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A Neck and shoulder massage can help de-stress and relieve the tension
around the neck and shoulder area apart from a complete full body massage.
The Benefits
For many people, the neck and shoulders are common areas of soreness
and tension. Working at a desk or a computer all days helps to create
such problems. To have this pain eased away can be a source of great pleasure.
 A
lot of tension can build up in the areas of the shoulders and neck. A
regular massage is very helpful not only giving physical benefits but
also bring about a calming effect to help you get back in action.
How to Give Neck and Shoulder Massage
The Massage
- Stand behind the person you're massaging as they sit down. If they've
taken their top off, offer a towel for them to cover the bits you're
not massaging, unless it's both very warm and you know each other very
well. If using oil, put a little in the palms of your hands and rub
them together to warm it up.
- Start using sweeping, stroking movements (effleurage) of your palms
over their upper back and shoulders, to coat the skin in a small amount
of oil. Using far too much oil means you can't grip the skin for some
of the moves. Work from the centre up and out wherever possible. You
can use this move to find any knots in the muscle for later moves.
- Pluck the tops of the shoulders from near the neck to the deltoids.
This means holding your hand as if you were picking up a glass of water,
holding the top of the shoulder between thumb and index finger (supporting
with the other three fingers), and then gently pulling up and away.
The idea is lift the muscle without pinching it - ask them if you're
doing it right. If someone has particularly beefy muscles (or if you
just want to vary things), use both hands on one shoulder at the same
time, holding the thumbs and index fingers together.
- Resting your fingers on the tops of the shoulders, make circular movements
with your thumbs on either side of the spine, again working up and out.
You can be quite firm with this move, always ask if they want more or
less pressure. If you find knots (which you can feel as bumps in the
muscle), you can try and work on them by pressing and holding over them,
or rotating the thumbs in opposite directions around them. Releasing
a knot feels very nice for the person being massaged. Work all the way
to the edges of the shoulder blades, and more gently over them - then
work gently on the neck in the bands of muscle just on either side of
the centre (don't go further round with this move, or it'll hurt).
- The next move is 'two handed hacking'. Push your wrists and fingertips
together firmly, but relax your fingers so they can move from side to
side when you shake your hands. Hold the fingers apart and in a kind
of prayer position, and rotate at the wrist so the little fingers slap
into their back and the other fingers slap into the little fingers.
If you get it right, it'll make a distinctive sound - get it wrong and
it'll feel like you're just karate chopping them. Do this over their
upper back as hard as they want. If you want, you can take your hands
apart and do the same thing with each hand individually (with practise
you can hit the same spot with both hands in turn so fast that it feels
continuous).
- Now, support their forehead with one palm, and put your index finger
and thumb around the back of their neck. Pull towards the back of the
neck fairly gently (similar to the move on the tops of the shoulders,
but only using the finger and thumb). Do this up and down the neck as
required.
- Now, with your hands in the same position, try and find the occipital
ridge on the back of their skull using the index finger and thumb (one
on each side of the centre). This is the line you can feel at the back
and base of the skull, and it starts about an inch behind the ears.
Work around the ridge doing tiny circles.
- Finally, do a bit more plucking on the shoulders, a few more circles
with your thumbs on their back, and some more effleurage. Finish the
massage with effleurage leading up to the tops of the shoulders, then
firmly down the arms and off the elbows.
A neck and shoulder massage can be given either in a seated or lying
down position. Beauty clinics, health clubs and sports centers do offer
massage therapy and private practitioners also offer massage therapy in
the convenience of your home or workplace for on-site neck and shoulder
massage.
But do not:
- apply heavy pressure to the delicate area of the neck and shoulders
- massage inflamed or sensitive areas
- massage infectious skin conditions
- work directly over recent scar tissue, open wounds or recent fractures
- massage over lumps: these should be checked by a doctor.
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