History and culture of massage therapy

1. A comparison of the development of massage in the eastern and western traditions.
Massage has been practised for a number of years throughout a large variety of cultures. It was first used as a healing procedure, carried out by the village Sharman (healer), or taught in the family and passed on through the generations.
Massage was first documented in Eastern cultures as early as 3000BC in China, where it was used as a treatment for illness. By 90BC, acupuncture was being used, and using this and their knowledge of massage procedures, the Chinese developed Amma, a method involving pressing with the fingers which became the grandparent of all massage therapy. By the 6th Century massage was well developed and widely used within China, and new techniques evolving from amma had spread throughout Japan, Thailand and India. Ayurvedic massage had become especially popular in Hindu culture becoming a sacred practise acknowledged as the code of life, and associated with rebirth, salvation and the soul. Eastern massage is very holistic, focusing on healing not only the body but the mind and spirit as well.
At the same time a different type of massage was evolving in the West, being developed by the Romans and Greeks, and focusing more on science and the human body. It was seen more as a healing technique, rather than a spiritual release as it was in the East. Some influential people involved in the development of Western massage were Hippocrates, Galen, Ling, Metzger, Kellogg, Vodder, Travell and Cyriax, who introduced massage and its benefits to the medical community (Salvo, 2007).

2. The role of Hippocrates, Galen, Ling, Metzger, Kellogg, Vodder, Travell & Cyriax in the development of massage in the western tradition.
The first person to document the benefits of massage was Hippocrates. Known as the “Father of Western Medicine” (Salvo 2007, pg 6), he focused on the patients needs, and developed massage techniques to aid in the healing of injuries. Two of his long standing methods are traction and stretching, both of which are still used today (Salvo, 2007). Many years later, Galen, a follower of Hippocrates findings, linked touch to human anatomy and physiology. He studied the effects of massage by looking at the influence of massage both pre- and post-event, thereby associating massage with sports, and also health (Elluminate, 2009).
An important person in modern massage was Ling, who used the rhythm of gymnastics to develop a set of therapeutic movements, which improved circulation, eased muscle pain, increased flexibility and encouraged relaxation. Although Ling did not have a medical background, he taught massage to medical students, and it became an accepted medical procedure (Salvo, 2007). Metzger however, had a medical background, so was more capable at promoting the benefits of massage in a medical environment. It was he who coined the massage terms such as effleurage and petrissage, and who introduced massage to scientific publications (Salvo, 2007).
While Ling and Metzger were influencing the medical community, Kellogg was convincing the public by publishing many books and articles on the health benefits of massage, which helped increase its popularity (Salvo, 2007).
Emil Vodder developed a method to assist in the movement of lymphatic fluid. Soft massage across the surface lymphatics was found to help with lymphatic diseases, such as lymphodema (Fritz, 2004).
Janet Travell is known for her work on trigger points. She mapped previously unknown pain patterns in the body, and found that working into these points can relieve myofascial pain pre-existing from old injuries (Salvo, 2007).
Another important name in massage today is Cyriax, an orthopaedic physician who is recognised for his work on the diagnosis of soft tissue damage. He was involved in rehabilitation treatments, such as assessing range of motion, and also developed transverse friction methods (Salvo, 2007).

3. A comparison of Maori massage (Miri-miri & Romi-romi) with western massage.
Maori massage is very traditional and holistic, as it focuses on both the body and mind, and is passed on through the family. Infants are massaged everyday to encourage a shapely form, and to build a sense of trust and caring within the family and community. The two main methods are Miri-miri and Romi-romi. Miri-miri is a healing process comparable to relaxation, that uses short strokes to address the four dimensions (body, mind, spirit and family), whereas Romi-romi involves the kneading or squeezing of the fleshy parts of the body, and also the use of elbows, hands, knees, sticks, stones and water, for work at a deeper level.
Maori massage is different to Western massage, as Maori massage is very holistic, focusing on the body and mind, whereas Western massage focuses more on the human body only. However, there are some similarities, in the fact that Maori infants are massaged each day to perfect the way the body grows, which has a more scientific purpose. Also, Romi-romi follows western trends moreso than Miri-miri (Riley, 1994).

4. The massage scandals of the 1800s and their impact on the massage industry.
The downfall of massage came when the profession was criticised for having inadequately trained therapists, false advertising and overcharging for poor service. This was due mainly to the excessive number of women being quickly, and therefore insufficiently, trained on the premise that they would have many grand job offers on completion on the course. Unfortunately this was not the case, and many of the women had to resort to using massage clinics as covers for prostitution in order to pay back their study fees, which destroyed the public’s confidence in massage. Luckily, in the late 1800’s, eight women launched the Society of Trained Masseuses, which recognised the importance for adequate training and standards, and so massage therapy was re-established in a favourable light (Fritz, 2004).

5. The development of professional massage in New Zealand including MINZI,
NZATMP, TMA & MNZ.
In 1985, Bill Wareham founded the Massage Institute of New Zealand Incorporated (MINZI). MINZI focused on providing a high standard of education to massage therapists in New Zealand by ensuring that teachers taught at appropriate standards. MINZI also hold yearly workshops, which massage therapists can attend in order to develop new and perfect existing skills. Not long after MINZI was established, Jim Sanford recognised the need for a professional organisation focusing on therapeutic massage, and so formed the New Zealand Association of Therapeutic Massage Practitioners (NZATMP). This organisation provides high quality training in therapeutic massage and professionalism, and now has many members from all over New Zealand. NZATMP is now known as TMA (Therapeutic Massage Association), and has a list of all therapists holding the National Diploma of Therapeutic Massage, and promotes their continued training and development of massage therapy. In 2006, a merge between MINZI and TMA produced an independent association called Massage New Zealand (MNZ). MNZ promotes the practise of professional massage, and ongoing training and support of massage in New Zealand. It is a good way for massage therapists registered in New Zealand to advertise their services, and to build a network with other practising therapists (Tuchtan, Tuchtan, & Stelfox, 2004).

6. Contemporary massage.
Contemporary massage, such as lymphatic drainage, neuromuscular approaches, orthopaedic massage and fascia work, have all developed through the 20th Century. The Vodder technique stimulates the movement of lymph fluid around the body, and is now practised worldwide, with Bruno Chikly combining lymphatic drainage and craniosacral work. These methods help with diseases like lymphadema, which block up the lymph system. Neuromuscular work, such as Travell’s trigger point therapy, and myofascial treatment, work to break up any pre-existing muscle tightness in the body’s connective tissue, and Cyriax’s orthopaedic work focuses on the rehabilitation of tissues and joints by assessing the range of motion, and limitations in normal movement. Acupressure also focuses on relaxing and releasing any muscle tension, by applying pressure to certain points on the body. These techniques are continuing to grow and become more accepted as we learn more about the contemporary approaches that are available to us (Elluminate, 2009).

7. A discussion of how the following philosophical approaches to massage (body, body-mind, body-mind-spirit) relate to the historical and cultural contexts discussed.
Holistic treatment (treatment of the mind and spirit as well as the body) is traditionally an eastern practise, while western massage is more body driven. Eastern cultures recognise the link between the body and mind, which is important in a therapeutic sense, as it aims to relax the mind via manipulation of the body. Because western massage is more medical based, it fails to encompass the mind-spirit-body association, as the mind and body are seen as completely different entities. However, holistic health care is becoming more accepted in the west, as practitioners are becoming more aware of the mind-body connection (Holey & Cook, 1997).


References

Fritz, S. (2004). Fundamentals of therapeutic massage. (3rd Ed.) Missouri, USA: Mosby Incorporated.

Holey, E., & Cook, E. (1997). Evidence based therapeutic massage. A practical guide for therapists. (2nd Ed.) Missouri, USA: Churchill Livingstone.

Molloy, F. (2009). History and Culture. Elluminate session, July 20 2009. Otago Polytechnic, New Zealand.

Riley, M. (1994). Maori healing and herbal: New Zealand ethnobotanical sourcebook. Paraparaumu, New Zealand: Viking Sevenseas.

Salvo, S. (2007). Massage therapy: Principles and practise. (3rd Ed.) Missouri, USA: Saunders Elsevier.

Tuchtan, C., Tuchtan, V., & Stelfox, D. (2004). Foundations of massage. N.S.W, Australia: Churchill Livingstone.