Gua sha is an ancient Chinese technique that uses a stone tool to ease inflammation and boost circulation, potentially relieving muscle pain and fatigue. You may see viral videos of people using gua sha, claiming it defines their jawlines or promotes lymphatic drainage.

While research is limited, this practice may help with conditions like chronic pain and perimenopause.

How Did Gua Sha Begin?

Gua sha, also called scraping, spooning, or coining, began in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).

Practitioners used tools like spoons, coins, or buffalo horns to scrape the skin upward, aiming to release blocked energy (qi), which is believed to cause inflammation, pain, and disease.1

During gua sha, specific pressure points are scraped to help ease pain and inflammation.2

Today, gua sha is done with a flat tool often made of jade, amethyst, or stainless steel. This upward motion helps stimulate soft tissue to boost circulation.

You can have gua sha sessions for your face, neck, back, arms, legs, or buttocks. A licensed acupuncturist or TCM practitioner often performs gua sha. You can also do it yourself at home.

What Benefits Does Gua Sha Offer?

Gua sha is an alternative therapy that may help treat inflammatory conditions, reduce puffiness, and relieve muscle pain. Although research is limited, it appears to be effective for chronic pain and inflammation.

Here’s what the science says about the potential benefits of gua sha.

Decreases Inflammation and Swelling

There’s no evidence that gua sha can prevent wrinkles. However, it may decrease puffiness and inflammation on your face and body.

The scraping motion of gua sha promotes microcirculation—blood flow through small vessels—which can lower inflammation.3

The scraping motion of gua sha can also create petechiae, small red areas where small blood vessels have burst. Petechiae can trigger an anti-inflammatory immune response.2 These gua sha effects may help reduce inflammation and puffiness in the face and body.

Eases Headache Pain

More research is needed to show that gua sha is an effective headache treatment. However, some anecdotal claims suggest that gua sha may help ease chronic headache symptoms.

The only anecdotal evidence of using gua sha for headache relief comes from a 2007 German case study of a 72-year-old woman with chronic headaches. The study reported that two weeks of gua sha helped ease chronic headache symptoms.4

Still, more extensive studies are needed to prove that gua sha is effective.

Relieves Shoulder, Neck, and Back Pain

Gua sha may also help reduce upper-body pain associated with sitting at a computer.

A small 2014 study found that gua sha reduced neck and shoulder pain among participants who regularly used a computer. Participants also reported a greater range of motion after gua sha.5

A 2017 study of older adults found that gua sha was more effective than a hot pack at relieving lower back pain and improving mobility.6

Still, more research is needed to know the long-term effects of gua sha for body pain.

Helps With Muscle Recovery and Pain Relief

Massage techniques, in general, can help relieve pain from muscle injuries and support recovery.7 Gua sha may help muscle recovery and prevent injury after fatigue.

In a 2019 study of 44 male weightlifters, people who had 16 gua sha sessions over eight weeks improved their weightlifting abilities.8

Gua sha may also help ease plantar fasciitis pain caused by swelling and irritation of the thick tissue under your heel.

A 2023 clinical trial of 36 people found that gua sha was more effective at easing pain than traditional cryostretch methods. Gua sha also decreased skin tenderness.9

Offers Chronic Pain Relief

People often seek gua sha to treat chronic pain conditions like fibromyalgia. Gua sha may ease musculoskeletal pain, but more quality research is needed.10

Pain relief associated with gua sha is likely temporary. However, it may be possible based on counterstimulation and the placebo effect.2

Counterstimulation irritates a body part to distract pain receptors and decrease pain perception. Gua sha’s scraping motion and pressure may temporarily refocus your pain receptors and ease some pain.

The placebo effect means your positive expectations of gua sha lead you to feel and believe you get pain relief. In reality, gua sha may not physically relieve pain.2

Relieves Breast Engorgement

If you are breastfeeding, scraping the breast with a gua sha tool may help express milk to relieve discomfort from breast engorgement.

There’s not much research on gua sha for breast engorgement. However, gua sha is similar to other milk expression massage techniques.

In a 2010 study of 54 breastfeeding people, two cycles of gua sha helped ease breast engorgement. Researchers also found gua sha was just as effective as applying a warm compress and massaging the area for 20 minutes.11

Eases Perimenopause Symptoms 

Gua sha is often used in East Asia to help relieve symptoms of perimenopause, a transitional period where the body prepares for menopause.12

Studies have shown gua sha may help relieve perimenopause symptoms like insomnia, fatigue, headaches, and hot flashes.

In a 2017 study of 80 perimenopausal women, participants had 15-minute gua sha sessions once a week for eight weeks. The gua sha group reported a greater decrease in symptoms than those receiving conventional treatments.13

A 2018 review also concluded that gua sha effectively treats perimenopausal symptoms.14

This research seems promising, but more studies are needed to understand how gua sha helps with perimenopause symptoms.

How Do You Use the Tool?

You can use gua sha tools on the face or body. Before you start, clean your skin and apply a serum or oil to help reduce friction.

To do gua sha on the body, you will:

• Gently apply pressure. Even with light pressure, you will notice temporary redness after completing gua sha.
• Glide the contoured edge of your tool on the desired body part in an upward motion (toward your heart).
• Keep the edge of the gua sha stone at a 45-degree angle. The movement should follow the curve of the body part you are targeting. If you are scraping your calf, you would start above the ankle and glide the gua sha tool to the outer base of your knee.

To do facial gua sha at home, follow these steps:

• Apply a face oil or serum to your clean face and neck.
• Neck to chin: Glide the curved edge of your gua sha tool from the base of your neck to your chin. Repeat twice on each side.
• Chin to ear: Use the curved edge to glide from your chin up your jawline to your ear. Repeat twice on each side.
• Cheek to ear: Start at the base of your cheekbone near your lip and move the stone upward to your ear. Repeat twice on each side.
• Eye area: Below your eye near the inner corner, apply light pressure and move outwards. Repeat twice on each side.
• Brow bone: Move to your inner brow bone and glide the top of the heart shape to the outer edge. Repeat twice on each side.
• Nose to hairline: Place the flat edge of the tool at the top of your nose bridge and glide upwards to your hairline. Repeat twice.
  Gua sha should involve gentle pressure and feel relaxing. It’s best to not dig deeply into the skin. If gua sha is painful, you are probably pressing too hard.

  Picking the Right Tool for You

  If you are new to gua sha, opt for a flat, thin, heart-shaped tool with a curved edge. The curved edge of your gua sha tool should also contour the area you want to massage.

  If you do gua sha on your face, the curve in the heart-shaped stone should contour your cheekbones and jawline. Choosing a tool you can comfortably grip helps prevent slipping and fumbling.

  Jade, amethyst, stainless steel, or other stone materials can make good gua sha tools. However, different materials can create a different experience.

  Jade and amethyst can feel cooling on the skin. Natural stones can be easier to hold onto since they are often heavier than synthetic crystals.

  When and How Often Do You Need To Use Gua Sha?

  How often you do gua sha at home or visit a gua sha practitioner will depend on your skin type and how your body responds to gua sha.

  Practitioners typically recommend doing gua sha once a week. You might be able to do it more often, about 2-3 times a week, if your skin can tolerate it. Some people also like to do gua sha for about five minutes a day.

  When in doubt, you can ask a gua sha practitioner how often you should do gua sha at home if you have specific health goals.

  Risks To Watch Out For

  Gua sha is typically considered a safe practice. However, it’s not without risks and is not safe for everyone.

  If you have open skin wounds or are healing from a sunburn, you should avoid gua sha.15 Gua sha may be unsafe for you if you have blood circulation issues.

  Healthcare providers often recommend you also avoid gua sha if you:

  • Recently had surgery
  • Take blood thinners
  • Have a clotting disorder
  • Have diabetes

  The pressure and scraping motion of gua sha can sometimes burst blood vessels near your skin’s surface, leading to bruising or light bleeding. These bruises usually fade after a few days.

  If gua sha tools are not properly disinfected, bleeding can increase the risk of bloodborne illnesses.