Massage

Massage is the rubbing or kneading of the body's soft tissues. Massage techniques are commonly applied with hands, fingers, elbows, knees, forearms, feet, or a device. The purpose of massage is generally for the treatment of body stress or pain. In English-speaking European countries, traditionally a person professionally trained to give massages is known by the gendered French loanwords masseur (male) or masseuse (female). In the United States, these individuals are often referred to as "massage therapists." In some provinces of Canada, they are called "registered massage therapists."

In professional settings, clients are treated while lying on a massage table, sitting in a massage chair, or lying on a mat on the floor. There are many different modalities in the massage industry, including (but not limited to): deep tissue, manual lymphatic drainage, medical, sports, structural integration, Swedish, Thai and trigger point.

The evidence regarding massage is generally low to moderate quality, inconsistent, and limited for long-term or definitive clinical effects.

Etymology

The word comes from the French massage 'friction of kneading', which, in turn, comes either from the Arabic word مَسَّ massa meaning 'to touch, feel', the Portuguese amassar 'knead', from the Latin massa meaning 'mass, dough', or the Greek verb μάσσω (massō) 'to handle, touch, to work with the hands, to knead dough'.

The ancient Greek word for massage was anatripsis and the Latin was frictio.

History

Ancient times

Archaeological evidence of massage has been found in many ancient civilizations including China, India, Japan, Thailand, Egypt, Rome, Greece, and Mesopotamia.