There’s nothing better than feeling relaxed at a spa day or treating yourself to a massage after a few busy months. But what about those times when cutting a couple hours out of your schedule simply isn’t possible?
Rather than go without, here are 5 self-massage techniques to try on yourself, or your partner.
For self-massage, you’ll use your fingers, hands and elbows to relieve tightness and balance trigger points around the body. Some techniques also suggest using props like tennis balls or foam rollers to help.
Self-massage for the head
Headaches have a sure-fire way of ruining a perfectly good day. Self-massage can help to relieve headaches and head pain so you can get back to feeling good again.
- Place your thumbs at the top of the cheekbones near to your ears
- Apply pressure to your temples with your fingertips, moving them in a circular motion
- Move the fingers towards the top of the head to the hairline and meet in the middle. All while continuing with gentle pressure and circular motions.
How to massage your neck
The modern working pattern means you’re likely couped up in an office, sat in an uncomfortable chair staring at your computer for hours on end. Use this simple neck massaging technique to loosen up a stiff neck either at work or home.
To get started:
- Place your fingertips on the back of your neck where it meets the shoulders
- Hold your fingers with a little pressure then release once the muscle starts to feel more relaxed
- Roll your shoulder forwards and back a few times and repeat the motion
Self-massage for shoulders
While the above should help to alleviate stiffness in the neck, this technique should help to reduce the pain you feel in your shoulders.
- Place your right hand over your right shoulder so that the palm is over the upper trapezius
- Squeeze the trapezius a few times to loosen the muscle
- Roll your finger along the muscle starting from the ball of the shoulder up towards the neck
- Repeat on the left side
How to massage your lower back
Lower back pain can be incredibly disabling and frustrating. Everything from household chores to gardening can trigger back pain or make it worse. One way to reduce the pain, is to book yourself in for a professional back or full body massage. Until your appointment, you can also try this self-massage technique.
- Place a massage or tennis ball onto your lower back
- Back up to a wall so that the ball can roll between you and the wall
- Move your body side to side or up and down along the ball to apply pressure to any areas that feel particularly sore
- Tender spots can be given more pressure, too
Self-massage for the chest
If you are struggling with bad posture due to sitting at your desk all day, you might not think about massaging your chest to help. Your pectoralis muscles are actually a trigger point which can be released using a massager like a Thera Cane. It can also help to relieve pain and correct your posture.
- Just below the collarbone, use the hook of the Thera Cane to apply downward pressure
- Move the hook around, and use different angles to apply pressure to the whole muscle
- Perform these actions on both pectoralis muscles.
There are plenty of other techniques to use for massaging different areas of the body. Everything from your feet to your hands can be massaged, and you’ll find yourself feeling more relaxed and even energized.
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