Give a Swedish Lower Back Massage
Almost everyone, at some point, has experienced pain in the lower back. Swedish massage, the most common form of massage in the United States, includes a number of techniques for releasing the muscles of the lower back in order to relieve and prevent pain. With a few tips, you can add some new tricks to your massage therapy repertoire, or learn a few tips for home massage.
Instructions
1. Begin the Swedish lower back massage with your client face down on the table. Tuck the drape firmly under their hip bones so that they feel comfortable and unexposed. Position yourself so that you are about arms length from the table, with your dominant leg slightly in front of your non-dominant leg. This position will allow you to lean with your entire body into your client's body, working from your legs instead of your arms and protecting your own lower back.
2. Place the heels of your palms at the base of your client's spine, just above the hip bones. Make sure that you never work directly over the spine, as it is extremely sensitive and you can hurt your client. There are long, meaty muscles surrounding the spinal column, so use them as your inner border.
3. Move the heels of your hands up the spinal column just a few inches and then press your palms flat into the body, curve the hands and sweep them down the sides of the back. Without picking up your hands, return to your beginning position, this time just slightly above where you began to create a circle.
4. Continue these sweeping circular movements slowly and firmly along the spine, working the lower back. Remember that Swedish massage uses slow, gentle yet firm strokes, which is particularly important in the lower back region, as it can be very sensitive. This is just one Swedish technique that can be combined with others for an exquisite lower back massage.
Tags: your client, lower back, lower back, with your, Give Swedish, Give Swedish Lower