Hand Massage Instructions

Sore muscles are associated with sports injuries or intensive workouts, but all of your body's muscles can get sore, including those in your hands. Typing, writing and other hand-intensive work can easily stress or strain these muscles. A hand massage can ease sore muscles, and gentle pressure in the right places can seem like a miracle for you or the person you're giving a massage to after a long, stressful day.

Things You'll Need

• Lotion

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Instructions

• 1

  Coat your hands with a thin layer of lotion. Rub the top and bottom of the hand you will massage to spread lotion over the patient's hand. This will create a light layer of lubricant.

• 2

  Grasp the person's hand so that the palm is facing the floor. Put your thumbs on her wrist and your fingers around the underside of her hand. Gently pull outward and toward you, stretching the muscles as you pull. This will warm up the muscles for the massage.

• 3

  Run your thumbs in small, circular motions across the back of his hand. Start with the knuckles and progress toward the wrist. Include the wrist in the massage for better muscle relaxation.

• 4

  Place both thumbs on the wrists. With light but firm pressure, pull your thumbs down the hand, crossing one thumb between the person's pinkie and ring finger and the other between the thumb and forefinger. Place the thumbs back at the wrist and repeat the motion, this time pushing down into the spaces surrounding the middle finger. This will stretch and relax the areas between the fingers.

• 5

  Turn the hand over so that the palm is facing up. Put your thumbs on her wrist and your fingers on her palm. Gently pull outward and toward you, stretching the muscles as you pull.

• 6

  Move your thumbs in small, circular strokes across the entire palm and up to the wrist. Pay special attention to the pad beneath the thumb, as the muscles there can get very tight.

• 7

  Turn the hand back over so that the palm faces the floor. Place your thumb and forefinger on either side of the pinkie finger and squeeze. Use small squeezing movements to massage all the way up the finger.

• 8

  Release the finger, place your thumb on top and your forefinger on the bottom and repeat the motion. When you reach the fingernail, give the finger a light tug; the joint might crack. Use this technique on each finger.