effleurage /ef′ləräzh″/ [Fr, skimming the surface] , a technique in massage in which long, light, or firm strokes are used, usually over the spine and back. Fingertip effleurage is a light technique performed with the tips of the fingers in a circular pattern over one part of the body or in long strokes over the back or an extremity. Fingertip effleurage of the abdomen is a technique commonly used in the Lamaze method of natural childbirth. Compare pétrissage, rolling effleurage.
