massage massage massage is the manipulation of the body's soft tissues. massage techniques are commonly applied with hands, fingers, elbows, knees, forearms, feet or a device. the purpose of massage is generally for the treatment of body stress or pain. in european countries, a person professionally trained to give massages is traditionally known as a masseur (male) or masseuse (female). in the united states, these individuals are often referred to as massage therapists, because they must be certified and licensed as "licensed massage therapists". in some provinces of canada, they are called “registered massage therapists”, as they are regulated health professionals. massage nccih manipulative and body-based methods techniques professionalized this article is part of the branches of complementary and alternative medicine series. in professional settings, clients are treated while lying on a massage table, sitting in a massage chair or lying on a mat on the floor. there are many different modalities in the massage industry, including (but not limited to): deep tissue, manual lymphatic drainage, medical, sports, structural integration, swedish, thai and trigger point. etymology the word comes from the french massage 'friction of kneading', which, in turn, comes either from the arabic word مَسَّ massa meaning 'to touch, feel'. or from the portuguese amassar 'knead', from the latin massa meaning 'mass, dough', from the greek verb μάσσω (massō) 'to handle, touch, to work with the hands, to knead dough'. by contrast, the ancient greek word for massage was anatripsis and the latin was frictio. history drawings of acupressure points on sen lines at wat pho temple in thailand ancient times archaeological evidence of massage has been found in many ancient civilizations including china, india, japan, korea, egypt, rome, greece, and mesopotamia. bc 2330: the tomb of akmanthor (also known as "the tomb of the physician") in saqqara, egypt, depicts two men having work done on their feet and hands, possibly massage. akmanthor bc 2000: the word muššu'u ("massage") is written for the first time, and its use is described, in some sumerian and akkadian texts found at the beginning of the 21st century in ancient mesopotamia. bc 722–481: huangdi neijing is composed during the chinese spring and autumn period. the nei-jing is a compilation of medical knowledge known up to that date, and is the foundation of traditional chinese medicine. massage is referred to in 30 different chapters of the nei jing. it specifies the use of different massage techniques and how they should be used in the treatment of specific ailments, and injuries. also known as "the yellow emperor's inner canon," the text refers to previous medical knowledge from the time of the yellow emperor (approx 2700 bc), misleading some into believing the text itself was written during the time of the yellow emperor (which would predate written history). bc 762: "in the iliad and the odyssey the massage with oils and aromatic substances is mentioned as a means to relax the tired limbs of warriors and a way to help the treatment of wounds." bc 700: bian que, the earliest known chinese physician uses massage in medical practice. bc 500: jīvaka komarabhācca was an indian physician who according to the pāli buddhist canon was shakyamuni buddha's physician. jivaka is sometimes credited with founding and developing a style of massage that led to the type of massage practiced in current-day thailand. though this claim is disputed. bc 493: a possible biblical reference documents daily "treatments" with oil of myrrh as a part of the beauty regimen of the wives of xerxes (esther, 2:12). bc 460: hippocrates wrote "the physician must be experienced in many things, but assuredly in rubbing." bc 300: charaka samhita, sometimes dated to 800 bce, is one of the oldest of the three ancient treatises of ayurvedic medicine, including massage. sanskrit records indicate that massage had been practiced in india long before the beginning of recorded history. ad 581: china establishes a department of massage therapy within the office of imperial physicians. middle ages many of galen's manuscripts, for instance, were collected and translated by hunayn ibn ishaq in the 9th century. later in the 11th-century copies were translated back into latin and again in the 15th and 16th centuries, when they helped enlighten european scholars as to the achievements of the ancient greeks. this renewal of the galenic tradition during the renaissance played a very important part in the rise of modern science. one of the greatest persian medics was avicenna, also known as ibn sina, who lived from 980 ad to 1037 ad. his works included a comprehensive collection and systematization of the fragmentary and unorganized greco-roman medical literature that had been translated arabic by that time, augmented by notes from his own experiences. one of his books, al-qānūn fī aṭ-ṭibb (the canon of medicine) has been called the most famous single book in the history of medicine in both east and west. avicenna excelled in the logical assessment of conditions and comparison of symptoms and took special note of analgesics and their proper use as well as other methods of relieving pain, including massage. ad 1150: evidence of massage abortion, involving the application of pressure to the pregnant abdomen, can be found in one of the bas reliefs decorating the temple of angkor wat in cambodia. it depicts a demon performing such an abortion upon a woman who has been sent to the underworld. this is the oldest known visual representation of abortion. in southeast asia, massage traditions and techniques have already been entrenched in the people's diverse cultures for centuries before trade contact with europe in the 16th century. in the philippines, a distinct massage and healing tradition called hilot developed, while in thailand, the tradition of massage that developed was called nuad thai. nuad thai was declared in 2019 as a unesco intangible cultural heritage. 18th and 19th centuries ad 1776: jean joseph marie amiot and pierre-martial cibot, french missionaries in china translate summaries of huangdi neijing, including a list of medical plants, exercises, and elaborate massage techniques, into the french language, thereby introducing europe to the highly developed chinese system of medicine, medical-gymnastics, and medical-massage. ad 1776 pehr henrik ling, a swedish physical therapist and teacher of medical-gymnastics, is born. ling has often been erroneously credited for having invented "classic massage", also known as "swedish massage", and has been called the "father of massage". ad 1779: frenchman pierre-martial cibot publishes "notice du cong-fou des bonzes tao-see", also known as "the cong-fou of the tao-tse", a french language summary of medical techniques used by taoist priests. according to english historian of china joseph needham, cibot's work "was intended to present the physicists and physicians of europe with a sketch of a system of medical gymnastics which they might like to adopt—or if they found it at fault they might be stimulated to invent something better. this work has long been regarded as of cardinal importance in the history of physiotherapy because it almost certainly influenced the swedish founder of the modern phase of the art, pehr hendrik ling. cibot had studied at least one chinese book but also got much from a christian neophyte who had become expert in the subject before his conversion." ad 1813 the royal gymnastic central institute for the training of gymnastic instructors was opened in stockholm, sweden, with pehr henrik ling appointed as principal. ling developed what he called the "swedish movement cure". ling died in 1839, having previously named his pupils as the repositories of his teaching. ling and his assistants left a little proper written account of their methods. ad 1878: dutch massage practitioner johan georg mezger applies french terms to name five basic massage techniques, and coins the phrase "swedish massage system". these techniques are still known by their french names (effleurage (long, gliding strokes), petrissage (lifting and kneading the muscles), friction (firm, deep, circular rubbing movements), tapotement (brisk tapping or percussive movements) and vibration (rapidly shaking or vibrating specific muscles)). china massage room in shanghai, china massage in china is a popular therapy, the city of shanghai alone playing host to over 1500 foot massage centers while there are more than 3000 in shenzhen. it is one of the biggest service industries in china with workers in shanghai numbering in the tens of thousands. the average rate of pay for a worker in the massage industry in china is over 10,000 yuan per month, making them a well-paying job in china's service sector. united states massage started to become popular in the united states in the middle part of the 19th century and was introduced by two new york physicians, george and charles taylor, based on pehr henrik ling's techniques developed in sweden. during the 1930s and 1940s massage's influence decreased as a result of medical advancements of the time, while in the 1970s massage's influence grew once again with a notable rise among athletes. until the 1970s, nurses used massage to reduce pain and aid sleep. the massage therapy industry is continuously increasing. in 2009, u.s. consumers spent between $4 and $6 billion on visits to massage therapists. in 2015, research estimates that massage therapy was a $12.1 billion industry. all but six states require massage therapists to be licensed, and licensure requires the applicant to receive training at an accredited school, and to pass a comprehensive exam. those states that require licensure also typically require continuing education in massage techniques and in ethics. united kingdom the service of massage or "physiological shampooing" was advertised in the times from as early as 1880. adverts claimed it as a cure for obesity amongst other chronic ailments. sports, business and organizations marathon runners receiving massages at the 2004 ing taipei international marathon massage developed alongside athletics in both ancient china and ancient greece. taoist priests developed massage in concert with their kung fu gymnastic movements, while ancient greek olympians used a specific type of trainer ("aleiptes") who would rub their muscles with oil. pehr ling's introduction to massage also came about directly as a result of his study of gymnastic movements. the 1984 summer olympics in los angeles was the first time that massage therapy was televised as it was being performed on the athletes. and then, during the 1996 summer olympics in atlanta massage therapy was finally offered as a core medical service to the us olympic team. massage has been employed by businesses and organizations such as the u.s. department of justice, boeing and reebok. athletes such as michael jordan and lebron james have personal massage therapists that at times even travel with them. types and methods acupressure acupressure is a technique similar in principle to acupuncture. it is based on the concept of life energy which flows through "meridians" in the body. in treatment, physical pressure is applied to acupuncture points with the aim of clearing blockages in those meridians. pressure may be applied by fingers, palm, elbow, toes or with various devices. some medical studies have suggested that acupressure may be effective at helping manage nausea and vomiting, for helping lower back pain, tension headaches, stomach ache, among other things, although such studies have been found to have a high likelihood of bias. aquatic bodywork further information: aquatic therapy aquatic bodywork comprises a diverse set of massage and bodywork forms performed in water. this includes land-based forms performed in water (e.g., aquatic craniosacral therapy, aquatic myofascial release therapy, etc.), as well as forms specific to warm water pools (e.g., aquatic integration, dolphin dance, healing dance, jahara technique, waterdance, watsu). ashiatsu a licensed massage practitioner performs ashiatsu massage. in ashiatsu, the practitioner uses their feet to deliver treatment. the name comes from the japanese, ashi for foot and atsu for pressure. this technique typically uses the heel, sesamoid, arch, and/or whole plantar surface of foot, and offers large compression, tension and shear forces with less pressure than an elbow and is ideal for large muscles, such as in thigh, or for long-duration upper trapezius compressions. other manual therapy techniques using the feet to provide treatment include keralite, barefoot lomilomi, and chavutti thirumal. ayurvedic massage ayurvedic massage is known as abhyangam in sanskrit. according to the ayurvedic classics abhayngam is an important dincharya (daily regimen) that is needed for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. the massage technique used during ayurvedic massage aims to stimulate the lymphatic system. practitioners