Massage Therapy: Tapotement Stroke

Massage Techniques

• QUACKING: striking the skin with the sides of the small fingers, with palms together and fingers aligned.
• CUPPING: curving the palm into a "C-shape" and striking the skin.
• POUNDING: contracting or compressing the skin alternately using the sides of one or both loose fists, suitable for large muscular areas like posterior legs and hips.
• RAPPING: striking the skin's surface with a loose fist, palm facing down.
• RAMBLING: dragging movement of an open hand across the skin, with the other hand pounding over the open hand, also known as Diffused, commonly used over the abdominal region.
• CLAPPING: alternate striking movement using the palm of both hands on the skin's surface.
• SLAPPING: alternate striking movement using the fingers of open hands on the skin's surface.

Tapotement

• Type of stroke that involves quick, rhythmic percussive tapping of the therapist's hands and fingers.
• Also known as Percussion.
• Therapeutic effects: stimulates nerve endings, improves blood supply, and tones muscles.
• Contraindications: weak, thin, and delicate skin, bony areas.

Strokes of Tapotement

• Tapping Punctuation: quick, consistent pressure and speeds using the fingertips, with a harder version used for the soles of the feet.
• Tapping Pulsing: alternate tapping with light to moderate pressure using the fingertips.
• Tapping Raindrops: lightly striking the skin at different times, like falling raindrops, commonly used on the face or scalp, avoiding excessive pressure around the eye sockets.

Other Techniques

• PINCHING: using the fingers and thumb to pull, squeeze, and release the skin, imitating a bird's beak pecking, also known as plucking.
• HACKING: producing a slight vibratory action on the muscles, also known as Karate Chop, relaxing muscles by hacking along muscle fibers with fingers parallel.