Massage is the manipulation 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. A person professionally trained to give massages is traditionally known as a masseur male or a masseuse female in European countries.
In the United States, these individuals are often referred to as massage therapists because they must be certified and licensed as "Licensed 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: Swedish, deep tissue, structural integration, trigger point, manual lymphatic drainage, sports massage, Thai massage, and medical massage.
Archaeological evidence of massage has been found in many ancient civilizations including China , India , Japan , Korea , Egypt , Rome , Greece , and Mesopotamia. BC The Tomb of Akmanthor [6] also known as "The Tomb of the Physician" in Saqqara , Egypt, depicts two men having work done on their feet and hands, possibly massage. The Nei-jing is a compilation of medical knowledge known up to that date, and is the foundation of traditional Chinese medicine.
Massage is referred to in 30 different chapters of the Nei Jing. It specifies the use of different massage techniques and how they should be used in the treatment of specific ailments, and injuries. Also known as "The Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon", the text refers to previous medical knowledge from the time of the Yellow Emperor approx BC , misleading some into believing the text itself was written during the time of the Yellow Emperor which would predate written history.
