마사지 may be the oldest and simplest form of medical care. Egyptian tomb paintings show people being massage. Massage has been practice continually since ancient times in Eastern cultures. It was one of the principal methods of relieving pain for Greek and Roman physicians. Julius Caesar was say to have give a daily massage to treat neuralgia (nerve pain). In the 5th Century B.C., the father of Western medicine, Hippocrates wrote in the book The Physician Must Be Experienced In Many Things, “but assuredly in rubbing… for rubbing can bind a joint that is too loose, and loosen a joint that is too rigid.”
Massage lost some of its value and prestige with the unsavory image created by “massage parlors.” This image is fading as people gain the understanding that massage can relieve disease as well as aid in relaxation. As more people learn about the benefits of massage and it’s relation to disease, the more acceptable it will become.
Massage is now use in intensive care units, for children, elderly people, babies in incubators, and patients with cancer, AIDS, heart attacks, or strokes. Most American hospices have some kind of bodywork therapy available. And it is frequently offer in health centers, drug treatment clinics, and pain clinics.
Common Types of Massage
Massage therapists can specialize in more than 80 different types of massage, called modalities. Swedish massage, deep-tissue massage, reflexology, acupressure (similar to acupuncture but without needles), sports massage, and neuromuscular massage are just a few of the many approaches to massage therapy. Most massage therapists specialize in several modalities, which require different techniques. Some use exaggerated strokes covering the length of a body part (such as the leg). While others use quick, percussion-like strokes with a cupped or closed hand.
A massage can be as long as 2 to 3 hours or as short as 5 or 10 minutes. Usually, the type of massage given depends on the client’s needs and physical condition. For example, therapists may use special techniques for elderly clients that they would not use for athletes. And they would use approaches for clients with injuries that would not be appropriate for clients seeking relaxation. Also, some forms of massage are give solely to one type of client. For example, prenatal massage and infant massage are give to pregnant women and new mothers, respectively.
