Massage, in some form or another, has been practiced since the dawn of human culture. Physical touch with the intention to comfort, heal, or Heal physical or psychological pain is common to all cultures and during history each many cultures have developed their own different procedures of massage or manual treatment.
The History of Massage
The earliest written records of massage at a medicinal or curative capacity come from the early civilizations of India and China. Massage is contained in the early Hindu clinical writings of India, that the Ayurveda, which describes methods which are still in practice today. The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine or Huangdi Neijing, the foundation for conventional Chinese medication, which dates from the 1st or 2nd century BC, recommends massage one of its treatments.
Apparently, early Egyptian tomb paintings depicting massage also have been discovered. The classical Greek doctor Hippocrates, widely thought of as the”father of Western medication”, was a great proponent of massage as was the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar, who profited from daily obligations to deal with his chronic headaches.
In 16th century France massage clinics became more widespread because their usage by imperial court physician Ambroise Pare. In that the 1700s a really old and timeless Chinese text on massage known as the Cong-Fu of the Toa-Tse was translated and printed in French. Much of the primary standard terminology still used today in massage pedagogy is French in source (massage, petrissage, effleurage, etc.).
Swedish Massage
The most common and popular type of massage therapy in the West is frequently known as Swedish massage, or classic massage. Many of the techniques used in classic or Swedish massage are similar to the techniques developed and used throughout the 1800s from the Swedish physician Per Henrik Ling, who integrated massage to his medicinal gymnastics regimen, which would also become the foundation for physical therapy.
Ling borrowed techniques from Chinese massage, which he learned from his friend Ming, a practitioner of martial arts and the traditional Chinese practice of manipulative treatment called tui na. In 1813 Ling founded the Kungliga Gymnastiska Centralinstitutet, or the Royal Central Institute for Gymnastics at Stockholm, a center of higher learning for the education of physiotherapists.
As much as strict classic massage as a distinct discipline in itself is concerned, the development and application of the French terms can be attributed to Dutch massage practitioner Johan Georg Mezger (1838-1909). Mezger compiled the system of strokes used in massage which are still used today. So what is commonly known now as”Swedish massage” was actually developed by a Dutchman, though his terminology was used and popularized by the Swede Per Henrik Ling.
Conclusion
Today massage treatment is much more popular than ever. Varieties of massage practices from all over the globe are available, offering a broad selection of therapies, advantages and experiences.
Traditional manual remedies from the East such as Ayurvedic massage from India (such as the renowned Indian head massage), Japanese Shaitsu, Tui Nua from China and the favorite Thai or “Thai Yoga” massage from Thailand are becoming increasingly more prevalent in locations around the world, while contemporary Western styles continue to develop and diversify, including a selection of comfort and wellness-themed treatments in addition to medicinally-based body therapies.
Sports massage, Bowen Technique, Rolfing and manual lymphatic drainage are simply a couple of examples of the latter. It appears that in such times of innovative technology and medical science, humanity is still seeking to conventional approaches involving natural, manual treatment since these techniques continue to evolve, branch out and concentrate to meet humanity’s continuing need for touch based recovery and care.
