What is massage?

How many times have you rubbed a sore spot to make it feel better? At its most simple, that is massage. The basis of massage is touch - stroking, kneading or applying pressure to the soft tissues of the body, especially the muscles.

Massage is the oldest known form of therapy, with manuscripts from ancient cultures in India, Egypt and China all referring to massage. The earliest known is from China, dating back as far as 3000BC, and in addition, the Greeks and Romans are known to have used massage before and after exercise. The word massage has origins in various languages, for example the Greek word masso means to knead, and the French masser means to rub.

The basic strokes for most modern massage were developed in the 18th and 19th centuries, although specialist areas of practice have developed since then; holistic or Swedish massage, remedial massage and sports massage are examples of these. Each puts emphasis on the strokes most relevant to the purpose of the therapy, and of course each continues to evolve.

Massage improves the circulation, which increases nutrition to the tissues and improves the removal of waste products. The use of different types of massage techniques can relax or tone up muscle, can improve joint mobility, encourage tissue healing and have a positive effect on all your body systems.