Massage Techniques

[Robert D]

I have been in class now for about 6 months now. Studying and passing tests have been pretty easy for me. I have trouble with our hands-on massage time. I feel lost when giving a massage. Is there ways to develop a pattern, or it is just something that comes with time and practice. I feel like I am all over, not really make nice smooth transactions from one part to another.

 

[Jay T (UK)]

My experience was similar. For a long time I felt like I was "faking it". For some people it's as natural as breathing. For me, I came from an environment where no one touched each other, and it was very much a learning process.

Just trust that it's all OK, and keep at it. It's like everything else, the more you do, the better you get. And try to relax. It's really not rocket science.

As long as you aren't hurting someone (ouch!) and you are touching them with a positive intent, you're doing good. Touch is such a powerful and wonderful tool all in itself.

The other thing I rarely did in school because I had so little time and I was financially challenged, was to get lots and lots of bodywork. From people that are experienced, and people that aren't.

You'll learn the most from being aware of what each move feels like. Bad expediences are valuable too. Someone with all the great tech skills in the world can give a crappy massage if they are tense and angry, and once you receive a massage from someone in that state, you'll never forget it!

You'll learn that it doesn't feel good to be semi-naked, vulnerable, and have someone ignore your comments that the pressure hurts.

You'll discover how good it feels to know the person working on you genuinely cares about you as a person, or you'll pick up hits that they could care less about you and they're planning their spaghetti dinner in their head and watching the clock.

You'll find that a roaring good laugh with someone during a massage helps you to relax and pumps up your endorphins.

Or you'll touch base with how fabulous it feels to spend the first time in weeks just laying silent and relaxed and not engaged in anything other than turning yourself over to sensation.

Things that worry you when you're working (I'm spending too much time doing the same stroke over and over) seem so different when you're the recipient (that really helps me to relax, feeling the rhythm of a repetitive stroke and being able to look forward to that great sensation repeated).

You wouldn't sell any other product you didn't believe in and use yourself, so don't become one of those MT's that loses touch (bad pun) with the profession and goes for months without getting a massage themselves.

School is/was hard for a lot of us, so be easy on yourself. It won't come all at once, but don't lose sight of the fact you're entering into a profession that is inherently about self-care, feeling good, taking care, being nurturing, helping. Kindness.

I got so stressed out in school I manifested a bizarre and unusual neurological disorder.............looking back on it I find it very amusing how stressful it was to me to enter into this profession! But I've never regretted it one bit.
savannah

 

[amanda and star]

yep, I felt lost at first too. you will, with practice, develop your own kind of pattern. your own flow. it will evolve as you do, too.

just

 

[mamaw2305]

Has your school given you any flows/routines to learn, or have they taught you a bunch of separate moves with the expectation that you'll "develop your own" flow/routine?

 

[Beautifully Broken]

One of the joys of massage (and there are many, many joys) is that as your awareness as a therapist expands (which comes from knowledge, experience, and freedom to explore), your abilities will grow and flourish. Rest assured, you will definitely develop your own 'pattern'. In fact, you'll have more than one as time goes by. Believe me, if you were to film yourself doing bodywork now and film yourself again in one, and then two, and then three, you'll be amazed at how you perform massage. Take it easy. Breathe. Be easier on yourself. And enjoy the ride.

 

[oh yea!!!]

Has your school given you any flows/routines to learn, or have they taught you a bunch of separate moves with the expectation that you'll "develop your own" flow/routine?

This is excatly how we are being taught. A quick review of techniques and then it is all up to us to put it together. I want to be great, not just good, so I set the bar high for myself. I finally found something that I really enjoy and can't wait to do it for a living.

 

[Ubaida]

practice is what is going to make you more confident. along with your anatomy knowledge as you go through school, and your massage therapy career.

one school i went to focused on teaching routines and the focus was basic swedish massage. the next school i went to taught some separate techniques and was a little more clinical and protocol focused.

i was certainly glad i had several hundred hours schooling and experience doing swedish massage before i went to the second more technical school, because it did make it easier for me to incorporate the protocol into a smooth, connected massage. however, you don't want to get locked into a pattern that belongs to someone else, or even worse doesn't address the needs of your client.

listen to savannah bloom and receive as much bodywork as you can, even if it is only trades with fellow classmates. make two short lists while you are getting a massage: what i liked... and what i wished was different. this can also help giving positive and constructive feedback to your classmates.

if you really need a routine to follow (like for a full body relaxation session), sit down, visualize a session, and write it out. then take that paper with you and follow it. you won't have to follow it for long. (when i first started working, i would lie in bed at night and "see" myself giving a complete one hour massage before falling asleep).

other than that, i was taught that the nervous system likes things in groups of three. so if you do effleurage, do it two more times. remember to cross the joints when doing effleurage, it makes the move feel more complete than stopping short.
think about how you can make the arm and the shoulder feel connected when you are working, then the shoulder and the back. the back and the opposite shoulder connected to the other arm. and so on.

 

[Quentin W]

Would you like for us to give you examples of some routines?

I believe we had a really nice thread that was routine informative without being "routines" in the Techniques Section. When I get a chance I'll try to locate it.

Until then, maybe we can give you some flow ideas, just for you to read and see how a flow works - if you wish.

 

[Bec]

okay, Cincy2, here is what i visualized i may do for a rountine. this is what i might do for someone who says to me before the session, "oh, i don't have any specific issues i need you to focus on. i just really want to relax and melt away."

example routine

client starts prone

warm up 5 mins

gentle rocking, follow the rhythm of clients body. start at feet and legs, rock up posterior thighs with a flat hand or flat knuckle, one hand on each side. rock the greater trochanter on both sides, move to rocking compressions on glutes. one hand on sacrum, continue rocking. place both hands (thumb to thumb) flat over the spine, rocking L-spine, T-spine. rock out shoulders and both arms at the same time. rock down the arms and back up to the shoulders. spend time tracing the occiput with your fingertips, spend some time with scalp massage. use enough pressure so it feels like you are moving the scalp, not just rubbing the hair around on the scalp.

posterior leg & thigh 10 mins

drape one leg. effleurage entire leg 3x. effleurage low leg (gastrocnemius, solues) 3x. knead low leg medial side, then lateral side. effleurage leg 3x. effleurage posterior thigh 3x (include glutes if draped appropriately). flat knuckle stripping of hamstrings in a series of lanes. knuckle compression to gluteus maximus and medius. effleurage entire leg 3x. cover leg. knuckle compression through sheet to bottom of the foot. repeat on opposite leg.

posterior trunk 10 mins

main stroke 3x. (effleurage entire trunk, flat hands along erector spinae, over iliac crest, back up over lattisimus dorsi, be sure to include triceps, deltoids, and upper trapezius up to the occiput.) circular friction with fingerpads along erector spinae, both sides from occiput to sacrum and back up. main stroke 3x. cross fiber rhomboids, suprapinatus, infra spinatus and cross fiber all scapular attachments, both sides. knead the upper trapezius both sides. main stroke 3x.

client turns supine.

head and neck 5 min
(if the client wants face massage spend some time doing this first. it doesn't have to take a long time, and can help to clear up cradle face.)

with your hand on one side of the skull, turn the client's head so it is cradled in your hand, with the free hand petrissage around the hairline and muscles of the head. feel the scalp moving against the skull instead of hair moving against the scalp. repeat on other side.

laterally flex the clients neck, and gently effleurage from mastoid process, along scm, out along the clavicle, around the shoulder joint, upper trap to occiput. repeat 3x. stretch to levator scapula and posterior neck. repeat to opposite side.

effleurage pecs and shoulders 3x. place both hands together flat fingers meeting at the sternum, sweeping out under the clavicle around the shoulders, up the upper traps with fingers meeting at the occiput.

arms 10 min

undrape one arm. extend that arm over the clients head, allow the elbow to bend so the clients hand is close to their head. you can rest the client's elbow against your torso. use both hands to treat the deltoids in pro-gravity position (fingers under deltoid, both thumbs pointing to axilla). knead all divisions of deltoid until it is warm. with one hand (inside hand) tucked under the client's elbow, use the other (outside) hand to effleurage and petrissage the triceps. gentle stretch the upper arm, then place it on the table with the elbow bent. you hold the clients forearm with your outside hand, with the inside hand apply effleurage over the bicep, brachioradialis, and over the shoulder joint 3x. with the client's elbow bent on on the table, use both hands to effleurage and petrissage the wrist extensors and flexors. massage the hand, and fingers. hold the clients hand and wrist, and loosely gently shake the arm, and redrape. repeat to opposite arm.

abdomen 5 mins

drape properly for comfort of client. if working through the sheet, substitute slow, gentle circular petrissage in a clockwise motion for effleurage.

warm up with gentle effleurage of entire abdomen in clockwise circles. start at the right ASIS, flat hands follow one after the other up to the ribcage, across to the clients left side following the path of the transverse colon, down from the ribcage to the left ASIS. lightly bring both hands across the lower abdomen (do this 3x). with one hand on each side of the ribcage, gently rock the torso side to side, continue gentle rocking as you move flat hands down to the iliac crest. if the abdomen is undraped, here is one nice technique. stand at the side of the table, slide flat hands just around the posterior illiac crest of the client's opposite side, so you are cupping the hip and pull up with your hands, then move your hands up the torso. slide hands under obliques, and transverse abdominals, pull up. repeat this in a few lanes until you get to the ribcage. repeat on the other side.

anterior leg & thigh 10 mins

undrape one leg. effleurage entire leg 3x. from heel up to tensor facia latae and ASIS (or as high as draping and undergarments allow). effleurage low leg 3x from heel to just crossing the knee joint. petrissage tibialis anterior in lanes. effleurage entire leg 3x. effleurage anterior thigh 3x from the knee joint to ASIS, or as draping allows. knead the quadriceps in lanes. effleurage entire leg 3x. redrape and repeat to opposite leg.

feet 5 mins

sit or kneel comfortably at the foot of the table. uncover and work each foot one at a time. use warm up compressions, then wringing on the foot, petrissage in lanes from the calcaneus to the toes, following the metatarsals.
be sure to use good pressure on the feet, but be sensitive to bone spurs (can't usually see), bunions (you can see), or blisters. cover the feet when you are finished and ask the client to take a few moments sitting on the side of the table before they stand up. add your own intstructions here. be soothing and clear, as the client may feel a little "out of it".

so i hope something like this may help you. the most important thing is to practice, get comfortable with what you are doing, and then you will feel confident with your skills and transitioning while you are working.

 

[Pastor Art (((SFECU)))]

Wow. I am refreshed to see this routine, ccMarie. It looks like a divine and delicious routine. For my routine I spend SO MUCH more time on the back and neck. Perhaps it is because most of my clients that I've had ever mostly request work on their back and neck. I spend

50 min massage (spa)

warm up 1-2 min
back - 20 min
posterior legs (7-8 min)
neck - 10 mins
anterior arms 5 mins
anterior legs and feet 5 mins
1-2 mins on hot towels on feet

At my private practice massage iI use 60 minutes and spend extra time on the anterior arms and legs. Unfortunately I usually don't add the abdomen unless it is specifically requested

 

[LittleBitOfSugar]

I also finally found that thread I was speaking of as an addition to what others may provide for you here:

What are your session flow(s) like?

 

[errant Terran ranter]

Thank you...ccMarie

Unfortunately I have not been practicing as much as I would really like, but I have been trying to adapt those things into what I am doing. Just to try to get my flow of things.

My clinicals are about to start, and I want to be comfortable with things.

 

[Vina]

I want to be great, not just good...

Don't worry--you will! Try to be patient with this. Without having experienced your work, I can already tell that you're pretty good, just because you're TRYING to be. You're putting forth the EFFORT. Anyone can give a massage, but intent is everything. Sometimes an MT fresh out of school does a better job than a 20-year veteran just because they make the effort and act with intent. It sounds like all you really need is a little experience under your belt (which will rack up a pattern of plenty of raving compliments from clients) and a little self-confidence. Don't worry, it took me several YEARS to gain the confidence that I felt I was very much lacking on graduation day (and thus I felt I was somehow missing out on something because I thought I should have that confidence by the time I graduated). But it DID come. And it will for you, too. (Hopefully it won't take as long for you, but if it does that's OK.)

I finally found something that I really enjoy and can't wait to do it for a living.

That's really what counts, Cincy. I'd say you're already light-years ahead of some of the MTs I've encountered, simply because: you ENJOY it. The very fact that you love what you do and are looking forward to doing it each day DOES energetically/non-verbally come through your massage. Your clients will indeed be able to tell the difference, and they will come back to you. You don't have to even do the best job Day 1--just have a warm heart and open communication and a love for what you do, and your clients will sense that and be naturally drawn to you.

Don't sweat it You're already way ahead of the game. You'll see

Hugs,
~Jyoti

 

[gutter_fly]

Jyoti... thank you for the words of encouragement. I took what ccMarie had wrote as a guideline, added some of my own little twist and was able to lay the foundation for my own technique. With some additional practice things started to click. I noticed myself not using proper mechanics, especially using my legs to lean into the stroke, finding a comfortable table height, simple things that I didn't really think too much about.

The moment of truth was upon me, I had my first clinical massage this past Saturday. Yes, I had butterflys, but once I got into the room and began performing what I was practicing, the butterflys quickly went away. Once I was finished, and took a minute to reflect... I was thinking, wow..how awesome was that. I ended up with massages 1 and 2 that day and wanted to do more. Both clients (females) complimented me on being able to find and address their spots of tension and both said they liked the amount of pressure I used. So needless to say I was very happy and more then anything, I was enjoying what I was doing. The second client went ahead and booked with me again in two weeks.

Again, thank you all for your help and encouragement.

 

[mandiimo aka: amanda]

...

 

[Wayne A]

I still have a lot to learn, but I was so happy to see myself but together what I have been taught and how much more confident I have become in my ability is the last week. Now with a little bit of actual experience under my belt it will be easier to further apply and understand what we are being taught.

 

[LiL iNNOCENT]

cincy2, even the most veteran therapists on this forum would probably tell you they are always growing and adapting their skills with their knowledge.

after i finished massage school the first time, i really only had 50 hours of massage on the public through the school. (texas only required 300 hours total at the time.) after a few months at a busy salon, i already had another 100 hours of massage on the public. so... after about the first 150 hours of massage time logged, i started genuinely feeling comfortable and confident.

the second time through school, i remember the owner (also a MT) telling us that it really takes around 1000 hours of massage time before each therapist truly starts to "get in their own groove" and develop their own style, and for some it may take even more. be patient with yourself, and remember to keep learning through every massage you give.

 

[figureskater4life]

As a student 4 months into the program, I so understand.....

I just ran across this thread and wanted to say I totally enjoyed reading everyone's tips and words of encouragement to Cincy. I feel the same way about my learning curve, so I completely understand where you are coming from Cincy. But I've just decided to not let my feelings of doubt and insecurity stop me and just keep practicing. Nobody has said they hate my massages and friends I have practiced on have said they want me to work on them again, one of who, a professional dancer, wants to see me weekly. I know a free massage is great, but if it completely sucked, I doubt she would want to come see me once a week.

So it really is true, touch feels good even if it isn't a perfectly executed massage. And practice is what will make the difference.

Anyway, I just wanted to say you are not alone Cincy and to also thank the experienced therapist for sharing their tips and being so encouraging. It really was great for me to read this thread.

Peace, Love, Light,