Over the past few years, the quest to sculpt skin has led to the growing popularity in the West of Gua Sha, an ancient folk medicine practice from China that involves gua sha the skin with smooth stones, animal horns, and more. This method of facial massage is said to increase blood flow, loosen tight jaw muscles, and even sculpt facial contours over time without costly injections.

What you may not realize, though, is that the power of Gua Sha goes beyond creating a sculpted jaw. The practice has been used for centuries to relieve pain and treat ailments from head to toe—literally. If chronic foot pain is getting in the way of your daily life, it might be time for a DIY massage. Read on to discover gua sha tools and techniques that can help you get back on your feet.

How Does Gua Sha Treat Foot Pain?

Mr. Deng is a veteran TCM physiotherapist who has been using Gua Sha massage on patients’ feet for over 300 years. Along with cupping therapy, Gua Sha remains one of his favorite treatments for muscle strains because of its ability to break down fascia, the thin connective tissue that holds our muscles in place.

“Every bone, joint, muscle, organ, artery, vein, everything in the body is surrounded by fascia,” Mr Deng explained. “As we age, we grow, we fall, we get sick, and we think something happened to our body. Minor trauma — and even bigger trauma, like a bone fracture — can create adhesions in the fascia. ”

A body gua sha massage breaks down those thick adhesions and unearths tight knots in your muscles while increasing your circulation. This helps the fascia return to a healthy, lubricated state, making it easier for your muscles to move against each other, Deng says.

“When you stick on the fascia, it becomes more like Velcro, rather than lubricating and sliding against each other,” Deng said. “It’s going to reduce range of motion, it’s going to cause pain patterns, it’s going to cause movement and joint dysfunction.”

Loosening tight fascia in the foot can help support tense muscles from gait, posture, and injuries, and can help relieve the most common foot discomforts, Deng says.

How to Use Gua Sha for Foot Pain

Deng recommends using ergonomic stainless steel tools for body gua sha instead of jade. Stainless steel is very durable, easy to clean, and glides well in lubricated areas.

Facial gua sha tools tend to be thinner and have soft, rounded edges for the chin. While this shape is great for small areas, gua sha tools with side lengths and more pointed angles can better target body parts, Deng says.

As with facial gua sha, Deng recommends properly lubricating your feet before attempting gua sha. Lubricating with oil or balm will help the tool glide easily over your skin, allowing you to rub the area more effectively.

“If you gua sha directly on the skin, it breaks [the skin],” Deng said. “I tend to recommend something like coconut oil because it doesn’t get absorbed into the skin as quickly. You just want something to help create lubrication on the tissue.”

Before you begin, you need to identify the source of your foot pain. Often, foot pain and calf pain occur together, Deng said. Using a gua sha tool and lubricant, gently rub the affected area “backflow” along the pain to the calf. Pay attention to the sound and feel of your muscles during gua sha; Deng says tight fascia will have a crunchy, Velcro-like texture.

“As long as you feel more crunch or grit under the skin, that’s a good indicator of where to work,” says Deng.

Hammer toe gua sha

Targeting the soles of the feet near the metatarsophalangeal joint (aka the toe joint) can help restore mobility and relieve hammertoe symptoms, says Deng.

Gua Sha for plantar fasciitis

Rubbing along the plantar fascia from the heel up to the ball of the foot can help break down tissue and relieve plantar fasciitis. Pulling your toes toward you can help you better target this area, says Deng.

bunion gua sha

According to Deng, gently rubbing a bunion in the early stages can help break down the tight connective tissue that has formed due to misalignment of the big toe. Footwear, or poor biomechanics, but it can help,” he added.

How often can I use Gua Sha for foot pain?

While there is no set time limit on how often you can use Gua Sha, Tang recommends listening to your body’s signals. Overuse can make your feet sore and can even lead to bruising.

According to Deng, just a few minutes a day is enough to help relieve foot pain. If your foot pain persists, Mr. Deng recommends daily gua sha to help break down stubborn fascia.

Other Considerations

Less is More

Apply enough pressure to the muscle, but be careful: Excessive friction can damage capillaries near the surface of the skin, leading to painful, unsightly bruising. “Less is more, and you don’t have to work very hard,” Deng said. “You’re just trying to normalize tissue function — you’re trying to improve relaxed tissue.”

Avoid Sensitive Areas

When using Gua Sha on your feet, gently massage sensitive areas that lack adequate padding, such as the toes and the top of the foot.

“You can really tear through the tissue because there’s a hard surface underneath the tissue without a lot of fat or pads,” Deng said, “so if you’re going to do it on bone, you have to be extra gentle.”

Be wary of past traumas, medical diagnoses and skin issues, too, Mr Deng said. Massaging the damaged area can exacerbate existing problems; when in doubt, consult your physician first.

“You don’t want to scratch an area that has a rash or an open wound, and I wouldn’t scratch an area that has been diagnosed with cancer,” Deng adds.

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