Chair Massage Instructions

Here are chair massage instructions for painful forearms and hands.

Take the client's arm off of the armrest and let it hang down at the side naturally. Starting at the top of the arm, use back and forth light friction across the arm, moving one hand-width down at a time.

Put the arm back on the armrest, palm down. Move to the front of the client. Apply compression from the wrist to the elbow and back with the heel of your hand. Repeat two more times.

Now place the client's palm up on the armrest. Apply compression strokes to the front of the arm from the wrist to the elbow.

Place the client's palm down again. Chair massage instructions continue with deep circular friction from the wrist to the elbow with the heel of your hand.

This portion of the chair massage instructions starts with the lateral epicondyle or the large elbow bone. Using your thumb, apply deep friction to the lateral side of the elbow bone and then move to the other side (medial) and do the same.

Starting at the elbow, use the thumb to perform deep circular friction to the flexor (inner) side of the forearm and work down to the wrist, back and forth in a zig zag pattern.

Then use up and down deep friction to the outside of the forearm, starting at the elbow.

Next, go to the hand and wrist. Perform wrist stretches using your thumbs, across the retinaculum and the thumb side of your hand and then the little finger side. Move your thumbs with the fibers of the wrist and then across the fibers. Do this to the palm side and the back side of the hand.

Then do wrist joint mobilizations--forward, backward, and to the sides. Interlock the client's fingers in yours to do the mobilizations.

Perform deep knuckle friction to the palms, moving your knuckes around, kind of like letting your knuckles do the walking...Then grab the webs between each finger with your thumb and finger and knead them.

Do mobilization of the finger joints, like you were taught in massage school.

If your client has thumb pain, knead the thumb web with your finger and thumb. Do deep circular friction.

Grasp the hand in a handshake and shake the arm out in all directions, loosening the joints. This should not be a rough or hard movement, but more of a vibration technique.

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