Massage friction consists of deep, circular or transverse movements made with the thumbs, fingertips, knuckles, palms, or elbows. It is a stroke that aims to penetrate through the skin and to manipulate the muscles beneath. It is the most penetrating of the strokes, targeting the deeper layers of the tissue.
Massage Friction Description

Circular Friction

For the circular friction, the therapist's hand, or thumb, or finger, keeps a firm contact with the patient's skin, (like a glove), and it reaches through the skin targeting the muscles beneath. The fingers do not glide over the skin at all, they will rather move the skin, which then operates on the underlying tissue.
The circular friction is better performed without the use of oil, lotion or other rubbing lubricants. It is a technical mistake to use lubricants when executing friction.

Transverse Friction

It is also referred to as cross-friction or cross fiber friction.
The technique uses the tips and pads of the fingers, or the finger knuckles, (for deeper action), or even elbows. For more pressure we can reinforce by placing one hand over the other. As in circular friction, the fingers do not glide over the skin, but press down on it and move across the underlying tissue. As the technique's name suggests, the movement is a transverse friction, across the muscle's fiber, or across the tendon, or ligament.
Although the classic technique involves manipulating small body areas and no gliding over the skin, modern variants combine gliding and friction to manipulate larger body surfaces. Such a technique is a deep elbow effleurage targeting the muscles along the spine.
Ask the patient often if the pressure is deep enough or if is too deep. Remember to always friction on the opposite side of the spine from where you are standing. Strokes are usually done in the direction of the muscle fibers and following the blood circulation.

Benefits and Effects of Friction

• Works the deep tissues
• Breaks up adhesions and "knots"
• Increases circulation to the muscles
• Promotes absorption of non recent and chronic inflammatory products
• It is of a great help in the healing the tissues with a poor vascularization, (tendons, ligaments, etc...)
• Supports regaining flexibility and helps stretching shortened muscles, tendons, or ligaments.

In this video tutorial you can watch several friction techniques.

Types of Friction

• Circular and Transverse.
  Based on the direction of the manipulation.
• Finger friction.
  Small circles made with the fingertips or with the thumb.
• Palm Friction.
  Large circles made with the palm.
• Cross Fiber Friction.
  Any friction that is executed across the muscle fiber. Various angles are permitted. The pressure is usually very deep.
• Other types: elbow friction and knuckle friction.

Palm friction - a Russian massage technique done with the heel of the hand.

Contraindications

Besides the regular contraindications of massage, friction is contraindicated on pregnant women, on varicosities, active inflammations, skin infections or recently injured muscles.
Must be used with caution especially if the technique is modified for gliding. This will exert a lot of physical friction on the skin causing irritation.

Ligament and tendon work - friction is great for treating them.