Recently, the practice of massage therapy has grown remarkably in the United
States. It has become more widely accepted as a medical practice by doctors as
well as the general public. Massage is defined as: …the systematic manual or
mechanical manipulations of the soft tissues of the body by such movements as
rubbing, kneading, pressing, rolling, slapping, and tapping, for therapeutic
purposes such as promoting circulation of the blood and lymph, relaxation of
muscles, relief from pain, restoration of metabolic balance, and other benefits
both physical and mental (Beck 3). The use of massage therapy has many benefits
that even medicine or other methods of relief cannot offer. Historical evidence
has led to indicate that massage was probably one of the earliest remedies for
pain relief and for the restoration of the body. The roots of massage can be
traced back to ancient civilizations where many artifacts have been found to
support the belief that prehistoric people massaged their muscles and perhaps
even used some form of oil. Early civilizations including ancient Chinese,
Japanese, Indian, Hindu, Greek and Roman used some form of massage therapy
treatment. With the decline of the Roman Empire, popularity of massage and
health care in general also declined. The Renaissance period brought back the
interest in health and science, and massage once again became common practice.
In the following century, medical practitioners incorporated massage therapy
into their healing treatments. Early in the nineteenth century, Per Henrik Ling,
a physiologist and fencing master, from Sweden developed systems of movements
that he found to be beneficial in improving physical conditions. Based on the
science of physiology, his movements became known as Medical Gymnastics. Ling
established the Royal Swedish Central Institute of Gymnastics in 1813. Ling's
Medical Gymnastics was taught in his new institute and became known as the
Swedish Movements. Per Hendik Ling became known as the father of physical
therapy. Mathias Roth, an English physician who studied at Ling's institute,
established his own institute in England. Then Charles Fayette Taylor, a
physician from New York, studied under Roth and brought the Swedish Movements to
the United States. In the beginning of the twentieth century, massage therapy
once again began to decline. A reason for the decline was that many false
practitioners, taking advantage of its popularity, gave poor treatment and hurt
the reputation of all practitioners. The advancement of new medicine also helped
in the decline. "Technical and intellectual advances developed new
treatment strategies that were based more on pharmacology and surgical
procedures. The old ideas of treating disease through diet, exercise, and
bathing gave way to the more sophisticated practices of modern medicine."
(Beck 13). In the 1960's, the popularity massage therapy once again revived. The
popularity boom was caused by the increased cost of traditional medicines and
increased awareness of physical and mental fitness. Massage therapy gained in
popularity through the years and its recognition became official in 1992 when
the first National Certification for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork exam was
given. Massage therapy offers many benefits to the human body without the use of
medicines. "Massage therapy has clearly been shown to me to be very
beneficial, particularly in areas where conventional medicine has not been as
successful, including chronic arthritis, musculoskeletal syndromes and chronic
headache, among others" (Fritz 56). Massage is a natural and instinctive
way of relieving minor aches and pains as well as nervous tension and fatigue.
Direct benefits include increased blood circulation, stretching or muscle
tissue, and loosening of scar tissue. This results in the indirect effects of
reduced blood pressure and the general relaxation of muscles. Major advantages
of massage therapy include the increased health of the muscular system, the
nervous system, and the circulatory system. The stimulation of the muscular
system and its circulation, nerve supply and cell activity encourages the
nutrition and development of the muscles. "A muscle fatigued by exercise
will be more quickly restored by massage than by rest alone because massage
helps to remove from the muscle the lactic acid and metabolic wastes that cause
it to tighten or become sore" (Thomson 43). Injured muscle tissue will have
a faster healing time and with fewer complications with the application of
therapeutic massage because it prevents, or breaks down, the formation of scar
tissue. Massage also eases the pain of an injury to a ligament or tendon by
dispersing the inflammation caused by an injury. Because of the benefits massage
therapy offers the muscular system, massage is an effective means of improving
muscle tone as well as muscle stamina and strength. "Massage has the
ability to prevent or at least delay muscular atrophy that stems from
inactivity" (Fritz 102). Massage will also help relieve, or even prevent,
muscle cramps or spasms. The nervous system can be stimulated or soothed
depending on the type of massage applied. Massage stimulates the nerve endings
in the skin and muscle tissue. As easily as massage can stimulate a nerve, it
can bring about a sedative effect to the nervous system helping to induce deep
relaxation and even relieve insomnia. A therapeutic massage affects the quality
and quantity of blood flowing through the circulatory system. "Massage
dilates the blood vessels, which improves the circulation of blood" (Beck
250). An increase in blood flow causes an increase in the blood supply and the
nutrients that muscles and other vital organs receive. Massage eases the strain
on the heart by helping push venous blood and lymph toward the heart. It also
improves the blood-making process, resulting in the increase of the production
of red and white blood cells. Through its long history of use, therapeutic
massage has become a very popular method of relief that is fairly safe. Today
massage is available almost anywhere including spas, health clubs, resorts,
clinics, as well as airports. Massage therapy has proven to be an effective
method for treating many conditions for thousands of years and it will continue
to be used for thousands of years to come.

Bibliography
Beck, Mark. Milady's Theory and Practice of Therapeutic Massage. 3rd ed.
Albany: Milady Publishing Company, 1999. Thomson, Ann. Tidy's Physiotherapy.
12th ed. Woburn: Butterworth-Heinemann, 1999. Fritz, Sandy. Mosby's Fundamentals
of Therapeutic Massage. St. Louis: Mosby-Year Book, Inc., 1995.