The History of Massage Therapy
Humans all around the world have long recognized the importance of comfort and touch. In celebration of National Massage Therapy Awareness Week, let’s take a look back at the history of massage.
The History of Massage
The practice of massage has roots in every ancient culture. Though the first written account was found in China, humans all around the world have long recognized the importance of comfort and touch. A wide range of manual therapies have been practiced across history and the globe. The interchange of culture and knowledge, the pursuit of health, the evolution of scientific research, and so much more have influenced what modern massage therapy is today. In celebration of National Massage Therapy Awareness Week, let’s take a look back at the lineage of massage.
Tribal Healers & Shamans
Early shamanic practice utilized the rubbing of skin to promote healing. The Shamanic technique was to begin at the center of the body and rub outward to the extremities, ridding the body of disease by pushing out.
Ancient China
The ancient Chinese developed a massage technique known as anma (or anmo). This was characterized by pressing and rubbing on specific areas to warm the extremities and heal the organs. In Japan, the practice of anma would later evolve into modern shiatsu.
India
India is credited with a form of massage and bathing known as shampooing. Traditionally practiced in a steam bath environment, shampooing included kneading, tapping, friction and joint manipulation. The form is still practiced in India and Arabic countries today.
Ancient Greece & Rome
Greek gymnasiums promoted a combination of massage, exercise, and water treatments for ridding the body of disease and supporting health. In Greece, Hippocrates (c. 460-377 B.C.) created a style of rubbing known as antripsis in which practitioners began with the extremities and stroked towards the heart and the center of the body. Today, we see a similar technique of stroking towards the heart in lymphatic drainage massage. In the Roman era, massage and water therapy were also treatment tools for chronic pain, muscle disorder and disease.
Persia
Many Arab physicians were influenced by the practices of the ancient Greek & Romans. One such physician, Al-Kazi (A.D. 864-930), often recommended massage in combination with diet, exercise, and bathing as treatment for illnesses. Later, Ibn Sina (A.D. 980-1037) drafted the famous work The Canon of Medicine, in which he references massage with the use of baths and exercise as treatment of many diseases.
Sweden
During the early 1800s, Pehr Ling adapted a system of exercise known as medical gymnastics. He insisted that movement and manipulation prescriptions be based on anatomy and physiology, and be proven by clinical trial and measurement. Ling’s system stressed the importance of passive movements including stroking, rubbing, kneading, friction, gliding, and shaking performed by a therapist. This would later evolve into Swedish Massage. In the 1850s, medical gymnasts began practicing in the U.S. and this laid the foundation for modern day massage therapy in the United States.
The United States
Prior to the arrival of medical gymnasts, surgeons in the 1700s hired professional rubbers to assist with the rehabilitation of patients after surgery. They utilized rubbing and friction techniques as well as joint movements to increase range of mobility and aid in recovery. These informal providers practiced before medical licensing existed and would later be replaced by educated and formally trained masseuses and masseurs.
The titles masseuse and masseur became common in the 1880s, referring to manual therapists trained in the soft tissue manipulations developed by a European medical doctor named Johann Mezger. Mezger outlined the classic categories of massage techniques: effleurage, petrissage, friction and tapotement (vibration would be added later). Medical gymnasts integrated these techniques into their approach and eventually “massage” became the dominant term that referred to manual therapy performed by both groups. By the early 1900s it was becoming common to seek out massage for recovery after an illness, improved energy, and overall health.
In 1943 the American Association of Masseuses and Masseurs, (now the American Massage Therapy Association), was formed and began establishing educational and ethical standards for the field. During the 1960s, the terms massage therapy and massage therapists became the professional norm.
The 1970s through the early 2000s gave rise to the term bodywork, which was coined to encompass the diversity of manual therapies that surfaced in the U.S. during this period: Rolfing and Esalen massage from California, acupressure from China, shiatsu from Japan, Ayurvedic massage from India.
State regulation, scientific research, the commitment of practitioners, and increased consumer awareness continue to expand the practice of massage today!
Sources:
- Benjamin, Patricia J. “Brush Up on the History of the Massage Therapy Profession.” AMTA, 27 Aug. 2015, https://www.amtamassage.org/publications/massage-therapy-journal/history-of-massage/.
- Voner, Valerie. Essential Massage: Everything you need to Relax, Rejuvenate, and Relieve Stress. Adams Media Corp, 2005.
At Be Well Bodyworks, our licensed massage therapists specialize in stress relief, chronic pain management, and therapeutic care in a calm, healing environment. If you’re looking for your go-to clinic for personalized massage in Longmont, CO please contact us.
