Gua shua for TMJ: Uses, benefits, and more – Medical News Today
Gua sha, or skin scraping therapy, is a form of traditional Chinese medicine that releases pressure in the face. It can help with conditions such as temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder.
TMJ disorder affects the joints that connect the lower jaw to the main skull. It can cause chronic pain and discomfort and impact a person’s quality of life. Treatments are available to remedy the symptoms, such as painkiller medications, massages, or alternative treatments, such …….
Gua sha, or skin scraping therapy, is a form of traditional Chinese medicine that releases pressure in the face. It can help with conditions such as temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder.
TMJ disorder affects the joints that connect the lower jaw to the main skull. It can cause chronic pain and discomfort and impact a person’s quality of life. Treatments are available to remedy the symptoms, such as painkiller medications, massages, or alternative treatments, such as gua sha.
This article explores gua sha and its use for TMJ, the benefits of gua sha, other uses of gua sha, and alternative treatments of TMJ.
Gua sha is a traditional and natural healing technique with origins in East Asia, but it is becoming increasingly popular in contemporary and Western medicine. The healing method uses an instrument with smooth edges to perform regular strokes in a single direction on lubricated skin.
A loose translation of gua sha is “dredging meridian stagnation.” Meridian is a concept in Chinese medicine, which refers to a flow of energy through a channel in the human body. Gua sha reduces obstacles by dredging meridian stagnation and enables the energy to flow more efficiently.
The use of gua sha
The scraping motion causes bleeding — petechiae — within the middle layer of skin. Petechiae refers to small, red spots that create rashes as they burst small blood vessels in the middle layer of skin.
By generating and forcing the skin to recover naturally from petechiae, gua sha benefits immune surveillance in the skin. This is a protective mechanism where the immune system identifies and destroys potentially harmful cells.
Gua sha is increasingly popular when treating a range of conditions, as it is a noninvasive method and is relatively easy to learn. According to a 2020 systematic review, gua sha is one of the most common types of manual therapy for musculoskeletal disorders.
Doctors class TMJ disorder as a form of musculoskeletal pain, as it affects the two joints connecting the jaw to the skull and the surrounding muscles.
Gua Sha can relieve musculoskeletal pain by:
- increasing the heme-oxygenase enzyme, which …….
Source: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/gua-shua-for-tmj
