The oldest written record of massage dates back to nearly 5000 years ago (2700 BCE) in a Chinese medical text which detailed the application of massage techniques for therapeutic purposes. Chinese massage methods developed as a combination of skills and practices of traditional Chinese medicine, martial arts and the spiritual yoga training of Buddhists and Taoists. It was believed that diseases and illnesses arise due to dysfunction or imbalances in the energy pathways or meridians which mediate the physiological systems of the body. Consequently, massage was developed to address these imbalances and to allow energy to flow more harmoniously through the body, encouraging the body to heal and recover naturally. Techniques developed during this time include Tui Na, An Mo, acupuncture, and acupressure.
There is also evidence that the Greeks used massage (circa 800 -700 BCE) as one of the principal ways of relieving pain, as well as preparing themselves for physical activity. There are written accounts of athletes in Ancient Greece using massage to keep their bodies in peak condition prior to competitions. Hippocrates, a Greek physician and one of the leading figures in the history of medicine, wrote - “For rubbing can bind a joint that is too loose and loosen a joint that is too rigid” in 500 BCE. Subsequently, some credit him for creating the 'friction' techniques still used by today's massage practitioners.
The Romans also understood the benefits of massage and began practicing this form of physical therapy between 200 - 100 BCE. Following on from Hippocrates lessons, Galen, a physician to many emperors, began using massage therapy to treat different types of physical injuries and diseases. Galen believed in exercise, healthy diet, rest and massage as integral pieces in restoring and maintaining a healthy body. But massage was not just a luxury for the rich and powerful. Many Romans received full body massage treatments from trainers or doctors during visits to the public baths in order to stimulate circulation and loosen their joints.
Massage observed a decline in popularity and application through the first century (in the Western world at least) until the 1600s where it began to grow once again among physicians and scientists. Speed forward to 1868 where the next major breakthrough came when Johann George Mezger passed his doctoral exam with a dissertation on "The Treatment of Distorio Pedis with Frictions". This would go on to serve as the basis for the development of 'Swedish massage'. Mezger developed techniques which are still widely used in massage today including; effleurage, petrissage, friction, tapotement and vibration. Building on these advancements Therese Phimmer (1949) was credited with beginning the evolution of Deep tissue massage therapy, giving start to the idea of using techniques to rid a person of ‘knots’, and forming the basis of modern-day massage.
Following these innovations massage was beginning to be taken more seriously, but it was still not widely used. Initially only medical professionals would practice massage. However, in the UK massage developed into its own profession in the 1980s. Now there over 70 different massage modalities which are practiced in the UK. To begin with though, massage was still very much seen as an ‘holistic’ style of therapy and more for rest and relaxation. However, in time massage began to progress into the sporting world as more and more teams, coaches, and athletes started to realise the many benefits of sports massage. A big milestone for sports massage was in 2012 when sports massage therapists were officially listed as part of the UK London 2012 Olympic medical team. Sports massage today remains at the forefront of scientific research and is therefore constantly evolving.
Despite all of the recent developments, massage still remains deeply rooted in its ancient beginnings. From those roots, the core values of massage remain the same - to help others heal physically and emotionally and to help improve their quality of life.
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