Cervical spondylosis, also known as the “cervical syndrome”, is one of the common diseases in modern life. Especially among young and middle-aged people, due to prolonged poor postures and living habits, the incidence rate of this type of cervical spine disease is gradually increasing.
Neck gua sha is suitable for: various types of cervical spondylosis, such as neck pain, stiffness, limited mobility, upper limb and shoulder back diseases, colds, sequelae of stroke, etc.Contraindications: For people with severe cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, severe liver and kidney insufficiency, large blood vessels, skin damage or infection, as well as pregnant women and menstruating women, neck scraping should be prohibited or used with caution.Before gua sha, take a medical history and assess the condition of the skin on the neck to see if there is any ulceration.
Gua sha area on the neck:1. Zone 1 (Du Pulse): Fengfu (1 inch straight up the middle of the posterior hairline, the external occipital eminence is straight down, and the depression between the trapezius muscles on both sides.) ) – dumb gate (0.5 inches straight up the median of the posterior hairline, i.e., semi-transverse finger of the thumb, below the 1st cervical vertebrae) – large vertebra (on the posterior midline, in the depression under the spinous process of the 7th cervical vertebra) – body column (depression under the spinous process of the 3rd thoracic vertebra). Feel free to ask the patient how they feel during the gua sha process.2. The 2nd and 3rd belts (bladder meridian): Tianzhu (sitting with the head bowed, two large tendons can be palpable in the back of the neck, and the trapezius muscle can be palpable at the lateral edge of the large tendon and the posterior hairline edge, and a depression can be palpable) – large staple (under the spinous process of the first thoracic vertebra, 1.5 inches lateral) – damper (under the spinous process of the second thoracic vertebra, 1.5 inches lateral)3. The 4th and 5th belts (biliary meridians): Feng Chi (the depression between the sternocleidomastoid muscle and the upper end of the trapezius muscle) – scapula (at the midpoint of the line connecting the shoulder, the large vertebra and the acromial end) – scapula (the depression in the anterior and inferior acromion) – acromionGua sha should be moderately strong, to feel comfortable, to avoid excessive force, causing skin damage.
The strength of the gua sha is divided into 10 points from the skin to the bones:
1 point— gently on the skin, no pressure
2-3 minutes— light pressure, for the tonic method, stimulate potential, replenish energy
4-6 minutes— medium pressure, for the flat supplement and laxative method, mobilize the body’s self-regulating function, smooth qi, blood and fluid
7-9 minutes— heavy pressure, up to the fascia and bones, for laxatives, catharsis turbidity
10 minutes — press on the bone, which is heavy pressureThe angle between the gua sha board and the skin should be 45°-60°. It is best to be less than 15° in pain-sensitive areas. The speed of gua sha should be consistent with the frequency of the human heartbeat, 60-80 times per minute, the length of scraping is 3-5cm, and each part of the scraping is 1-2 minutes.
Precautions before and after gua sha:
1. Those who are fasting, after a full meal, and emotional should not be scraped.
2. Keep warm and avoid wind chill. Avoid bathing for 6 hours after gua sha.
3. After gua sha, the diet must be light, avoid excessive consumption of greasy and heavy food, do not drink alcohol, and can supplement warm water in an appropriate amount to strengthen metabolism.4. If there is dizziness, dizziness, palpitation, cold sweat, paleness, nausea and vomiting, or even dizziness and other dizziness in the process of gua sha, the gua sha should be stopped immediately, so that the patient can drink warm water or warm sugar water, and pay attention to keeping warm.