Create the Right Environment Choose a room that’s warm and quiet with a firm, comfortable surface like a bed or cushioned floor mat. Line the area with towels. Give the person you are massaging a pillow for their head and a towel to wrap around the lower half of their body. You can also place a pillow under their calves for added support. If you like, you can play soft, soothing music. Use Massage Oil Massage oil reduces the skin-to-skin friction that occurs when you rub your hands against someone’s back, but don’t use too much. Start with a quarter-sized amount or slightly more depending on the size of the person. Baby oil works well if you don’t have massage oil. Use Slower Movements Work your hands slowly into the person’s muscles to create a calm, soothing experience. Whole Hand Circular Massage (Effleurage) Warm the massage oil in your hands and place your hands on the person’s lower back on either side of their spine. Using the whole surface of your hands, push fairly firmly upward until you reach their neck. Then, create small circles with the heel of your hand as you move back down, applying slightly less pressure. Repeat the motion once you reach their lower back. Continue for 5 to 10 minutes. Reinforced FInger Effleurage Stand on the right side of the person you are massaging and stack your hands, placing the flats of the bottom set of fingers just to the left of their spine. Applying fairly deep pressure, push away from the center line with the flats of your fingers towards their waist, then glide back to the middle. Move your hands up to the next section of their back and continue until you’ve repeated this motion up the entire back. Then switch sides. Forearm Effleurage Stand to the side of the person and place the forearm closest to their buttocks across their low back. Place your other arm parallel and just above it so that it stretches across their back. Applying firm pressure, push upwards with the top forearm until you reach the shoulderblades. Bring the arm back to the lower back and repeat the motion 6 times. Stripping with the Thumb Stand on the right side of the person you are massaging and place your thumb at the center of the tubular muscle that runs along their spine on the left. Start at the lower back. Using deep, sustained pressure, glide up the muscle, easing the force slightly when you reach the neck. You can angle the pointer and middle finger of your opposite hand underneath your thumb to support it. Repeat three times on each side. Trigger Point Release With Thumb Ask the person you are massaging to point to any knots or areas of tenderness. You can also make note of these yourself while using any of the above techniques. Using the face of your thumb, press firmly into the area, increasing the pressure until the person’s pain level reaches a 6 or 7. Hold the pressure until the pain decreases to a 4, or about 5 seconds. Immediately apply more pressure, until the pain increases to a 6 or 7 again, then hold until it decreases to a 4. Repeat this step again. It might be a bit uncomfortable for the person you are massaging, but it’s a very effective technique for getting rid of back pain. If the person tells you it really hurts, though, it’s better to stop.