Back Massage- The Stress Buster

Posted on March 15, 2008
Filed Under Back Massage |

Back Massage Stress Buster ‘Survival of the Fittest’ has been the proverb from the beginning of the organic evolution on earth. Every human being, animal or bird has been striving hard to survive in this intense battle whether for food, shelter or other physical belongings. This scenario is worsened further in case of human beings. Human beings in their continuous pursuit for better living standards are hardly getting any time for relaxation. They have been under severe stress and experiencing several physical and mental disorders. The life styles of people are deteriorating paving way for many diseases. So providing a little touch therapy for stress reduction is a wonderful and therapeutic in this era of 14-hour workdays, repetitive stress injuries and weekend blues. Massage is an integral part of touch therapy and can be in different forms like back massage, foot massage, hand massage, neck and shoulder massage etc.

The benefits derived from massage are many. These include relaxation, stress management, increased body awareness and emotional comfort, improved blood circulation, postural balance and improved lymphatic drainage for release of toxins. Back massage provides an effective medium of relieving stress and so many other health related complications.

It is moderately easy to give a back massage, but its effects are far reaching. For back massage the things you need are towels, soothing music and aromatherapy candles. Back massage involves a systematic procedure of doing things. The various steps involved are:

The person receiving massage should lay on her belly on a firm and comfortable surface. The person providing massage must be in such a position that she can reach her whole back without straining her own.
Stand or kneel by her side. Place one hand on the lower back and one hand between the shoulder plates over the heart.
Start the massage process by applying thumb pressure along both sides of the spine simultaneously. Begin at the lower back and move gently with your thumbs up to the neck area. This will provide relaxation.
Use a smooth and delicate stroke called “effleurage” to apply massage oil. In one long stroke, slide your palms down either side of the spine to the pelvis; scoop out around the hips and back up the sides to the shoulders. Maintain contact with the back and take your hands over the back to start a new area.
Continue up both sides of the neck to the base of the head.
Start at the spine and slide your palms in opposite directions outward to the sides of the back, starting with the lower back area and moving up to the shoulders.
Knead the fleshy muscular areas at the top of the shoulders, the midback area and the buttocks to loosen tight muscles and the connective tissue.
Use your thumbs or fingers to apply pressure to areas that feel hard or tight, often called knots.
Do clockwise circular friction with your fingertips along the muscle that are close to the spine and around the shoulder blades.
Rotate the arms gently, one at a time, to loosen the shoulder joints and increase blood flow.

Massage oil is typically used to reduce the friction created on the skin and to prevent the pulling of hair. So oil must be applied in proper quantity to lessen the friction and to increase pressure. Any kind of direct pressure must not be given on the spine. Slow movements of thumbs and fingers provide a soothing or calming response and fast movements give a stimulating effect.

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