Self-Care After Giving a Massage

Giving a massage can be hard work. It is important to take a few minutes for your own body after working on someone else’s. To avoid injury, do some stretching exercises to restore your own tissues to their normal resting length.

Forearm Stretch

Raise your right arm straight in front of you and bend your wrist so that your fingers point up.
With your left hand, grab your right fingers and pull them gently back toward your body until you feel a stretch on the underside of your forearm.
Flex your right wrist so your fingers point down.
Make a fist and pull it toward you until you feel a stretch along the top of your forearm.
Repeat with the left arm.

Pec Stretch

Stand in front of a doorway and raise your arm 90° to your side with your elbow bent.
Rest your arm against the doorway and lean the rest of your body forward until you feel a stretch through your chest.

Tricep Stretch

Bend your right elbow so that your right hand is touching your right shoulder.
Raise your right arm so your elbow is pointing toward the ceiling.
With your left hand, grab your right elbow and pull it toward and, if possible, behind your head.
Repeat with the other arm.

You can precede or follow these stretches with the forearm and hand self-massage techniques described in the next section. It’s a good idea to then ice your hands and forearms using an ice pack or simply a sink full of ice water.

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