Technical steps for full body stress management massage – Front Thigh

1. Spread the lotion in a hand after hand effleurage manner on all areas of thigh (3-5 strokes)
2. Continue with hand after hand Friction (3-5 strokes)
3. Keeping wrists and arms extended, apply pressure with the dorsal part of the fingers in a hand after hand manner (back of the fingers Friction) 3-5 strokes. (Make sure to massage the proximal, middle, and lateral portions of the quadriceps).
4. With both thumbs applying pressure, starting from just proximal to the knee, massage each portion of the quadriceps area 3-5 strokes.
5.  Continue to effleurage while changing position to stand in front of the thigh. While surrounding thigh with both hands, perform hand after hand effleurage (arms will criss-cross during this techniques) 3-5 times.
6.  Place hands on thigh so that the fingers and thumbs form a diamond shape. Apply initial pressure with the fingers, and perform Petrissage #1 kneading techniques. Fingers grab the tissues first circling in towards the thumbs (thumbs play the role of barrier, which allows deep mobilization of tissue) and then pushing back away from the thumbs under pressure. Make sure to knead 3-5 times in each area of the thigh.
7. Continue with Petrissage #2. The motion of the fingers is the same, but hands move one after the other in an oscillating manner.
8. Place hands flat (thumbs closed next to fingers) on either side (medial and lateral) of the thigh just proximal to the knee. Apply initial pressure, and perform cross-friction action pulling with the one hand and pushing with the other, then reversing the action 3-5 times the hands passing each other as they come over the top of the thigh.
9. Turn your back to the patient’s/client’s head, beginning on the medial side of the knee, ending at the client’s hip, brush/comb the thigh hand after hand 3-5 times.
10. Turn back to initial position toward the face of client. Keeping fingers slightly spread, and tilt fingers at an angle to the body. Begin lightly bouncing hand after hand, perform ax (tapotement) technique over all areas of thigh (keep hands and strokes parallel to thigh).