Massage therapy is one of the oldest healthcare practices known. It is an ancient discipline whose history dates back to the 2350 AC in Babylon. Egyptians are documented as the first people practicing massage of the feet and hands (2300 AC). Chinese documents 200 AC talk about the development of a type of medical treatment that includes methods known now under the name of "massage". This Chinese system of treatment included techniques of pressure along the body's meridians in order to release blocked energy, cause of physical discomfort. The rebalance of energy flow would release tension and restore function of organs and muscles in the body. Now a similar approach is used in other manipulative practices such as Japanese shiatsu. Independently Thai people developed yoga massage at the time of Buddha, using a similar concept of pressure on energy channels that they called ‘sen’. They also added stretches and torsions to help release tightness and allow the energy of the body to flow better. Indians have integrated massage with yoga to create a system of exercise and massage for the maintenance of health, vitality and spirituality of the individual.
Some of the old documents speak of ancient treatments of medical conditions, such as paralysis, fever etc., through breathing exercises and massage of the soft tissue of the patient. Massage has been integrated in medical practice for thousands of years, first in the oriental world and then in the West.
In the West, Hippocrates, the Greek 'father of medicine', preferred to use techniques of body treatment (anartipsis) and natural medicines to surgery. Other Greek doctors used massage techniques to treat injured warriors. Greeks and Romans commonly used gymnasiums and baths where they practiced massage for health of both body and mind.
After the Dark Ages, it was only in 1500 -1600 that ‘massage therapy’ as a discipline started taking shape in France and Germany, for treatment of damaged or broken joints and bones and after surgical operations. Swedish massage was born in Sweden at the end of the eighteenth century, and developed to alleviate or solve pain due to abnormal conditions through the influences on joint movements. The Swedish massage was introduced into the United States in the mid-nineteenth century. In Europe, various disciplines and practices from around the world, Indian, Chinese, Swedish and Danish (lymphatic massage) were used as therapy from the '60s - '70s.
Massage practiced today uses many different techniques developed and specialized through the course of 5000 years of history and experience in medicine and care of the body and mind.
Massage has the ability to restore the structural balance of the body and at the same time help to relieve stress and promote emotional, mental and spiritual wellbeing of the individual.
Among the numerous benefits of massage, the most well known obvious is the effect on the structure of the body. Sport massage prepares for better performance and aid recovery from fatigue or trauma. A regular massage can also improve recovery from powerful training sessions and promotes an optimal function of the muscular-skeletal system. Coaches, athletes and health personnel are aware of the effects of massage on the muscular-skeletal system, like reduced muscle tension, increased range of joint motion and general flexibility. Improved blood flow delivers oxygen and nutrients to knotted areas and is key to helping muscles eliminate waste products, such as lactic acid, that may collect in muscles from spasms causing pain. Other immediate benefits largely recognized are the improvement of circulation of blood, lymph, interstitial fluids as well as energy.
These and more effects of massage have been proven by thousands of scientific research works. The effects have been revealed not only on the muscular system, blood and lymph circulation but also on the hormonal and nervous systems.
Changes in the parasympathetic system (part of the autonomic or involuntary nervous system, measured by heart rate, blood pressure and heart rate variability) and hormonal levels (measured by cortisol levels) following massage result in a relaxation response, reduction in anxiety and improvement in mood state.
The levels of endorphins hormones (hormones of pleasure), oxytocin (the hormone of sociality), dopamine, serotonin, adrenaline and cortisol are influenced by various massage techniques. Single applications of massage therapy were shown in certain studies to reduce anxiety, blood pressure, and heart rate, but negative mood, pain, and cortisol level were affected only with multiple applications. Reductions of anxiety and depression during a course of treatment (frequent repetitive treatments) appeared to be the most effective results of massage, similar in magnitude to those of psychotherapy.
Massage has also shown positive impact on psychological conditions like schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, bulimia and anorexia, trauma. According to some eminent psychotherapists the body can resolve emotional traumas and shocks if it is assisted through touch therapy in releasing its patterns of chronic tensions and blocked emotion.
Other measured effects of massage are promotion of deeper and easier breathing, relief of tension-related headaches and eyestrain, reduction of the formation of scar tissue following injuries, enhancement of health and nourishment of skin, improvement of posture by changing tension patterns, increased awareness of the mind-body connection and improved mental awareness (especially of own body parts) and alertness generally. Clinical positive results from massage include improvement of pulmonary function in young asthma patients, reduction of psychoemotional distress in individuals who suffer from chronic inflammatory bowel disease, improvement of motor development in premature infants, and enhancement of immune system functioning.
Touch used with sensitivity by the therapist allows him/her to receive useful information via the hands about the individual's body, the location of muscle tension and other soft tissue problems.
Touch is also a form of communication and sensitive touch can convey a sense of caring, enhancing the individual's sense of self and well being and reduce feelings of anxiety, depression and social isolation.
Tactile stimulation is essential in all phases of life and deprivation of touch leads to reductions in the level of hormonal substances necessary for health and wellbeing.
From the moment of birth the individual needs to receive positive experience of touch if we want to have her/him develop and maintain high levels of health and well being in his/her life. Increased handling of infants has shown to increase oxygenation of growing brain cells and the size of the brain; the rate at which these brain cells degenerate and die is double when infants are neglected, thus impeding their development. The area most affected is the hippocampus, center of many emotions. New born babies gain many effects from massage, such as greater weigh gain, increased motor activity, improved alertness, better sleep patterns, reduction of stress behaviors, enhance response to social stimulation among others.
Massage in the elderly helps delay the loss of sensitivity in the skin and the neuroactivity related to it. It also gives reassurance and sense of belonging.
Frequency of massage sessions can vary widely. If a person is receiving massage for a specific problem, frequency can vary based on the condition, though it usually will be once a week. Some people incorporate massage into their regular personal health and fitness program, receiving massage on a regular basis, varying from once a week to once a month.
References:
Caasanelia L., Stelfox D 2010. Foudnations of massage, 3rd ed. Elsevier Australia
Moyer, Christopher A.; Rounds, James; Hannum, James W. 2004 A Meta-Analysis of Massage Therapy Research. Psychological Bulletin, Vol 130(1), 3-18. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.130.1.3
Pornratshanee Weerapong, Gregory S. Kolt 2005 The Mechanisms of Massage and Effects on Performance, Muscle Recovery and Injury Prevention Sports Medicine , Volume 35, Issue 3, pp 235-256
http://www.answers.com/topic/massage-therapy-2#ixzz372UkqVAV
http://www.spineuniverse.com/treatments/physical-therapy/massage-therapy-helps-ease-neck-back-pain
