A Historical Perspective of Massage
A systematic and scientific manipulation of the soft tissues of the body in order to obtain or maintain health, also known today as massage, has been practiced across the globe for thousands of years. The history of massage dates back to 15,000BC and has been found to be an instinctive and natural response to bodily aches and pains. We hope to take you through the global contribution of the massage, once used as folk remedy and slowly transformed into medical treatment.
The Prehistoric and Ancient World
In 15,000BC, European cave paintings depicted what is not proven to be, but what seems like the medical use of therapeutic touch. Dating back to between the second and first century, Chinese medicine began to take shape, using massage as a treatment for illness. The Chinese used massage, and later incorporated acupuncture, to develop a specific style called amma. Amma is found to be the precursor to all other manual and energetic therapies, leading to a number of schools of medical thought compiled under the mythical name of the Yellow Emperor. This became the classic scripture of traditional Chinese medicine, the Huang-ti nei-ching. The Chinese were the first to train and employ massage therapists.
By the sixth century AD the Chinese techniques in massage had migrated to Japan in the form of Shiatsu, meaning finger pressure, a component of amma. Shiatsu is based on the Asian belief that the body has a series of energy points (tsubo) each with a different purpose to bring balance between mind and body. As China, Japan employed blind massage therapists. In India, massage gradually became an integral part of Hindu tradition. Found in many sacred practices, such as the Ayur-Veda (the Hindu code of life) massage was used for the treatment of disease and maintenance of mental health. As the history of massage moved into the West, Asclepius, a legendary Greek physician, evolved into the god responsible for the emerging medical profession. His holy snake and staff are still seen today as a symbol of medicine.
In 500 BC, the ideas of healing and treatments in Greece merged into techne iatriche (healing science) leading to Iccus and Herodicus’s concern with exercise and the use of gymnastics. Hippocrates, recognized as the father of modern Western medicine, founder of a medical school and author of numerous books (Corpus Hippocraticum), placed importance on the value of therapeutic massage. In the Americas, the Mayas and Inca were documented using massage and joint manipulation, with the Inca also utilizing and incorporating the use of heat.
THE MIDDLE AGES
After the expansion of the Islamic world in the seventh and eighth centuries, the Greco-Roman medical doctrine was adopted together with Persian and Hindu medical knowledge including massage practices. Although, during the middle ages, Western medical practitioners began to use other medical treatments in the place of massage practices, folk healers and midwives used and passed on these practices as a healing art form. Slowly, with the revival of classical Greek learning and the invention of the printing press, Western medicine was revitalized by new translations of Greek and Latin texts.
THE EUROPEAN RENAISSANCE AND ENLIGHTENMENT
The Renaissance produced many advances in medicine, including Andreas Vesalius’s foundations of the human anatomy. His De Humani Corporis Fabrica is considered one of the most important studies in the history of medicine. French Military surgeon Ambroise Pare (1510-1590), was one of the earliest modern physicians to discuss the therapeutic effects of massage, especially in orthopedic surgery cases, and included classifications of different types of massage movements. Around this same time, two physicaian, Girolamo Mercuriale and Timothy Bright contributed to the knowledge and history of sports medicine. Mercuriale wrote the first book in the field of sports medicine, De Arte Gymnastica, while Bright discussed the use of baths, exercise and massage in his own works. Reaching the end of the seventeenth century, medical discoveries were adding to the importance of massage with the discovery of muscular contractions in Italy by Borelli, continuing on to Harvey’s discovery of blood circulations connection to heart beat and arteries and veins in England. Massage was slowly reemerging as an accepted therapeutic practice.
THE MODERN ERA
In the early nineteenth century, many authors were advocating and creating their own techniques to massage. Pehr Henrik Ling, a Swedish physiologist and gymnastics instructor developed his own system of medical and gymnastics and exercise consisting of active, passive and duplicated movements. Ling combined massage with physiology, defined as the Swedish massage. These practices were found to improve circulation, relieve muscle tension, improve range of motion and promote general relaxation. These practices were introduced to the United States in 1856 by the Taylor brothers who had studied Ling’s techniques in Europe. Another key player in the emphasis on massage was Johann Mezger, who made massage a key component to physical rehabilitation. Many individuals contributed to the expansion of massage in the United States, and during the time of World War I, therapeutic massage, exercise, and other physiotherapeutic methods were used in order to rehabilitate injured soldiers. During the twentieth century, the profession of massage was developed including a certification program and institutes. The history of massage has developed and taken many forms. Today, about 75 methods of massage therapy have been classified, evolving from European cave painting with influences from around the world. In the early nineteenth century, many authors were advocating and creating their own techniques to massage. Pehr Henrik Ling, a Swedish physiologist and gymnastics instructor developed his own system of medical and gymnastics and exercise consisting of active, passive and duplicated movements. Ling combined massage with physiology, defined as the Swedish massage. These practices were found to improve circulation, relieve muscle tension, improve range of motion and promote general relaxation. These practices were introduced to the United States in 1856 by the Taylor brothers who had studied Ling’s techniques in Europe. Another key player in the emphasis on massage was Johann Mezger, who made massage a key component to physical rehabilitation. Many individuals contributed to the expansion of massage in the United States, and during the time of World War I, therapeutic massage, exercise, and other physiotherapeutic methods were used in order to rehabilitate injured soldiers. During the twentieth century, the profession of massage was developed including a certification program and institutes. The history of massage has developed and taken many forms. Today, about 75 methods of massage therapy have been classified, evolving from European cave painting with influences from around the world.
