Feelin Good Massage & More

The word "massage" had its origins in many cultures. The Latin root "massa" means to squeeze or knead. The Greek root "masso" or "massein" means to touch, handle, squeeze, or knead. The French verb "masser" means to knead. The Arabic root "mass" or "mass'h" means to press softly. The Sanskrit word "makeh" means to press softly.

Massage has proven to be one of the earliest remedial practices of mankind. It is believed that prehistoric men and women massaged their bodies with herb and oils to heal and protect. It is one of the oldest and most basic means by which humans communicate with and care for each others. From earliest times it has also been used to enhance the feeling of well-being and improve physical appearance.

The Chinese practiced massage over 4,000 years ago. The Yellow Emperor's Internal Canon and The Cong Fou of Tao-Tse are but 2 ancient Chinese books that make reference to massage for healing. The Chinese developed a massage technique called amma which evolved into shiatsu.

In Thailand, as well as India, rubbing was and still is used in connection with religious ceremonies. Massage came to India via the Chinese and became an important part of the Hindu tradition. Cleaning ceremonies in India evolved into Ayurvedic medicine. The ancient Persians and Egyptians used baths and oils in connection with massage and exercise.

In ancient Greet culture, the physician Aesculapius was known as the god of healing because of his use of healing massage. He combined exercise and massge into what we now call gymnastics -and is credited with founding the first gymnasium. The original gymnasium was a place to treat disease and promote health. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, taught the benefits of using oils and massage.

The Greeks passed the art of massage on to the Romans. The Roman empire was well-known for their public baths. There were large stone massage tables in these bath houses on which anyone could receive a brisk rubdown with oils followed by a variety of baths to choose from. It is reported that even Julius Caesar received a pinching technique very regularly for relief of neuralgia and epilepsy. As the Roman culture spread throughout the world, so did the practice of massage. You can still find a Roman style bath house in England.

When the Roman Empire declined, so did the practice of massage and bathing. With the spread of Christianity, many bath houses were destroyed and the practice abolished. Still, many Roman medical writers and physicians continued write about the benefits of massage, exercise, and bathing.

Not much was written about the practice of massage during the Middle Ages. Science and art suffered duirng this time. Superstition and war took to emphasis off of the physical self. Massage became mainly a practice of folk healers. Yet there still remains in Baden-Baden, Germany, a spa that survived the Middle Age repression.

In the seventh century, Islam began to spread throughout North Africa, Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, and Persia. This movement did much to preserve the Greco-Roman culture. An Islamic Persian philosopher/physician by the name of Rhazes, or Razi, wrote an encyclopedia of Arabic, Roman, and Greek medical practices that told of the benefits of exercise, diet, and massage in healing and the preservation of health. Avicenna, another Persian philosopher/physician, wrote what is considered to be the most important book in medical history. His Canon of Medicine made many references to massage, exercise, and bathing. These books actually opened the door for the Renaissance as they made their way to the West.

With the re-emergence of the Renaissance, there was a reviveal of interest in the arts and science. People became interested, once again, in physical health and their appearance. A few prominant physicians in Europe were using friction and rubbing techniques in their treatments. In the Scandinavian and Slavic areas, it became a part of the mainstream medical community.

In the sixteenth century, a barber and surgeon by the name of Ambroise Pare publicized the positive effects of massage in the healing process. He became known as one of the founders of surgery and the inventor of oigation of arteries. He served as the personal physician to four of France's kings. In 1569 he published the book 'De Arte Gymnastica'. This book focused on gymnastics and the benefits of massage. His concepts were passed on to other French doctors.

During the sexteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries massage was re-established as a proven scientific practice for health maintenance and treatment. Aspects of therapeutic massage were taught to physicians and other healers.

In the early 1800's, Per Henrik Ling of Sweden developed a system of movements called Medical Gymanstics. The movements he used were classified as active, duplicated, and passive. The active movements were done by the patient alone. The duplicate movements were done by the patient and therapist together, and the passive movements were performed by the therapist to the patient. This system of movements is more commonly called Swedish movements. After his death, Ling's Swedish movements spread across Europe and Russia.

Two competative brothers were responsible for introducing the Swedish Movement Cure to the United States. Charles Fayette Taylor received private instruction on the technique from Mathias Roth. Roth had sudied under Ling himself at the Royal Central Institute in Sweden. Charles was a physician in New York where he practiced and taught the technique. His brother, George Henry, received his training in the Swedish Movement Cure at the Dr. Sotherberg Institute in Stockholm. Together, these brothers started an orthopedic practice in New York. Within a year, each went their separate way. They both continued to practice and teach until their deaths. It was their efforts that brought the Swedish Movement Cure...and massage itself...a greater acceptance by the public and the medical field.

Much of the terminology used in the field of massage today is the result of the work of Dr. Johann Mezger of Holland. He became known as the founder of scientific massage. Through his efforts, massage became a fundamental component of rehabilitation in physical therapy. Words such as effleurage, petrissage, tapotement, and massage are still used because of Mezger's preference for the French language.

In the late 1800's, scandals began to arise concerning the training of massage practitioners and the credibility of massage therapy. As a result of these scandals, an organization comprised of 8 masseuses was formed in 1894. This group believe it was necessary to impose standards on training and the practice of massage. The membership grew to 12,000 by 1939. Strict exams were then given and restrictions put in place.

As a result of these scandals, as well as scientific and technological advances of the early 1900's, the practice of massage suffered. It was replaced by new treatments focused on pills, drugs, and surgeries. People came to prefer the more sophisticated treatments, abandoning the older treatments of diet, exercise, bathing, etc.

Austrian born Emil Vodder developed his Manual Lymph Drainaige technique. This involved the gentle rhythmical massage along the surface lymphatics. By doing so, the functioning of the lymph system is accelerated. This technique is used to treat chronic lymphedema and other diseases of venous or lymph circulation.

An English orthopedic physician, Dr. James H. Cyriax, popluarized the Deep Transverse Friction Massage. This technique 'broadens the fibrous tissues of muscles, tendons, or ligaments, breaking down unwanted fibrous adhesions and thereby restoring mobility to muscles in a way that cannot be acheived by passive stretching or active exercise. This technique is popular in physical therapy and massage therapy to this day.

Sister Kenny demonstrated how massage was successful in the prevention of paralysis and crippling during the polio epidemics in the U.S. and Canada. She also used massage during rehabilitation of the disease.

Though massage was still struggling for recognition in the mid-1900', the American Association of Masserus and Masseuses was founded in 1943. This association was the forerunner to the American Massage Therapy Association.

Reflexology was rediscovered by William Fitzgerald in 1913. This technique was taken from ancient Chinese foot massage. Eunice D. Ingham taught this method and wrote the well-known book 'Stories the Feet Tell' in 1959.

In the 1960's, massage became popular once again in the United States. It gains its popularity as an alternative healing technique. Massage was publicized and implemented as a preventative and stress reducing technique. At the same time, chiropractic care was on the rise in the U.S. Today many chiropractors implement massage techniques in their practice...and many employ massage therapists.

Gertrude Beard and Frances tappan had a great influence on massage throught the books they wrote. Beard's 'Beard's Massage' (1964), and Tappan's 'Healing Massage Techniques' (1998, 4th eidtion), are considered teaching standards.

Private massage schools began appearing in the 70's and 80's. That is when some states began to demand licensure for massage practice. These events brought about the formation of many new associations for massage therapists.