What is Paw Sha?

“Paw Sha” is based on Gua Sha, a Traditional Chinese Medicine Technique

In humans, Gua Sha has been around for at least 2000 years (if not longer), and uses a smooth stone to glide against the skin to promote healing, decrease inflammation, ease muscle tension, improve circulation, and promote lymph flow.

I developed Paw Sha as an added modality for my clients to use at home between acupuncture sessions, or as maintenance and prevention of stiffness and soreness that comes with age, orthopedic issues, or other ailments.

Fascia

This is such a big topic, but I will try to keep it short! By gliding the stone along the surface of the body, it helps smooth out fascia, which is a connective tissue that envelops EVERYTHING in the body - muscles, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, nerves, lymph vessels, organs. Fascia is vital in keeping everything connected and working properly. Its such a fascinating tissue that we are only just beginning to understand the importance of in both human and animal medicine.

Fascia is present just underneath the surface of the skin, and since everything is connected, by gliding the stone along the surface of the body we can impact this connective issue in far reaching ways. Fascia can get sticky, hard, tough, and brittle overtime with aging bodies, trauma, surgeries, decreased activity, arthritis, or many other issues. The sticky/tough fascia will then restrict movement of muscles, prevent blood and lymph flow, reduce nerve communication, and can cause further issues of pain and inflammation.

Paw Sha

By using the Paw Sha tool on your dog, you can glide along the surface of their skin in the direction of their fur and help smooth out the underlying fascia. Its straight forward, simple, and can be done in less than 5 minutes a day 2-3 times a week! It is a both a preventative tool and a technique to use when they are dealing with pain, mobility, and neuro issues (among other things).

Here is a simple guide to get started with the Paw Sha technique, or you can dive deeper with the Paw Sha Course.

Its also a great bonding experience with your dog, especially the older dogs that absolutely melt when getting the Paw Sha treatment. Its a beautiful side effect from the Paw Sha routine! I’ve also heard clients say their dogs seem calmer and less stressed after a Paw Sha session, which makes sense since it can calm the nervous system by activating acupuncture meridians.