History of body massage
Per-Henrik Ling (1776-1839), a Swedish medical-gymnastic practitioner, was born in the south of Sweden in 1776 and is often credited with developing the techniques of Swedish massage, or Classical Massage, as it is also known. In the late 1790s he suffered from rheumatism but discovered that the daily disciplines of fencing and gymnastics completely restored his bodily health. He wanted others to benefit from what he had learnt and so developed a system of medical gymnastics, which became known as the Swedish Movement System. His ambition was to do everything he could to make the Swedish population strong and healthy in both body and spirit. After many failed attempts, he finally received co-operation from the Swedish government in 1813 and the Royal Gymnastic Central Institute was opened for the training of gymnastic instructors. There have been developments on Ling’s work and while he used movement to cure ill health, the five classic techniques of Swedish massage are said to be credited to a Dutch physician, Dr. Johan George Mezger, even though Ling is more commonly called the “father of Swedish Massage”. Apparently, when researching Per-Henrik Ling's techniques in later years, researchers noticed some similarities between descriptions of Ling's techniques and the terms already in use as defined by Mezger. These terms were applied to Ling's methods and, because he practised in the decades before Mezger, he received credit for developing and naming these techniques.
What is body massage?
Body massage is deep tissues massage which is categorised in to several movements that treat the muscle in a different ways.
Effleurage (stroking), to spread the oil and the link movements.
Petrissage (kneading), to aid the removal of toxic waste products, the removal of lactic acid, slight toning of muscle, increase blood and lymph flow
Tapotement (striking), Stimulates circulation, Breaks down fatty tissue, stimulates nerve ending.
Frictions (rubbing), speeds up local circulation, helps absorbsion around joints
Benefits of body massage
• It relieves muscular tension and pain
• Increases the blood flow of blood and lymph
• Induces relaxation, slowing the heart rate and thus lowering blood pressure
• Can help alleviate stress-related conditions such as insomnia and headaches; joint and muscular disorders, such as arthritis and back pain; and digestive complaints, such as constipation
Thu Jun 11, 2009 3:36 pm
