In my native language, there's a word that describes the process of
pressing (gently or hard) and releasing, again pressing and releasing, and so on...
on any body area.
Now, this is the most useful therapy to alleviate 'pain'. The best example I can come up with is 'headache'. Normal headaches 'can be cured' using this technique.
Not just headache, this is effective on any paining organ -say legs, calves, back, shoulder or wherever.
This is not massage.
The difference is, in massage, you 'rub' and also 'move' your palms together. Here, you don't! Take head. One will press your forehead with palms and the release, again press, then release...and so on. Rubbing will never happen in this process.
Well, if there's no word, a phrase would work.