Tuina
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What is Tuina?
Tui Na (pronounced as Twee-Nah) is a 5000 year old therapy dating back to around 2700BC and a significant part of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Tuina is a hands-on full body holistic treatment that uses Tuina specific hand/forearm massage techniques, osteopathic and chiropractic techniques, stretching and deep tissue techniques to manipulate muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, fascia and acupressure points. The goal of Tuina is to regulate and rebalance the musculo-skeletal system, postural/structural imbalances, stimulate circulation of blood, lymph, fluid, qi, energy pathways, the nervous system and improve the body’s own healing process.
In China today, Tuina is a treatment that is recognised in hospitals and clinics and used both as a standalone treatment or as a multi modal treatment approach to treat a vast range of conditions. Over the last two centuries, Tuina has taken over the role of physiotherapy, osteopathy and chiropractic therapy in China.
There are many styles of Tuina, ranging from deep and vigorous, to light and subtle.
As a branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tuina is guided by the same principles as Acupuncture, Yin and Yang, 5 Element theory and the Qi meridian system. There are many different styles of Tuina, some that are deep and vigorous and some that are gentle and subtle.
What does Tuina help with?
Tuina is primarily and effectively used to treat specific issues/conditions rather than for relaxation. It is aimed at targeting and treating the root cause of those issues/conditions/symptoms to allow and promote the body’s own healing process.
Conditions usually treated at Touch Tuina Clinics include (but not limited to):
- Chronic and Acute Pain (eg neck/back pain/headaches)
- Sports injuries
- General injuries
- Postural misalignment (kyphosis, lordosis, scoliosis, uneven shoulders, pelvic tilt, knee rotation, dropped arch etc)
- Joint dysfunction/ disorders/ sprains (ankle, knee, hip, shoulder, wrist, eg frozen shoulder, carpal tunnel etc)
- Migraines
- Scar Tissue
- Muscle stiffness
Tuina is also highly effective in treating many types of internal disorders such as:
- Digestive
- Immune
- Respiratory
- Reproductive
- Circulatory
What does a Touch Tuina treatment entail?
Tuina Treatments are typically around 1hr and are usually performed with the patient fully clothed. Your practitioner will conduct a brief consultation with you and then invite you to lie on the treatment couch or sit on a stool where they will then palpate your body (through a treatment sheet) to feel for postural/musculo-skeletal/energetic disorders. They will then tailor the treatment and treat you based on what they feel and what your symptoms/conditions are, primarily with Tuina. About halfway through your treatment time, your practitioner may decide to place you in an infra-red heat cabin (between 5 and 10 minutes) to boost circulation and bring heat into the muscles. They will then invite you back to the treatment couch/stool and continue to treat you for the remainder of the treatment. After the treatment, your practitioner will give you some post treatment after-care and may also give you some exercises to help with your specific condition.
Your practitioner will usually want to see you between one and two weeks after your first treatment so they can assess how your body has changed/adjusted since the initial treatment. From the second treatment, they should then be able to assess whether you need to continue treatment and if so, approximately how many more treatments may be needed.
Our practitioners may also incorporate other modalities into your treatment such as acupuncture, cupping, gua sha, Infra-red heat therapy, kinesiology, kinesio taping, TENS therapy, EMS therapy, microcurrent, BEMER magnetic therapy, lymphatic drainage and compression therapy.
How to prepare for your Tuina treatment
Tuina is generally performed with patients fully clothed. We recommend loose sports clothing such as a T-shirt and loose jogging bottoms/sweat pants (elasticated waist). For injuries such as ankles, knees, wrists, elbows and shoulders, we recommend clothing that can be moved easily to expose those areas so that your practitioner can access the area of concern. We also recommend patients to bring socks with them in case compression therapy will be used.Patients should also bring warm clothes such as a coat and/or scarf to keep warm after the treatment to avoid the muscles constricting from the cold when leaving the clinic.For patients who require more privacy, treatments can be performed in the private room.We also stock a range of supplements and products to help with our patients recovery and wellbeing.
Other modalities we may include
Acupuncture
Our practitioners may sometimes incorporate acupuncture into your treatment. Acupuncture is the insertion of fine needles into specific points (acupuncture points) or into areas/points of pain (ashi points) to regulate the vital flow of…
Cupping
Cupping therapy is quite often utilised by our practitioners within Tuina Treatments. Cupping is a technique that uses glass, plastic, bamboo or silicone cups as a suction device on the skin, pulling the skin, muscles and tissue into the cups…
Gua Sha
Gua Sha (pronounced gwah shah) has long been a medical technique employed within Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat musculo-skeletal conditions, tension and both acute and chronic pain. Gua Sha technique involves using a flat blunt…
Infa-red Heat Therapy
All Touch Tuina clinics have a HealthMate® Infrared Sauna which use Tecoloy® heaters to generate far infra-red heat and our practitioners commonly incorporate far infra-red and infrared heat to enhance the benefits and efficacy of…
Microcurrent Therapy
We sometimes incorporate the use of microcurrent point stimulation which is effective at relieving pain, stimulating/inhibiting cell regeneration, reduce inflammation and promote healing. Microcurrent point stimulation involves applying concentrated direct microcurrent to
is also very good for stimulating and rebalancing the vagus nerve which in turn helps the body to relax. Microcurrent point stimulation can help with many conditions
Our practitioners sometimes use Kinesiology
to test the strength and flow of energy flowing through the body’s structure. Kinesiology is a modality of natural health care that uses muscle testing to access the body’s biochemistry and how well muscles are functioning and communicating as both a singular muscle and as part of the entirety of the body.
Kinesiology is based on the principle that energy flows through the body via meridians or channels which is the same principle that Tuina is founded on which is why it can be so well integrated into a Tuina treatment. Kinesiology is used to detect emotional, chemical, physical and energetic imbalances in the body which if left untreated can lead to pain and disease.
In cases where our practitioners deem it useful, Kinesiology can be offered as a treatment in itself as it it can help with many conditions including but not limited to:
Kinesiology
- Emotional, physical and/or mental stress
- Fear, phobias and/or self doubt
- Professional Consultation
- Addiction
- Past Trauma (known and hidden)
- Endocrine imbalances
- Sports performances
- And much more!
Kinesiology
- Allergies and infections
- Neck pain / back pain / sciatica
- Learning difficulties
- Anxiety and panic attacks
- Identification of nutritional excess or deficiency
- Parasites
TENS Therapy
TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) Therapy is sometimes incorporated into treatments to help relieve pain. Electrotherapy pads are placed in strategic points around areas of pain and a TENS machine sends low current voltage into the area between the pads. The frequency of the currents can be increased or decreased depending on the patient’s comfort levels. Pain relief from TENS therapy can be either temporary or permanent depending on the condition of the patient.
Kinesio Taping
We may sometimes apply kinesio tape to support joints and reduce pain and inflammation where it is deemed beneficial. Kinesio tape is a very stretchy tape made of a blend of cotton and nylon that allows for good range of motion while adding stability to the joint it is supporting. The medical grade adhesive allows the tape to stay in place for 3-5 days post application so it is ideal for post treatment aftercare, supporting the joint and prolonging the benefits of the treatment.
BEMER Magnetic Therapy
Some of our patients may benefit from use of BEMER therapy which can be incorporated at any time of their tuina treatment. Our clinics all have a BEMER medical device which has been clinically proven to stimulate healthy muscles which temporarily and safely enhances bloodflow in the body. Through improved bloodflow, cells in the body have better access to oxygen, nutrients and waste removal. The BEMER device works by emitting a low intensity pulsed electro magnetic field to the body. We usually incorporate this technology toward the end of a treatment to enhance blood circulation once stagnation and blockages have been cleared
Compression Therapy
Similar to the BEMER device, we may also include use of compression boots to promote circulation,
reduce muscle soreness, prevent fluid buildup and reduce recovery time.
We use compression therapy to enhance our tuina treatments,
usually toward the end of a treatment if it is deemed beneficial for our patient.
reduce muscle soreness, prevent fluid buildup and reduce recovery time.
We use compression therapy to enhance our tuina treatments,
usually toward the end of a treatment if it is deemed beneficial for our patient.
Treatment Prices
Treatments with Issie Master Practitioner
- 60 minute Tuina Treatment (may include other modalities) - £70
- 60 minute Reflexology - £70
- 60 Minute Kinesiology - £70
Treatments with Senior Practitioner
- 60 minute Tuina Treatment (may include other modalities) - £60
- 60 minute Reflexology - £60
- 60 Minute Kinesiology - £60
Treatments with Junior Practitioners
-
60 minute Tuina Treatment
(may include other modalities) - £40
