What is Gua Sha Scraping?

Gua Sha is a healing technique used by practitioners of Oriental Medicine. It involves palpation and cutaneous stimulation where the skin is pressured, in strokes, by a round-edged instrument; that results in the appearance of small red petechiae called 'sha', that will fade in 2 to 3 days.

Raising Sha removes blood stagnation considered pathogenic, promoting normal circulation and metabolic processes. Gua Sha is generally applied across the back, neck, and shoulders, but on some occasions may be applied across the buttocks, limbs, chest, and abdomen.

How is it applied?

The skin is lubricated, then rubbed with a round-edged instrument (often an asian-style soup spoon) in downward strokes. One area is stroked until the petechiae that surface are completely raised. If there is no blood stasis the petechiae will not form and the skin will only turn pink. It usually takes about 2-3 days for the petechiae markings to disappear completely.

Is Gua Sha right for me?

Gua Sha is used whenever a patient has pain whether associated with an acute or chronic disorder. There may be aching, tenderness and/or a knotty feeling in the muscles. Gua Sha releases fluids that contain metabolic waste and congest the surface tissues and muscles. Gua Sha promotes circulation and normalizes metabolic processes. It is a valuable treatment for both external and internal pain, and facilitates the resolution of both acute and chronic disorders.

Source: http://www.guasha.com/faqs.html