Most ancient cultures practiced some form  of healing touch. Their healing
methods use herbs, oils and primitive forms of hydrotherapy. The Japanese learned about
massage through the writings of the Chinese. The Egyptians in turn left art work showing
foot massage.
During the Middle Ages massage played an important role in the healing tradition of the
Slavs, Finns, and Swedes. The combination of the health practices of the common people was
often associated with supernatural experiences and alienated massage from what little
scientific approach there was during this time. Around the 16th Century the use of massage
techniques for joint stiffness and wound healing after surgery began.
The development of Swedish massage is credited to Per Henrik Ling (1776-1839). Through
experimentation he learned massage. He developed a system of massage that used many of the
positions and movements of Swedish gymnasts. This system was based on the newly discovered
knowledge of the circulation of blood and lymph which he Chinese had been using these
methods for centuries.
Ling taught physicians from Germany, Austria, Russia and England who spread his teachings
to their own native lands after. Ling and others practicing the Swedish Movement Cure are
credited with the second modern revival of massage.
In 1889, British physicians, who were just beginning to favorably acknowledge massage,
because Queen Victoria supported the method. Practitioners at this time abuse this
technique; they made false claims made about lay practitioners’ education or skills,
patient stealing and charging high fees. Because of the massage scandals of 1894, public
and medical professions’ confidence in massage as a legitimate medical art during the
late nineteenth century went down.
 The polio epidemic of 1918
revived the massage technique. Research on the benefits of massage in the prevention of
the complications of paralysis began during this time. Broad licensing began in the early
1940s. The most recent revival of massage began around 1960 and has continued to this day.
Increased medical awareness that lack of exercise contributed to cardiovascular disease
and other diseases led to an emphasis on physical fitness. This made wy and gave birth to
health sciences, in the late 1960s, to move towards preventative medicine and the benefits
of sports were again discovered. Acupressure received more attention during the 1970s and
1980s than any other bodywork modality.
Current trends seem to suggest the increasing popularity of massage and body related
therapies used for stress reduction and chronic musculoskeletal problems. Massage can be
considered a part of manual medicine and throughout history has stood independently to
promote health. Manual medicine has grown today to become the foundation for osteopathy,
chiropractic and physical therapy.
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