south and "miao na" in the north.

In 1977, the term "Tuina" became the official name for the sub-specialties of manual medicine and manual clinical medicine in China. Chinese medicine hospitals have Tuina departments, and Chinese medicine colleges have Tuina departments or Acupuncture and Tuina departments. Later, the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine made unified regulations, and massage in medical institutions was renamed Tuina.

But in fact, there is no difference between Tui Na and massage in essence, they both represent the same thing. Just like tomatoes are also called tomatoes, Tui Na is also called massage.

2. Can massage cure diseases?

Generally speaking, massage is a technique that uses hands or other parts of the body to perform specific movements on certain parts and acupuncture points on the patient's body surface under the guidance of the basic theories of traditional Chinese medicine, so as to achieve the purpose of preventing and curing diseases.

According to the meridian theory of traditional Chinese medicine, meridians are channels for the circulation of qi and blood in the human body, which can connect the inside and outside, and connect the internal organs and limbs. When the meridians are blocked, the human body will experience pain, which is what traditional Chinese medicine calls "pain due to blockage". Massage therapy uses a series of methods through meridian differentiation, such as:

Relaxing muscles and unblocking meridians: relax tense muscles (relaxation leads to unblocking meridians);

Muscle adjustment and restoration: restore joints and ligaments to their original positions (smoothness leads to smoothness);

Promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis: make stagnant blood move (movement promotes blood circulation).

Therefore, massage is an external treatment method in Traditional Chinese Medicine. It is undoubtedly effective in treating diseases.

3. What diseases can massage treat?

The scope of massage treatment is very wide. It can treat diseases of the entire spine, from the cervical spine, thoracic spine, and lumbar spine, as well as self-degeneration or some injuries.

There are also some diseases of the limb joints, such as frozen shoulder, osteoarthritis of the knee joint such as patellar softening, infrapatellar fat pad injury, patellar dislocation, sacroiliac joint injury, etc.

In bone and joint diseases, massage is very advantageous for problems with small joints, and the effect is immediate, which is unmatched by other therapies.

There are many diseases that can be treated with pediatric massage, mainly respiratory and digestive diseases, such as colds, coughs, asthma, diarrhea, constipation, anorexia, vomiting, and malnutrition. Of course, there are also some congenital diseases, such as muscular torticollis, strabismus, and pseudomyopia, which are all effectively treated with massage.

4. What are the types of massage?

Massage can be divided into the following four categories:

Medical massage: mainly for the treatment of diseases, performed by doctors with practicing medical qualifications in medical institutions, targeting patients' diseases and symptoms;

Health massage: Foot massage shops and health care places that can be seen everywhere on the street are all engaged in health massage;

Rehabilitation massage: massage that helps patients recover limb function and organ function in the late stage of the disease;

Sports medicine massage: In professional sports teams, the team doctor performs some manual therapy or relaxation preparation before and after exercise.

If you don't have any health problems but are just feeling a little tired, it's perfectly fine to go to a massage parlor to relax your muscles and dredge your meridians through massage so that you can get rid of the fatigue as soon as possible.

However, if you want to treat diseases and relieve symptoms through massage, you still have to go to a regular medical institution, have a doctor diagnose you, and choose appropriate treatment methods. This is safe and effective.