Massage is the practice of soft tissue manipulation on living animals. This therapy can be used on humans, dogs, horses and cats. The goal is to provide physical, functional and some psychological improvement in the function of the animal. The word massage comes from the French language and means “friction of kneading”. In the Arabic language it means “to touch, feel or handle” and in the Hebrew meaning “to anoint with oil”.
The use of massage has been found in the writings of many ancient civilizations. There are biblical references as well as references in Chinese medicine books. During the early Roman Empire there were some illnesses that were treated by massage. In more modern times, the practice of massage has absorbed many Western ideas into its traditional framework. It became more popular in the United States in the middle 1800s. Over time the popularity of the practice of massage has ebbed and waned. It began to grow in influence once again during the 1970s, most notably among athletes who use a technique to improve performance.
Unfortunately the term “massage therapy” has come to mean several things in the Western world. Illegal sexual services are sometimes advertised as “massage” and so the distinction is often made between massage and massage therapy. Massage therapy is also gaining popularity in the United Kingdom through the practice of many private practitioners who work from their own homes or commercial venues.
The practice is about applying correct pressure to certain points in the body to bring relief to damage stressed areas as well as treat injuries and diseases. Massage therapy schools claim there are approximately 200 variants of massage techniques with new ones being developed and modified almost yearly. Each different technique has a specific focus aimed to add treatment. And in some cases each of the different massage therapies also have specific theories under which they practice.
In September 2004, a new study was published that used a meta-analysis of peer-reviewed scientific journals using massage therapy in the adult population. The study concluded that massage therapy had a wide range of physical and psychological benefits. There were also some surprises in the research findings.
In this study, patients received a single application of massage therapy during which anxiety state, blood pressure, heart rate, negative mood and immediate assessment of pain and cortisol levels were examined. There were also multi-application studies where trait anxiety, depression and delayed assessment of pain were evaluated.
According to the researchers the average participant who received a single massage therapy session experienced a reduction in anxiety that was greater than 64% of the participants who received a different treatment. It was also effective in reducing blood pressure and heart rate. Surprisingly however, it did not reduce cortisol levels significantly which differs from conclusions in previous studies. This is significant because if the theory that massage promotes a response in the parasympathetic nervous system is true it would also be expected that a significant reduction in cortisol levels would have occurred, and they did not.
As a result of this study researchers theorize that massage therapy may provide a benefit in a way that parallels a model of psychotherapy. But, although the similarities between massage therapy and psychotherapy are significant, researchers do not believe that benefits derived from massage are “all in your head”.
In another study published by the National Center For Complementary and Alternative Medicine published May 2004, researchers found that massage was the ninth most popular form of alternative medicine with an estimated 5% of the adult population using therapy at least once in the past 12 months. The use of massage continues to rise and so has the interest in research to offer clinical proof for claims of massage therapists.
Resources:
NYU Langone Medical Center: Massage Therapy
http://www.med.nyu.edu/content?ChunkIID=37433
Monumental Massage: Effectiveness of Massage Therapy
http://www.monumentalmassage.com/articles/massage_therapy_effectiveness.html
Journal of Massage Science: How Massage Therapy Heals the Body
http://www.scienceofmassage.com/dnn/som/journal/1001/therapeutic.aspx
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities: Massage Therapy
http://www.mnscu.edu/collegesearch/index.php/program/profile/6177/0142/
University of Minnesota: How Does Massage Therapy Work
http://takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/explore-healing-practices/massage-therapy/how-does-massage-work
Minnesota State: Massage Therapy Program
http://www.minnesota.edu/programs_majors.php?prog_code=651
Keck Hospital of USC: Massage Therapy
http://www.keckhospitalofusc.org/condition/document/37433
National HOlistic Institute: Massage Therapy Schools
http://nhi.edu/articles/massage-therapy-schools.html
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Massage Therapy
http://nccam.nih.gov/health/massage/massageintroduction.htm
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