Today I’m going to talk about how to massage elderly’s legs because there was a request after I did how to massage elderly person’s upper arm few weeks ago for my friend. By the way she told me the video made it so much easier to massage her mother so I was glad to hear that.
When you massage elderly’s legs the same precautions apply but you have to be more careful. First check with the medical doctor if it’s ok to massage their legs because massage can be a contraindicated meaning you should not massage for certain medical conditions. This actually applies to all ages but if there are any known blood clots do NOT massage. Blood clots are often formed in the legs especially in the lower legs from a long period of inactivity. You do not want to massage the legs to dislodge the blood clot to travel to an artery and cause a heart attack or stroke. Avoid massaging varicose veins which are prone to form blood clots inside. Varicose veins are the blood vessels with dysfunctional valves and they appear as ropy bulge on the skin. Also avoid massaging over any bruises and cuts. Massage only if this is not the case.
Put something under the knee if it makes the receiver more comfortable. Sit as parallel to the leg as possible without twisting your body to avoid hurting your back. Sit very close so you can keep your armpit closed so you’re not reaching over. As you age your skin can become very thin and dry and you don’t want to accidentally rip the skin. So I recommend massaging over the clothes. Put one hand on the calf inside to secure the leg and clothes and gently caress from the ankle towards the knee on the outside. The main purpose is to make them feel good from your caring touch and improve circulation. When you do a circulatory massage always stroke towards the heart to promote the blood to go back to the heart. Always use flat palm and flat fingertips. No grabbing or squeezing. Use your torso to save your hands. To make it less boring, do circles and draw bunch of imaginary lines and repeat. Do the same on the calf by securing the outside with the other hand. Do the same on the upper leg on the inside. And outside.
To do the other leg, instead of reaching over and hurt your back, reposition yourself and repeat.
Before I sign off let me re-iterate my message form the previous video. From my experience, I recommend you give caring touch to your grandparents while you can.
6-8-15 How to Massage Elderly’s Legs http://bit.ly/mm-060815