Back Chair Massage

Here is a therapeutic routine for an upper and middle back chair massage.

Stand in back of the client in the chair. Grasp the trapezius muscles on each outer shoulder and gently knead the tissues, working into the neck. Repeat two times.

With your fingers and thumb, grasp and compress the same area and hold for eight seconds. Slowly release and move across the shoulder towards the neck.

Now move to the middle trapezius which is just below the shoulder. Perform deep circular friction with your fists medially working to the spine on each side. Now grasp this same portion of the muscle and knead the tissue with your fingers and thumb working out from the spine to top portion of the scapula (shoulder blade).

If there is tenderness, hold pressure for about eight seconds.

Now, using the palm of your hand, make deep friction circles across the middle trapezius.

Next, move to the rhomboids. They start at the medial border of the scapula to the spine. If you forget where they are located, look in your massage textbook for a diagram.

With loose fists, apply deep circular motion across the rhomboids. Cover the entire portion.

With your thumbs, use cross fiber friction or deep circular friction across all of the rhomboids. Hold pressure for about eight seconds on any painful tender area.

Now move down to the ribs and do deep circle friction strokes over to the spine. Be careful with your pressure when you get to the two bottom ribs. They can be broken if too much pressure is applied so lighten up! Again, if there are tender spots, hold pressure for about eight seconds.

With open palms, apply rapid light up and down friction to the upper and middle back to end this portion of the back chair massage.

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