More Technical Details of Effleurage
Effleurage consists of superficial glides over the skin without attempting to move the muscle beneath. The pressure applied has to be even. The effleurage is used more than any other technique and it begins and ends each session.
It can be performed on any part of the body but in this course it is used only on the back.
It can be used as a bridge between different other moves and it accustoms the patient to the touch of the therapist.
Allows the practitioner to familiarize with the condition of the patient's muscles
Increases circulation to the skin and superficial muscles and relaxes the patient.
Effleurage is an easy to learn technique and it comes almost natural to most of us.
Also called gliding, is employed in almost all of the massage modalities because of its great relaxation potential and its versatility.
Effects of Effleurage
You will know from the earlier lesson this technique accelerates the blood and lymph circulation in the massaged areas.
Prevents stasis, reduces inflammatory symptoms, (heat, swelling, redness, and pain)
Improves the secretory activity of the skin.
Raises the awareness of the subject, and heightens sensory perception.
Improves the nutrition of the tissues by supplying more blood and improves oxygen supply in tissues.
Speeds up healing in injured tissues by supplying more blood, nutrients and oxygen.
Effleurage Techniques/Effleurage Types
Straight Effleurage Glide your hands over your patient's skin starting from lumbar area up to the neck. Fingers point forward towards the patient's neck and head. We are pushing the blood towards the head.
Bilateral Effleurage Position one hand on each side of the spine and start on the lower back. Go towards the upper back, to the shoulders. While returning to the lower back go along the sides of the back. Remember, this is a light pressure movement.
Alternating Hand (Shingles) Start with one of your hands to the side of the spine at the lower back. Move one hand forward 6 inches and then follow it with the other hand and then with the other one until you reach the shoulders. Do this several times and make sure you cover the whole surface of the back or limb. While the pressure is light the speed of the movement is rather fast compared to the bilateral effleurage.
Backward Alternating Gliding - (Shingles)
It is similar to shingles effleurage but performed backwards, with fingers pointed towards the lumbar area. Note that the movement is performed with a light pressure so it would maximize the relaxation effect. The backward shingles can be classified as a "nerve stroke" as well because of the very light pressure. It is a deeply relaxing stroke.
Superficial and Deep Effleurage
We can also classify the gliding, by the amount of pressure employed on the skin. Based on this we can have “Superficial effleurage" and "Deep effleurage".
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