How to Do Massage Therapy

Massage can ease muscle stress as well as help with emotional and mental stresses. Swedish techniques are the most common form of legitimate massage practiced in the U.S. There are five basic Swedish massage therapy strokes.
In the steps below, the strokes will be described for the patient's shoulders and upper back. The same sequence and types of strokes should be used on the lower back and hips, followed by each arm and each leg.

Things You'll Need

• Massage table Clean sheets Pillow or head rest Oil or smooth lotion Towels

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Instructions

First Stroke: Effleurage

• 1

  Have the patient remove all clothing but underpants and have him lie face-down on the table so that his face settles into the hole or headrest part of the table. If your table does not have a headrest, a folded towel or pillow may be used for the patient's comfort. Use a sheet or large towel to cover any body parts not being massaged.

• 2

  Pour (preferably warm) oil or lotion into the cupped palm of your hand and then spread the oil in broad strokes across the patient's exposed shoulders and upper back, avoiding direct pressure on the spine.

• 3

  Create long, smooth, relaxing strokes along the shoulders and back using the flat of your hand. Ask the patient if he would like more pressure or less. As a rule, this step runs from three to five minutes.

• 4

  Make a curling stroke (rolling your hand and sweeping the back of your hand upward) along the crook of the patient's neck and up toward the ear.

Second Stroke: Petrissage

• 5

  Knead the muscles of the shoulders and back. Grip (with well-trimmed fingernails) the back muscles and gently roll and twist them. Get feedback from the patient regarding the pressure you use. For beginners, start with light pressure and work up to the patient's comfort level.

• 6

  Pay special attention to working the muscles around the shoulder blades and neck, as these are common areas of muscle stress. This step may run five to 10 minutes.

• 7

  Use light pressure over the organs -- below the ribs and above the hips.

• 8

  Wipe the patient with a towel to remove excess oil or lotion, but not to the point of drying the patient's back.

Final Strokes: Friction, Tapotement and Nerve Stroke

• 9

  Briskly rub (friction) the flat of your hand across the surface of the patient's back. This is to heat and relax the muscles underneath.

• 10

  Add pressure and move your other hand in a counter motion from side to side across the patient's back. It may resemble scrubbing or sanding the patient. Add a little oil or lotion if needed to avoid chafing the patient's skin. This step will take one to three minutes.

• 11

  Lightly strike the patient's muscles using the side of your hand, cupped hands or loosely held fists (tapotement). Only tap the more thickly muscled areas. Avoid the spine and organ areas. This step should last a minute or two and should relax the patient.

• 12

  Brush the patient's back, using very light fingertip strokes (nerve strokes). These will be long, but barely touching strokes in patterns similar to what you used in the initial effleurage. This should leave the patient's back feeling refreshed and tingling. This stroke should also take a minute or two.

• 13

  Pull the sheet or towel over the patient's back. Expose the next area and follow the same sequence of steps. (Note that therapeutic work on hips should be done with the towel in place, and there should be no oils used or direct contact between the masseur and patient.)