History of Massage and the Benefits of Massage in the Modern World

Ancient History of Massage and Why it Was Used

The history of massage is believed to date back to approximately 3000BC in India where Ayurveda medicine was practiced as a sacred system of natural healing to heal injuries, relieve pain and cure illnesses. Ayurveda is an alternative medicine system based on the idea that disease is caused by an imbalance or stress in a person’s consciousness. It believes that massage therapy can restore the body’s balanced so it can heal naturally.

Massage therapy then travelled to China and Southeast Asia around 2700BC, and Traditional Chinese Medicine was created. Similar to Ayurveda, Chinese medicine believes that disease is caused by an imbalance or deficiency of energy and tries to restore the body’s balance and harmony between naturally opposing forces of yin and yang which can block qi and cause disease. This is an ancient system of health and wellness and uses techniques such as acupuncture, tai chi and qi gong, herbal medicines, dietary therapy, Chinese massage and other mind body practices.

There are depictions of massage therapy on Egyptian tomb paintings that date back to 2500BC. Ancient Egyptian Massage was based on manipulating certain energy pathways to correct imbalances, remove blockages and restore Ka, life energy flow. Depictions on tombs also show the first records of hand and foot massage, reflexology, oil massage and aromatherapy.

Around 1000BC, monks in China brought massage therapy to Japan where traditional Japanese massage, Anma, was created. Modern shiatsu is largely derived from this traditional massage. Anma was designed to regulate and strengthen organs by rebalancing energy levels through the stimulation of pressure points to bring natural resistance to illness.

Change in How Massage Was Being Used

The Egyptians influenced Ancient Greece and the Roman Empires use of massage. In Ancient Greece, Hippocrates, the father of medicine, believed that massage had two primary uses to strengthen and relax muscles. Exercise was seen as having the same goals, so massage and exercise were intricately linked. Athletes used massage in 800BC to condition their bodies and doctors applied herbs and oils in combination with massage therapy to treat medical conditions. Around 500BC Galen, a roman physician to gladiators and later emperors, was influenced by Hippocrates ideas of using massage therapy to treat injuries and illnesses. He popularised people receiving full body treatments to stimulate circulation and loosen their joints at Roman baths.

Modern Massage

Massage therapy use declined in history after the Roman Empire until the early 1800s when a Swedish doctor, Per Henrik Ling, rediscovered and popularised the use of massage therapy to help relieve chronic pain. Ling’s techniques and style of stroking, pressing, squeezing and striking was the foundation of Swedish massage that was invented by Dutch doctor Johann Georg Mezger around 1868. Mezger is credited with incorporating techniques and was first to apply French names to the basic strokes that are used in Swedish and modern massage. These basic strokes are Effleurage – stroking, Petrissage – kneading, Tapotement – striking and Friction – rubbing.

In the early 1900s the demand for massages increased and physiotherapists started using massage therapy for pain relief. Then in the 1950s, physical therapy became licenced and the American Massage Therapy Association was created establishing massage as a legitimate form of integrative medicine.

Benefits of Massage in the Modern World

Since the 1950s, massage therapy has been popularised as a more holistic approach to health care for the treatment of pain management and stress relief.

In today’s world, with the high demands of work, endless bombardment of advertising, phone notifications, traffic, pandemics and politics, it’s no wonder we all feel stressed out, anxious and in pain. What is happening physiologically, is our sympathetic nervous system is in overdrive as our body stays in the fight or flight mode thinking we are in constant danger and it has detrimental impacts on our health and wellbeing.

When the sympathetic nervous system is activated, a complex hormonal reaction occurs. First adrenaline is secreted, and if the body stays in this stressed state, cortisol, the stress hormone, is released and among other things causes blood vessels to narrow, and heart rate and blood pressure to increase. Maintaining this state over time affects brain functioning, ability to recall memories, gut dysfunction, weight gain, chronic disease, inflammation, reduced immunity, and issues with sleep.

By having a massage, it stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system which is responsible for relaxing and making your body rest after periods of stress or danger. As a result, activation of the parasympathetic system causes the body to slow down and reduces heart and breathing rates, lowers blood pressure and creates a calm feeling in the body and mind which all have an immediate influence on your stress, anxiety and sense of wellbeing.

Massage benefits include but not limited to reducing pain and muscle soreness and tension, improving circulation, immune function energy and alertness, reduction of stress hormones and increase of happy hormones, and increased joint mobility and flexibility.

Our Medi-Pro Chiro 4D Massage Chair is like your own qualified professional therapist that utilises stretching and therapeutic movements for a complete body massage. Whether you’re training for a marathon or needing some respite from work or the constant notifications on your phone, this chair will help relieve pain and soreness as well as help you relax and unwind from a busy day.

There are so many physical and mental benefits to using a massage chair and now you understand why massage therapy is necessary for our modern lifestyle. Check out our range of massage chairs online or come to one of our locations to try one out for yourself.