Mankind has known about massage since time immemorial. Our ancestors instinctively knead and rub the diseased parts of the body. Subsequently, they found that the same actions help relieve fatigue, and even later massage began to apply to cleanse and soften the skin. The history of massage is reflected in many manuscripts, including the Bible, which talks about the procedure of rubbing and lubricating the bodies with aromatic oils.
In this article we will try to identify the main milestones in the history of the development of massage, from ancient times to the current century. Let us single out the key chronological points that influenced its formation, and find out what massage really is.
The history of “massage” is just like words rooted in Europe and Asia. The Arabic expression “masses” means “touch” and “gently press”, the French “massage” means rubbing, and the Greek interpretation of the word “squeeze with hands”.
Ancient times
The drawings made on the stone wall are the earliest evidence of the existence and use of massage. They are the protagonists depicting people rubbing each other. At the excavation site, traces of healing herbs, oils and ointments were found, used not only for healing wounds, but also for softening the skin.
In the distant third millennium BC, eastern healers used this art to treat diseases and improve human condition, as evidenced by the numerous Chinese manuscripts that captured massage in detail.
The history of massage, namely its technique, originates in China. This technique was developed by ancient Chinese healers, having discovered a tremendous healing effect when pressing hands on specific points of the body. They called her "Amma."
East
Subsequently, this technique served as the beginning of the development of a new method of influencing the human body, which we still use today - the detection of active biological points and acupuncture, all this was given to us by the massage.
The history of massage was further developed in Japan, where the technique was improved from generation to generation, as a result of which it became a root part of the Japanese culture, laying the foundation for another technical branch called “Tsubo”.
This technique allows you to affect the diseased organs of a person through numerous biologically active points. A little later, oriental masters improved the technique of massage, limiting themselves only to finger pressure. This technique is called "shiatsu" or, in other words, Japanese manual therapy. Masseurs who have achieved success in the development of shiatsu can cure a number of complex diseases and maintain the body in good shape.
Asia
The history of massage in India suggests that Indians combined massage techniques with hygiene procedures. The famous Ayurveda treatise (“Knowledge of Life”) from ancient Indian healers, written around 1500 BC, notes that massage during bathing will not only relieve fatigue and support well-being, but also completely clear the skin of toxins.
Famous archaeologists were able to find evidence that the Egyptians and Persians used massage and its technique not only for medicinal purposes, but also as a tool for caring for the face and the whole body. Making a variety of ointments and mixtures with the addition of herbs and tar, the Egyptians rubbed the composition of their body to rejuvenate the skin and heal cuts.
Egyptologists claim that the famous beauty Cleopatra very often took baths of milk, after which the servant massage her, rubbing her skin with aromatic oils. At the turn of our era, the history of massage, along with traditions, begins to penetrate into European countries.
Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome
In ancient Greece, a healthy lifestyle was highly welcomed and there was even a cult of body, hygiene and cleanliness that continues to be practiced to this day. The Greeks with enviable consistency did gymnastic exercises with regular visits to special baths, where one of the mandatory procedures was body oil treatment and subsequent massage.
The history of the massage did not go around the famous Olympic Games, which the Greeks loved so much. Before the start of the competition, all athletes were given a massage to increase morale and tone, and at the end of the competition the procedure was repeated to relieve fatigue and heal injuries.
The gladiators were guided by the same principles, kneading their bodies with massage both before and after the battle in the arena. Homer in his famous poem "Odyssey" repeatedly mentioned massage procedures when beautiful women rubbed the bodies of fighters who returned from the battlefield.
In the fifth century BC, the father of medicine Hippocrates was one of the first to study the effect of the massage technique on sick patients. Based on observations and his practice, he wrote that articulation in difficult situations can be relaxed with massage - gentle and moderate friction can thicken the tissues, and dry and frequent friction can tighten.
Middle Ages and Renaissance
The history of the emergence and development of massage in the Middle Ages has many gaps. From the beginning of the formation of the Roman Empire to the end of the XIV century, records were preserved only about the rule of the church, key battles and wars, about various superstitions and persecutions of the Gentiles. As for education, physical education and art, they were not respected.
But at the turn of the 15th century, the beginning of the Renaissance gave new life to science, painting and, naturally, a healthy lifestyle. It was then that massage began to be used again for therapeutic and prophylactic purposes.
The French physician Ambroise Pare, who lived in the 16th century, contributed to the spread of therapeutic massage in Europe . He was a court surgeon of several French kings. He was also remembered by historians because, with the help of massage procedures, he placed Queen Mary Stewart on her feet.
Ambroise gave a classification to massage, assigning it three degrees: soft, medium and energetic. Today, these names look a little different, but the essence of the procedure does not change: relaxing, general and stimulating. Many doctors of that time adopted the massage technique, adopting and somewhere supplementing the Pare technique, which subsequently allowed the procedure to be included in the medical postulates.
Modern methods
The modern history of the development of massage begins with the Swedish physiologist Henrik Ling, who lived at the turn of the 18th-19th centuries, whose works served as the beginning of the foundation of therapeutic gymnastics, which is known in the world as “Swedish treatment with movement”.
Ling introduced a new terminology for describing massage techniques: stroking, rubbing, cotton, tapping, vibration and rolling. These names are used by modern medicine, adding ever new terms and definitions.
Massage Recognition
No less famous Dutch figure Georg Metzger has developed his own massage technique, which is based on medical procedures from China, allowing you to recover from injuries and treat some disorders of the body. His theories, coupled with practical applications in the field of anatomy and physiology, made it possible to acquire a considerable number of followers who spread throughout Europe and reached North America.
Thanks to the hard work and work of Metzger and Ling, massage has been recognized by the world medical community and has become considered an effective method of treatment for the treatment of many diseases. The technique and subtleties of using massage for medicinal purposes began to be taught in honey. institutions for a narrow circle of specialists.
The history of massage in Russia
On Old Russian soil, in addition to hardening procedures, some types of massage were also used . These include: striking with wooden chocks, the famous and still preserved rubbing with a broom. The Slavs called this technique “horsetail,” and it was described in detail in the annals of that time.
The modern Russian history of massage is briefly described in the works of Zabludovsky P.E. and begins to develop widely in 1923 at the Moscow Institute of Physical Education, where a separate department of physical therapy was created. Then the massage began to be introduced into sports practice and find application in everyday life.