MASSAGE

MASSAGE

Massage involves working and acting on the body with pressure – structured, unstructured, stationary, or moving – tension, motion, or vibration, done manually or with mechanical aids. Target tissues may include muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia, skin, joints, or other connective tissue, as well as lymphatic vessels, or organs of the gastrointestinal system. Massage can be applied with the hands, fingers, elbows, knees, forearm, and feet. Massage is the working of superficial and deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue using various techniques, to enhance function, aid in the healing process, and promote relaxation and well-being.

Massage is an instinctive and is a natural response to rub when aches and pains.

Archeological founds have shown evidence of cave paintings (15,000 BC) that appears to be the use of healing touch.

As early as 3000 BC Chinese have found records of the practice of massage. (200 to 101 BC)  and (AD 1 to 100) massage take place in the beginning of Chinese medicine. Acupuncture then was mention later on the 90 BC.

With the knowledge of massage and acupuncture  the Chinese developed a style called Amma (the precursor or the grandparent of all massage techniques).

Hippocrates the father of modern Western medicine  wrote in 460 BC that "The physician must be experienced in many things, but assuredly in rubbing or friction".

In the United States Massage started to become popular by the middle part of the 19th century (1856) and was introduced by two New York physicians , the Taylor’s brothers, based on Per Henrik Ling's techniques. Per Henrik Ling (1776-1839) a Swedish physiologist and gymnastics instructor. Father of the Swedish massage.

The word MASSAGE comes from the French massage "friction of kneading" others also attributed to Arabic massa meaning "to touch, feel or handle" or from Latin massa meaning "mass, dough. In any case the French have translated many Chinese books on massage and that would probably explain the French terminology for the primary massage techniques (effleurage, petrissage, tapotement, etc.)

In modern times massage have become more and more important in clinical and therapeutic practices due to the obvious preventive and curative benefits  to the body and mind.

"SWEDISH MASSAGE uses five styles of long, flowing strokes to massage. The five basic strokes are effleurage (sliding or gliding), petrissage (kneading), tapotement (rhythmic tapping), friction (cross fiber) and vibration/shaking. Swedish massage has shown to be helpful in reducing pain, joint stiffness, and improving function in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee over a period of eight weeks. It has also been shown to be helpful in individuals with poor circulation. The development of Swedish massage is often  credited to Per Henrik Ling, though the Dutch practitioner Johan Georg Mezger adopted the French names to denote the basic strokes. The term "Swedish" massage is actually only recognized in English, Québécois or Dutch speaking countries. Elsewhere the style is referred to as CLASSIC MASSAGE".