Massage therapy is considered to be one of the earliest, if not the original, treatment for relieving the body of pain and discomfort while promoting well-being. Evidence has been found showing that many ancient cultures practiced a form of touch, or massage, as therapy.
Massage therapy was practiced by the Chinese as early as 3000 B.C., with several ancient texts suggesting the use of massage, breathing exercises, and medicinal plants as the most effective treatment for numerous ailments. It also repeatedly refers to routine exercise and massage to maintain everyday health.
It is believed that massage was brought to India from China, where it has been a part of the Hindu tradition for over 3000 years. The healers in India developed Ayurvedic Medicine as a way to cure the body of its imbalances, which employed, among other treatments, special breathing techniques, dietary practices, and massage with herbal oils. Sacred writings that show that they considerd these treatments to be a part of the hygienic principles and duties of everyday life. These principles are still utilized today, having been adopted by practitioners around the world.
With time, massage was brought from the Far East to Europe, with the ancient Greeks and Romans incorporating therapeutic massage techniques into their baths. In the 5th century, Hippocrates, known as ‘the father of medicine’, prescribed the use of rubbing and friction for joint and circulatory ailments. He believed that all physicians should be trained in massage as a method of healing.
By the 6th century A.D. the early Chinese techniques had spread to Japan. Shiatsu, a Japanese healing art, involves the stimulation of acupuncture points (amma) by applying pressure with the thumbs, palms, and fingers to stimulate nerves, improve the circulation of fluids, and revitalize the life force energy (Ki).
In the16th-century, the French doctor Ambroise Pare (one of the founders of modern surgery) described various types of massage, and outlined different techniques that could be used. As the emerging science of anatomy, physiology, and pathology were further explored between 1500 - 1700, this knowledge was incorporated into the ancient techniques of massage, physical manipulations, and exercise to promote health and healing.
How did modern massage techniques develop?
Per Henrik Ling (1776–1839), a Swedish physiologist known as ‘the father of physical therapy’, developed Medical Gymnastics, a system of movements that included active and passive exercises, resistance exercises, and massage. This series of movements became known as the Swedish Movements and they spread throughout Europe and Russia via institutions that educated practitioners such as Dr. Charles Fayette Taylor, from New York. It was Dr. Taylor who introduced these methods to the United States in the mid 1800's.
Swedish massage also utilizes techniques that were explored and developed by Dr. Johan Mezger, a Dutch physician. His French-based terminology to describe the various techniques is still seen and utilized today. Dr. Douglas Graham wrote extensively about these massage techniques from 1874-1925 and is considered by many to be among the founding fathers of Swedish Massage in the U.S.
From the late 19th century through the 1950’s, the growth in popularity of massage was hampered by misdirected uses and practices. Massage was no longer widely taught, and the practices of treating disease through diet, exercise, and massage gave way to sophisticated medical protocols and the use of modern drugs. There was a revival during World War I and II in the Armed Forces hospitals as massage was found helpful during rehabilitation. Unfortunately, after World War II, massage was mainly utilized in athletic clubs, YMCAs or by trainers who worked with athletes.
Modern day massage is seeing a revival that began in the 1960's with the increased awareness of the need for physical and mental fitness along with preventative health care, promoting wellness, and reducing stress. This need has been recognized and further emphasized by the rising cost of health care. Massage, while still not being taught in the medical schools, began to re-emerge in the 1970's and 1980's as highly specialized private schools developed. With more states requiring professional licensing for massage therapists and the schools that train them, these rigorous requirements often include hundreds of hours of schooling and internships. The massage therapy coursework in Anatomy & Physiology alone rivals that of a Physical Therapist.
Now, commonly accepted throughout the medical world, and by many insurance companies, as an effective and true medical art, massage is successfully used in a preventative / holistic setting as well those medically based. Its presence can be seen in spas, salons, gyms, and cruise ships as well as hospitals, pain clinics, rehabilitation facilities, and drug treatment centers. This evolution has promoted the development of massage as an important health care profession, with today's massage therapist working along side physicians, nurses and physical therapists to promote health, well-being, healing, and stress management.