The Incredible Health Miracles of Hand Massage

People whose jobs involve using the arms, hands, and wrists are more likely to experience pain and tension in these specific areas of the body. Employees who use computers or workers who are overweight are some examples of those who are prone to these health problems. These are also the people who benefit the most from hand massage.

What is a hand massage?

As the term implies, hand massage is a form of massage therapy that focuses on the hands, arms, and wrists. Since the arms and hands have many acupressure and reflexology points that relate to different internal organs of the body, this massage can also be used to alleviate pains and aches not only in these particular parts but also in other parts of the body. Massaging the hands, fingers, and joints will not only help solve the tension and aches in the arms and hands, it will also help relieve other health problems like arthritis and poor blood circulation.

What are the benefits that can be gained from this massage?

Just like a regular massage, hand massage works to alleviate pains and aches. Sore muscles in the hands and arms will be relieved using this type of massage. Stiffness and tension, meanwhile, will be removed. After a long time of using a computer every day, a person would begin to feel stiffness on the fingers and hands, this can be relieved through hand massage.

Since acupressure points connect to other organs and parts of the body, hand massage can improve the circulation of the blood as well as the lymph. This would inhibit heart-related ailments as well as respiratory problems. As for the lymphatic system, this massage can help eliminate blockages, aid in the removal of toxins, and therefore, boost the functioning of the immune system.

Physical health is not the only aspect of your well-being that will reap benefits from this type of massage. It will also have various positive effects on your emotional and mental state. For example, getting a hand massage can significantly reduce stress levels. It can produce a happier perspective and reduce the risks of depression.

Furthermore, it can also make an employee more productive. Pain debilitates a person and can hinder effective performance. By relieving the pain, the person will be able to work more effectively and be able to provide excellent results. Alertness, focus, and concentration are also heightened along with this.

Truly, the benefits of a hand massage are countless. As with other types of massage therapy, you can experience a variety of positive effects, not only on your physical health but also on your mental and emotional health.

These benefits include but are not limited to improvement of blood and lymph circulation, removal of pain and stiffness in the hands and arms, and increase in focus and concentration. If you want to get this kind of therapy, go to a local spa or massage center and receive treatment from a licensed and qualified hand massage therapist.

photo by Ivan Samkov

Massage Strokes

There are many strokes used in giving a massage, and each stroke has its own purpose. Each stroke used by a massage therapist in giving a massage is chosen for a specific reason and not on some random whim. The therapist uses a certain kind of stroke depending on the type of treatment she intends to give, whether it is relaxation or stimulation. That is how it works: a specific stroke can act like a relaxing sedative or a stimulating stimulant depending on the pace and force with which it is applied; in massage, each stroke is performed rhythmically, with one movement flowing smoothly into the next. Massage strokes should be applied firmly towards the heart, and lightly when moving away from it; below are the names of the various massage strokes used by therapists, and what they are for.

• Cupping. The hands and fingers are curled into a cup shape, and with the palms facing downward, are beaten across the area being massaged.

• Draining. Draining is a stroke done with medium pressure and used with the heel of the hand on larger areas, or with the thumbs on smaller areas. The thumb or the heel of the hand is pushed upward along the sinew of the area being massaged and is aimed at stretching the muscle and increasing blood circulation.

• Friction. Friction strokes are massage strokes specifically used to loosen knots in the muscles. It is always deep and with pressure, done using the thumbs and fingertips moving in tiny circles along the area being massaged. Some receivers of the massage prefer this stroke above all others; other receivers find it painful and could not tolerate it for long.

• Gliding. The purpose of gliding strokes is to apply the massage oil onto the skin, as well as to stretch and relax the muscles of the person receiving the massage. The gliding stroke is done with the fingers together and the hands themselves outstretched; contact with the skin of the receiver of the massage is done with the flat of the giver’s hands. The gliding stroke can be firm and reassuring, or merely as light as a feather’s touch. It can be in a long and forward motion or in a circular pattern. One or both hands may be used in doing the gliding stroke.

• Hacking. This stroke is also known as the chopping stroke. The sides of the hands, with the palms facing each other, beat up and down the area being massaged. Sometimes the hands are folded into loose fists for added pressure.

• Kneading. Kneading is done on the fleshy parts of the body with the purpose of relaxing muscle tension and increasing blood circulation. It is always done firmly, with both hands grasping the part being massaged and then mashing it with the fingers and the heel of the hands, like kneading dough.

• Plucking. Plucking is done by lifting the flesh using the fingertips. The lifted muscle is then pinched before it is allowed to slide back.

• Pulling. This is a stroke done on the muscles of the torso and the legs. Done with both hands, with one alternating with the other, the muscles are pulled and stretched to loosen them.

• Wringing. Wringing is done on the torso, the arms, and the legs. The hands are placed on either side of the area being massaged and are moved in an alternating forward and backward motion, in an upward direction until it slowly reaches the head.

The giver of the massage should not forget to keep her hands and wrists relaxed in performing these different massage strokes, or else she would end up hurting her arms. The force of the massage should also not be limited to the giver’s arms and shoulders; she should use her entire body weight to perform the massage.

a video on how to give a hand massage