Clients often find problems with these as a result of poor circulation, old sports injuries or effects of early arthritis. All respond to the same type and sequence of massage. Starting with the hand warm the muscles and joints pinching and releasing each finger in turn. Travel up the forearm to the elbow. Gently massage around the elbow then up the upper arm to the shoulder. Return down the arm repeating the same actions finishing with the finger ends. Repeat with the other arm. Cover the arms and leave the client to rest.
Legs and knees is similar but start at the toes work up the foot around the ankle bone, up the lower leg, around the knee and up the thigh. Return back down the leg to the toes and repeat on the other leg. Again cover the legs and leave the client.
This is often necessary to combat the effects of an old back strain. This might have occurred many years previously often when the client was much younger but with the onset of age can become a problem. Sometimes it can become inflamed, swelling and trapping the sciatic nerve when the client will experience shooting pains down the buttocks and leg. I begin by warming the muscles down each side of the spine working from the bottom of the shoulder blades to the top of the buttocks.
I then return to the bottom of the left shoulder blade and manipulate the muscles down the side of the back kneading, pinching and releasing as I go. Any ‘knots’ I find I spend time breaking up until I reach the lumbar region. I then repeat the action on the right side. Finally I work both sides together decreasing the pressure before covering the client and leaving to rest.
I find that this massage is predominantly beneficial to those who suffer from stress, tension, depression etc. I find clients presenting with pain in this area have occupations or lifestyles that consist of remaining in a single position for long periods or they have an occupation which means they are in a constant state of tension and find it difficult to switch off. Professions for example like social work, legal professions, computer operators, those in professions that demand driving long distances like sales people and even people who work in factories on conveyor belt work and checkout operators at the supermarket. Even some hobbies can cause similar damage to these muscles like knitting, sewing, cross-stitch, tapestry spring to mind. Pottery, artists even standing baking can aggravate already damaged muscles and tendons.
To relieve this I begin work stroking along the shoulder blades and down the upper arms, back across the top of the shoulder and up the side of the neck sweeping across the base of the skull, down the neck and across to join the should blades again. I do this several times increasing pressure on each sweep to warm the muscles and get them relaxed for the next stage. I then work the clients left side first. Beginning by working around the shoulder blade I work small areas at a time up on to the left shoulder and down the upper arm. I then concentrate on the top of the shoulders from the top of the arm to the side of the neck pinching and releasing as I go. Next I work across the back of the neck and up the neck to the base of the skull before working the right side shoulder and neck to the top of the arm and around the shoulder blade. All the time I am working at this point I am checking for and breaking up any ‘knots’ I encounter so some areas get more intense work than others depending where and how bad the muscles are. I then return to the long sweeping strokes that I began the treatment with decreasing the pressure with each stroke. Lastly I cover and leave the client to rest.
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