The principles of scraping are similar to that of cupping. Both are used to circulate stagnant blood and qi (vital energy) in muscles and other soft tissues of the body. (Refer to earlier articles or my list of links if you're unfamiliar with TCM theoretical principles ). In this way ailments such as muscular tension of the shoulders, neck and back may be treated. Additionally both techniques are commonly used by practitioners in treating the initial stages of the common cold and influenza.
In TCM theory, ailments such as colds and 'flu are caused by a combination of poor bodily defence (immunity) and strong external (climatic) factors like heat, cold and dampness. These factors called pernicious influences (or germs in Western medicine), usually enter the body through the superficial layers ie. the skin and muscles and upper parts ie. the head and neck.
Scraping or cupping the upper back and neck as soon as initial cold or 'flu symptoms appear is sometimes the only treatment required. These techniques draw the pernicious influences to the surface of the body where they are more readily dispersed. However as people rarely seek help straight away and colds and 'flu tend to progress rapidly, herbal therapy and acupuncture are usually required to most effectively treat these conditions.
The major difference between scraping and cupping is the implement used. In cupping specially made thick, rounded glass cups are used, whilst almost any small object with a suitable edge on it can be utilized in scraping. In China coins and spoons are commonly used, dipped in a lubricant to minimize skin irritation. Since I "scraped" my first patient back in 1989 I've used the edge of a plastic Chinese soup spoon with impressive results, mostly in treating the above mentioned types of ailments. Scraping however is alot older than coins and spoons so other suitable implements would obviously have been used by the ancient Chinese.
The first person I treated with my soup spoon was actually my brother. We had just learnt about scraping in the College clinic and the supervising Chinese doctor advised us to begin practicing the technique straight away on as many people as possible. My brother had been suffering intermittently from a stiff neck for some time so I naturally offered to help him.
With his shirt off he sat facing and leaning over the back of a chair. I applied a small amount of massage oil to one side of his neck and began to scrape from the base of his skull to the tip of his shoulder. Almost straight away very small, red dots of blood began to appear just below the skin surface. As my clinic supervisor said would happen, the dots appeared over the points of most tenderness. By the time I had scraped both sides some 10 minutes later, large parts of his neck and upper back were covered in the tiny, red dots.
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