Back Rub Comfort Care

Key Points

• Use side-rail and rolling technique to expose only the back safely.
• Sequence strokes: long gentle, large circles, small circles, then long gentle finish.
• Stop and report if resident has pain or discomfort.

Equipment

• Gloves
• Lotion

Procedure Steps

1. Complete routine pre-procedure actions and don gloves.
2. Raise one side rail, move to opposite side, and assist resident to roll toward raised rail.
3. Expose only back from shoulders to upper hips.
4. Warm quarter-sized lotion between hands.
5. Perform long gentle strokes from hips to shoulders about five times.
6. Ask about pain/discomfort continuously; do not massage over red or swollen areas; stop and report pain.
7. Add lotion as needed to reduce friction.
8. Perform large circles from hips to shoulders about five times.
9. Perform small circles from hips to shoulders about five times.
10. End with long gentle strokes from hips to shoulders about five times.
11. Remove gloves and complete post-procedure safety checks, including preferred positioning and lowering raised rail.
12. Document/report skin changes or pain findings.

Common Errors

• Continuing despite resident pain → may worsen injury and violates comfort goals.
• Excess friction from inadequate lotion → increases skin irritation risk.
• Inadequate side-rail/roll safety setup → increases fall and handling risk.

Related

• skin-moisturizing-care - Uses similar lotion handling and skin observation principles.
• positioning-supine-to-lateral-side-lying - Supports safe resident repositioning for back access.