Many people experience numbness in their hands, and gua sha has a good relieving effect on this condition. So, which parts of the hand should be gua sha for numbness?
Gua Sha for Numbness in Hands: Which Parts to Gua Sha
1. Acupoint Selection
Kidney Shu, Guan Yuan, Da Zhui, He Gu, Feng Men.
Acupoint locations:
Kidney Shu: 1.5 inches below the spinous process of the second lumbar vertebra.
Guan Yuan: Four horizontal fingers below the center of the navel.
Da Zhui: In the middle of the back, below the spinous process of the seventh cervical vertebra.
He Gu: Located at the tiger's mouth on the back of the hand, in the depression between the first and second metacarpal bones.
Feng Men: 1.5 inches below the spinous process of the second thoracic vertebra, on the side.
2. Gua Sha Method
Use a gua sha board made of wood or stone, and use petroleum jelly as the medium. Use a direct scraping method and a tonifying technique.
Sequence of scraping: Start by scraping the Da Zhui on the neck, then scrape the Feng Men and Kidney Shu on the back, followed by scraping the Guan Yuan on the abdomen, and finally scrape the He Gu on the hand.
Specific operation method:
(1) Apply the gua sha medium to the treatment area.
(2) Place the gua sha board directly on the patient's skin and repeatedly scrape the specific area until petechiae appear.
(3) Kidney Shu and Feng Men are scraped using a flat scraping technique: Use the flat edge of the gua sha board to perform large parallel scrapes on the treatment area.
(4) Da Zhui is scraped using an angled scraping technique: Use the edges or corners of the gua sha board to scrape smaller areas or grooves, pits, and depressions on the treatment area.
(5) Guan Yuan and He Gu are treated with thumb rubbing or light pressing, according to the degree of local soreness and swelling.
3. Indications
Gua sha has the functions of dispelling cold, relieving pain, and promoting blood circulation. It is suitable for those with numbness and pain in the hands and feet.
4. Treatment Course
10 sessions constitute one treatment course, combined with Chinese herbal medicine treatment.
Things to Note When Gua Sha for Numbness in Hands
1. Precautions Before Gua Sha
1. Gua sha therapy requires exposed skin, and the sweat pores on the skin will open during gua sha. If exposed to wind and cold, the evil qi may directly enter the body through the open pores, affecting the effectiveness of gua sha and possibly causing new diseases. Therefore, before gua sha, choose a good treatment place with fresh and well-ventilated air, pay attention to keeping warm, avoid wind, and try to minimize skin exposure.
2. Choose a comfortable posture for gua sha to facilitate scraping and prevent dizziness from scraping.
3. Strictly disinfect gua sha tools to prevent cross-infection. Before scraping, carefully inspect the gua sha tools to avoid scraping the skin.
4. The hands of the practitioner should also be disinfected.
5. Before scraping, explain the general knowledge of gua sha to the patient, eliminate their fears, and obtain their cooperation to prevent dizziness from scraping.
6. Do not perform gua sha treatment on patients who are too hungry, full, or excessively nervous.
2. Precautions During Gua Sha
1. The scraping technique should be applied with even force, to a tolerable degree, until petechiae appear.
2. For infants, children, and the elderly, the scraping technique should be applied with light force.
3. Do not blindly pursue the appearance of petechiae and use heavy-handed techniques or prolong the scraping time. The amount of petechiae is influenced by various factors. Generally, blood stasis is more likely to produce petechiae; excess and heat conditions are more likely to produce petechiae; deficiency and cold conditions are less likely to produce petechiae; excessive medication, especially the use of hormone drugs, make it less likely to produce petechiae; obese and muscular individuals are less likely to produce petechiae; yin meridians are less likely to produce petechiae; petechiae are less likely to appear in a low room temperature.
4. During scraping, frequently inquire about the patient's feelings. If dizziness occurs, such as fatigue, dizziness, pale complexion, nausea, cold sweats, palpitations, cold limbs, decreased blood pressure, or loss of consciousness, immediately stop the gua sha. Comfort the patient, help them lie down, keep them warm, and provide warm water or sugar water. If the symptoms do not improve, lightly press the corners of the gua sha board on the water channel points to avoid edema. Apply the purging scraping technique to the Baihui and Yongquan points. After the patient's condition improves, continue scraping the Neiguan and Zusanli points on the feet.
3. Precautions After Gua Sha
1. Gua sha treatment opens the sweat pores and expels evil qi, which consumes part of the body's fluid. Therefore, after gua sha treatment, drink a cup of warm water and rest for a while.
2. After gua sha treatment, in order to avoid the invasion of wind and cold, wait for the skin pores to close and return to their original state before bathing, generally about 3 hours.
3. For some patients with complex and critical conditions, in addition to gua sha treatment, other therapies should be used in combination, such as medication, to avoid delaying the condition.
Simple Tips for Numbness in Hands
1. Do Neck Exercises Regularly
Numbness in hands may be caused by cervical spondylosis. Doing neck exercises regularly can prevent and relieve symptoms of cervical spondylosis, reducing the occurrence of hand numbness.
Steps for neck exercises:
1. Preparation posture: Stand or sit with your feet shoulder-width apart, arms naturally hanging down, eyes looking straight ahead, breathing evenly.
2. Look left and right: Rotate the head to the left and then to the right, with a large range of motion, until a feeling of soreness is felt, repeat 30 times.
3. Nodding: Move the head forward and then backward, stretching the neck forward as much as possible when bending forward, repeat 30 times.
4. Shoulder rotation and neck relaxation: Place the hands on both sides of the shoulders, palms facing down, rotate the arms from back to front 20-30 times, and then from front to back 20-30 times.
5. Shake the head: Rotate the head to the left, forward, to the right, and backward 5 times in each direction.
6. Resistance between head and hands: Cross the hands tightly against the back of the neck, push the head against the hands, and push the head back against the resistance of the hands, repeat 5 times.
7. Hands support the sky: Raise both hands above the head, palms facing up, look up at the back of the hands for 5 seconds.
2. Relieve with Moxibustion
Moxibustion acupoints: Da Zhui, Tian Zhu, Yang Ling Quan, Nei Guan, Wai Guan, He Gu, Lao Gong, Hou Xi, fingertips.
Moxibustion method: Choose a suitable body position, directly apply moxa to the acupoints or use a suitable moxibustion device. Follow the principle of moxibustion from top to bottom, first upper body then lower body. Each acupoint should be moxibusted for 15-20 minutes or until the skin shows a slight redness.
Moxibustion should be performed once a day for each acupoint. Generally, chronic diseases will improve or be cured after three months of moxibustion treatment. For health maintenance, moxibustion can be continued in the long term.
3. Relieve with Massage
1. Massage Nei Guan acupoint
Palm facing up, two inches behind the horizontal crease of the wrist. Right on the median nerve, it is best for carpal tunnel syndrome and numbness and pain in the fingers.
2. Massage Hand San Li
Bend the elbow, three inches and four horizontal fingers from the tip of the elbow towards the wrist, where the muscles bulge. Massage until a sore and swollen feeling is felt. This is used to treat symptoms of numbness and pain in the upper limbs caused by shoulder and neck problems. Massage San Li all the way to the wrist.
3. Massage Jing Bi Xue
Jing Bi Xue is located at the junction of the inner third and outer two-thirds of the clavicle, at the posterior edge of the sternocleidomastoid muscle clavicle head.
The doctor stands behind the patient, and the patient sits upright. If the right hand is numb, the doctor places their right hand on the patient's right shoulder and uses their index finger to press on the "Jing Bi Xue" on the affected side, gently exerting pressure in a downward and outward direction until the patient feels a sore or tingling sensation in their fingertips. Alternatively, the doctor can use their thumb to press on the "Jing Bi Xue" on the affected side, gently pressing and slightly sliding, until the patient feels a sore or tingling sensation in their fingertips.
4. Massage Jian Bai Lao Xue
When we tilt our heads down, we can feel a high and movable vertebra in the back of the neck. This is the spinous process of the seventh cervical vertebra, and its depression is Jian Bai Lao Xue. Jian Bai Lao Xue is located 1 inch above the straight line of the neck posterior midline, 1 inch to the left and right of the midline.
First, lie prone on the bed with a pillow under the chest, naturally lower the head. Then, have a family member use their middle fingers to slowly push down from the back of the neck, usually reaching a bony tender point at the location of Jian Bai Lao Xue. Once found, gently massage this area, and then use the tip of the thumb to apply pressure to Jian Bai Lao Xue, gradually increasing the pressure, slightly sliding, until the patient feels a sore or tingling sensation in their fingertips.
4. Maintain a Positive Attitude
Autonomic dysfunction may also cause hand numbness. It often manifests when the patient's mood changes, with symptoms appearing during irritability, palpitations, anxiety, and are often accompanied by insomnia, vivid dreams, shortness of breath, general weakness, and memory decline. Therefore, maintaining a positive attitude is also very important.
5. Stop Actions that Cause Hand Numbness
Hand numbness may also be caused by medication, chemical agents, or low-temperature environments. For example, taking Huang Lian Su or Loperamide after a cold or diarrhea may cause hand numbness; staying in an environment with hydrogen, arsenic, carbon disulfide, and other chemicals for a long time may cause numbness in the hands and feet; exposing the hands to a low-temperature environment for a long time can cause poor blood circulation and hand numbness. In these cases, stop the actions that cause hand numbness, such as stopping medication, leaving the chemical environment, and keeping warm, to effectively alleviate the symptoms. However, if the symptoms are severe, it is necessary to seek medical attention.
6. Treatment for Underlying Diseases
Various diseases such as diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, cerebral ischemia, cerebral arteriosclerosis, stroke, and neuritis may cause hand numbness. If it is determined that hand numbness is caused by an underlying disease, timely medical treatment is necessary.
Why Do Hands Feel Numb After Neck Gua Sha?
1. Lying down for too long
Feeling numb in the hands after neck gua sha may be due to lying down for too long, causing poor circulation and resulting in numbness in the hands. It is recommended to move the arms and fingers to see if the symptoms improve.
2. Excessive force during gua sha
Feeling numb in the hands after neck gua sha may also be due to excessive force during scraping, resulting in an exaggerated reaction. This may vary depending on the individual, and resting more can usually help the symptoms recover. It is recommended that patients with cervical spondylosis should undergo massage, acupuncture, cupping, and other treatments under the guidance of professionals to avoid adverse effects.
3. Symptoms of cervical spondylosis itself
Feeling numb in the hands after neck gua sha may also be unrelated to gua sha itself, as some patients with cervical spondylosis may already have symptoms of numbness in one or both limbs.
4. Symptoms of other diseases
If the patient has other diseases such as nerve damage, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, etc., hand numbness may occur, regardless of gua sha.
