Massage for Tired and Aching Legs

In a single stride, you use more than 100 different muscles. These same muscles have to carry twice your body weight with the impact of every step you take. Even if you stand as still as a stork all day, they take the strain and support you so that you do not fall over. In addition, it is these same muscles that let you do fancy steps as you dodge the traffic or dance the night away. The legs take this kind of physical abuse in their stride, since a trip, run, hop and jump are all in a day's work. However, after a long day they get tired and affect the whole body, so you shuffle around in a bad mood rather than tripping about with a smile and a skip. This is the time for a massage, as it will not only relax your legs, but also recharge flagging energy levels enough for them to carry you through a night on the town.

However, if you push it too far either by over-exercising or standing for long periods day after day - the leg muscles really do rebel and they ache, stiffen, swell and knot with pain, which can cause long-term leg problems, such as varicose veins or oedema. So if you over-exercise frequently, if you stand for long periods every day, if you are pregnant or very overweight, you should have regular leg massages as a preventative measure to help relax the muscles and boost the blood circulation.

How to Massage Tired or Aching Legs
For the greatest benefit, you need firm upward massage strokes and fast friction rubs to relax the large leg muscles and help the blood flow back up against the pull of gravity. As the legs have few natural oil-producing sebaceous glands, use lots of oil to keep the skin soft and supple all year round. A leg massage is most comfortable for someone lying down on a firm surface. If he is on the floor, you will have to kneel to massage him; otherwise, he should be lying high enough for you to stand comfortably so you that you do not strain your back. While you work on one leg, cover the other with towels to keep it warm. After the massage, he should lie down for ten minutes with feet propped up on pillows or against a wall, so they are higher than the head.

1. For steps one to five, the person being massaged should lie face down. Starting at the feet, stroke up the sides of the left leg from ankle to thigh. Place each hand, palms down, just above the ankle bone, with your fingers together pointing forwards. As you push up the leg, press in firmly with the heel of your hands and keep your fingers relaxed. Release the pressure as you glide your hands over the knee joint, then press in again to the thigh top. On the downward stroke, keep the movement gentle, using your fingers lightly to stretch the skin back towards the foot.

2. Stretch the back of the left leg by gently bending the heel up towards the bottom as far as is comfortable. Hold for a count of five, then relax and repeat. Place your thumbs together on the outer leg above the ankle bone. Press in with your thumbs and slowly slide them upwards along the calf muscle to the knee. Repeat, working in lines upwards so that you thumb-stroke the entire calf from outer across to inner leg.

3. Now work from the upper calf up to the top of the thigh on the left leg. Place your hands, palms down, positioned across the leg so that your fingers are pointing in opposite directions. With a firm downward pressure, slide both hands upwards in one long stroke from the knee to the thigh top. Fan your hands out in opposite directions at the top of the thigh and draw each hand back down the side of the leg to the knee. It is a firm upwards pressure and a lighter downward pull to stretch the skin. Keep the strokes flowing in a smooth, even rhythm for several minutes.

4. Stretch the back of the left leg again, by gently bending the heel up towards the bottom as far as is comfortable. Hold for a count of five, then release and repeat. Next, knead the back of the thigh muscle all over, using both hands to pinch the flesh between the thumbs and fingers as you press deeply into the muscle. Curve your fingers around the leg to knead the sides of the thigh; continue for several minutes. Finish off with two firm knees to thigh palm strokes, as in step three.

5. Still on the left leg, start with your hands on the calf above the ankle. Place them so that your wrists are together, with your fingers pointing down, wrapped around the leg. Press down into the heels of the hands with the fingers relaxed, then slide your hands out and away from each other around the leg. The movement is as if you are pushing the flesh in opposite directions, around to the front of the leg. Repeat, working up the calf, and stop just below the knee. Then continue above the knee, working up to the top of the thigh.

6. The person being massaged should turn face up. Bend her leg so that it is raised and tuck her foot between your knees. Wrap each hand, one above the other, around her ankle so that your thumbs are to the front and your fingers curve around the back. Push up from the ankle to the knee with a firm pressure, one hand following the other. At the top, fan out your hands and palm stroke firmly back down each side of the calf. Then grip round the ankle and repeat several times in a smooth motion.

7. In the same position, move further forward so you can do the next stroke from the knee to the top of the thigh. With one hand palm up, place your thumb on the side of the thigh with your fingers wrapped around the back. With a firm inward pressure, slide your hand up the back of the thigh, then fan it round and do a palm stroke back down the front of the thigh. The hands should follow, one after the other, in a smooth, flowing motion so that each takes a turn to do the complete up and down stroke. Repeat for several minutes.

8. Straighten the leg and place one hand, palm down, on each side just above the ankle bone. With your hands working in unison in a backwards and forwards sawing motion, do short, fast frictions rub. Gradually move up the sides of the leg from ankle to thigh. Repeat from the ankle up again, this time bending the knee up so that you can rub the leg with one hand at the front and one at the back. Then do steps one to eight on the other leg in exactly the same way. Finish off by holding the legs firmly at the ankles and pulling them gently away from the body to extend them. Hold for a count of ten, release, then repeat.