History of Massage
People tend to put massage into one of two categories, a recent practise that only the wealthy can afford to indulge themselves in, or, they relate it to some kind of sordid practice.
This couldn't be further from the truth, yes massage has been used for more sordid reasons in the past and present, and yes massage therapies have seen an improvement in popularity over the last few decades, but in real terms we are still way behind past civilisations and cultures that practiced massage therapies as a part of every day life for centuries.
The Chinese have records going back to 3000BC where massage was being used to treat illness, disease and to help maintain a healthy, balanced body. The Chinese discovered the Meridians, energy channels flowing through the body, and used their treatments to help balance the bodies energies.
The ancient Greeks were also among the first civilisations to practise massage, the term Holistic comes from the ancient Greek word Holos meaning 'whole'. They would use massage to treat the entire person, not just the presenting problem. The famous Greek philosopher Aristotle argued that physical touch is the most fundamental of all the five senses. Touch can play a massively important role in healing, comforting and as a medium to convey concern and compassion.
Massage went on to become a part of every day life in many cultures and civilisations over the centuries. The Romans used massage to treat stiff, sore, muscles and joints, the gladiators of the times would recieve massage to help them recover from injuries and also to stay in top condition before and after fights. The great Julius Cesar had regular massage therapies to help with his Nuralgia. The ancient egyptions used massage to 'anoint' their rulers, they also offered oils as gifts to their gods and the dead were embalmed, covering their bodies in oils to help preserve it and make it beautiful and scented.
We can see how far massage spread through the world by tracing the origins of the word itself. In Latin 'massa' means 'that which forms a lump', in Arabic 'mass' means 'to touch or feel', In Greek 'massein' means 'to knead' and in French 'masser' means 'to rub'. The use of massage as a way of promoting and maintaining health had become an accepted part of every day life around the globe.
The Middle Ages, a time some refer to as 'The Age of Ignorance', sadly put an end to most forms of science, biology and any intellectual thought. Anyone who studied anatomy and physiology would have been called a witch or a wizard and probably end up being hung. Massage became a form of sexual practise and all the beneficial aspects of it were forgotten about.
Fortunately by the 17th century scientists and anatomists were beginning to look again at the human body and many physicians had started to re-introduce massage, inventing new terminology such as pressure and manipulations. By the end of the 18th century massage began to see a large revival. Many different people has started to study and write papers on the subject.
Per Henrik Ling of Sweden was one of the most important individuals at the time. He realised how essential it was to have a full understanding of human anatomy in order to be able to use massage most effectively. He founded the system known as Swedish Massage and introduced new terms and techniques such as effleurage and petrissage. Sadly despite all of Ling's good work, massage wasn't accepted all over the world until the 19th century, mainly due to a lack of training and the fact that massage was still being used by 'women of ill repute'.
Massage went on to become more and more accepted throughout all cultures again. During the First and Second World War massage was used to help injured soldiers with rehabilitation and treatment of nerve injuries.
More and more people are seeing the benefits of massage again, in a busy modern lifestyle stress is arguably the greatest danger to our health. Massage continues to gain importance for people trying to maintain a healthy and balanced body whilst also leading busy lives.
