Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/1488451
An alternative orientation of the palm is to instead pronate the forearm to orient the palm toward the thenar eminence (Image 6A). This also allows for a strong but smaller contact than the full-f lat palm. And to focus the force of the stroke, we can orient the palm such that we place our force through the tubercles of the trapezium and scaphoid (Image 6B). Whether it is best to orient toward the thenar eminence or the hypothenar eminence depends on the contour of the client's body that we are trying to meet. Most often, the hypothenar side is most advantageous. But the f lexibility of being able to seamlessly switch from full-f lat palm toward thenar or hypothenar eminence and back allows for a much greater efficiency of our work. Thumb-Web Brace for Oriented Palm Orienting the palm for a focused hypothenar, thenar, or ulnar-side contact is where the use of the thumb-web brace shines. Although the opposite-side palm brace (Image 3A) works very well when employing the full-f lat palm as the contact, it does not allow for comfortable changes in the orientation of the palm toward the hypothenar eminence, thenar eminence, or the ulnar side of the hand, whereas the thumb-web brace does allow for transitioning from full-f lat palm to these other more focused contacts of the palm (Images 7A–7D). The ability to seamlessly move between these strong, broad, and comfortable contacts, with bracing for both increased strength and efficient body mechanics, can bring orthopedic therapeutic massage to a new level, especially when working with deeper pressure. L i s te n to T h e A B M P Po d c a s t a t a b m p.co m /p o d c a s t s o r w h e reve r yo u a cce s s yo u r favo r i te p o d c a s t s 51 6A: Thenar contact. 6B: Thenar contact with trapezium/scaphoid-tubercle focus. 7A: Full-flat palm. 7B: Hypothenar eminence. 7C: Ulnar side. 7D: Thenar eminence. 6A 7A 7C 7D 7B 6B Thumb-web brace for contacts of the palm The ability to seamlessly move between these strong, broad, and comfortable contacts can bring orthopedic massage to another level. Trapezium Scaphoid