Tui na or
tuina (, ), is a form of
Chinese manipulative therapy often used in conjunction with
acupuncture,
moxibustion,
fire cupping, Chinese
herbalism,
t'ai chi, and
qigong. Tui na is a hands-on body treatment that uses Chinese
taoist principles in an effort to bring the
eight principles of
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) into balance. The practitioner may brush, knead, roll, press, and rub the areas between each of the joints, known as the eight gates, to attempt to open the body's defensive chi (Wei Qi) and get the energy moving in the meridians and the muscles. Techniques may be gentle or quite firm. The name comes from two of the actions:
tui means "to push" and
na means "to lift and squeeze." Other strokes include shaking and tapotement. The practitioner can then use range of motion,
traction, with the stimulation of
acupressure points. These techniques are claimed to aid in the treatment of both acute and chronic musculoskeletal conditions, as well as many non-musculoskeletal conditions. As with many other traditional Chinese medical practices, there are different schools which vary in their approach to the discipline. It is related also to Japanese
massage or
anma ().