Gua Sha for Body: A Comprehensive Guide to Benefits and Techniques
Let’s face it, if you hashtag #guasha on Instagram or Tiktok, 90%+ of the aesthetic content is about facial gua sha for beauty. Which is great! Because gua sha is getting more recognition today for it’s conservative DIY at home appeal and natural results. However, this read is not about facial gua sha, but about body gua sha—the OG. Body gua is not as aesthetically pleasing , but a super effective treatment for a range of conditions like pain and the flu. Let’s dive in…
History and Background
Historically, gua sha dates back to the Paleolithic Age when people used their hands or stones to rub parts of their bodies to alleviate the effects of illness. Gua sha has long been an ancient Chinese folk therapy, and in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) was when gua sha treatments were systematically recorded in major medical records.
In the Chinese language, “gua” means to scrape, and “sha” means sand. Gua Sha has been passed down from generation to generation in Asian households for thousands of years. Stones were evolved to spoons and coins. Gua sha was used in the home when pain killers like Tylenol weren’t available to reduce a fever. Present day, we now have gua sha tools for the face and body for beauty and aches, respectively. We even have Graston/IASTM, a sister manual therapy tool for musculoskeletal conditions.
Claussen pickle jar lid is a favorite gua sha tool of mine
My Personal Gua Sha Journey
My gua sha journey began with my mom when I was 10 years old. We would use anything that had a lip or smooth bevel so our hands could comfortably grip the instrument. Some of our innovative tools included a soy sauce dish, a pickle jar lid, a soup spoon, a butter knife, a well-crafted stone, etc. We’d gua sha for muscle tension, pain, stress relief, feeling sick, coughs, better blood circulation, and bloating.
“Darker” sha indicates increased blood stagnation compared to other areas of the body
The Gua Sha Process
Oil is used as a lubricant during the scraping process. A gua sha tool is applied to the skin and short and long strokes are made on the back. People have commented that it feels like an awesome back itch. This is a good sign and response because when done right, the technique ensures deep stretching and relaxation of the tense muscles and the connective tissue. I’ve recommended gua sha to patients before a massage as it can better manipulate the tissues.
The Science Behind Gua Sha
Gua sha helps remove stagnation in problem areas to stimulate new blood circulation and promote repair and healing of metabolic cells by "rubbing" repeatedly stroking the surface of the skin. A 2007 A. Nielsen study found gua sha’s ability to increase microcirculation of the blood in surface tissue by 400%! What this means is if there is faster and more blood flow the tissues, there can be faster healing.
What Patients Think
Receiving gua sha is relatively painless and feeling some soreness is expected. The majority of clients enjoy the process and gain really great sleep, pain relief, better blood circulation, or stress release after it. Even though gua sha has been traditionally used for boosting the immune system and reducing fever, many athletes and every day WFH workers have turned to it. The biggest improvement they notice is better range of motion, recovery, more comfort sitting at a desk, and return to sport.
Whether you’re overusing muscles in exercise/training/sports, a woman going through peri menopause, or have a corporate job where you sit for prolonged periods of time, you may benefit from gua sha.
A happy pain-free patient after gua sha!