There are over 80 types of massage therapy. In all of them, therapists press, rub, and otherwise manipulate the muscles and other soft tissues of the body, often varying pressure and movement. They most often use their hands and fingers, but may use their forearms, elbows, or feet. Typically, the intent is to relax the soft tissues, increase delivery of blood and oxygen to the massaged areas, warm them, and decrease pain. A few popular types of massage include Swedish, deep-tissue, trigger-point and shiatsu.
Massage therapy dates back thousands of years. References to massage have been found in ancient writings from many cultures, including those of Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Japan, China, Egypt, and the Indian subcontinent. In the United States, massage therapy first became popular and was promoted for a variety of health purposes starting in the mid-1800s. In the 1930s and 1940s, however, massage fell out of favor, mostly because of scientific and technological advances in medical treatments. Interest in massage revived in the 1970s, especially among athletes.
More recently, a 2002 national survey on Americans’ use of complimentary and alternative medicine found that 5 percent of the 31,000 participants had used massage therapy in the preceding 12 months, and 9.3 percent had ever used it. People today use massage for a wide variety of health-related reasons: to relieve pain, rehabilitate sports injuries, reduce stress, increase relaxation, address feelings of anxiety and depression, and aid general wellness.
Source: National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine
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