Most ancient cultures practiced some form of healing touch. Their healing methods use herbs, oils and primitive forms of hydrotherapy. The Japanese learned about massage through the writings of the Chinese. The Egyptians in turn left art work showing foot massage.

During the Middle Ages massage played an important role in the healing tradition of the Slavs, Finns, and Swedes. The combination of the health practices of the common people was often associated with supernatural experiences and alienated massage from what little scientific approach there was during this time. Around the 16th Century the use of massage techniques for joint stiffness and wound healing after surgery began.

The development of Swedish massage is credited to Per Henrik Ling (1776-1839). Through experimentation he learned massage. He developed a system of massage that used many of the positions and movements of Swedish gymnasts. This system was based on the newly discovered knowledge of the circulation of blood and lymph which he Chinese had been using these methods for centuries.

Ling taught physicians from Germany, Austria, Russia and England who spread his teachings to their own native lands after. Ling and others practicing the Swedish Movement Cure are credited with the second modern revival of massage.

In 1889, British physicians, who were just beginning to favourably acknowledge massage, because Queen Victoria supported the method. Practitioners at this time abuse this technique; they made false claims made about lay practitioners’ education or skills, patient stealing and charging high fees. Because of the massage scandals of 1894, public and medical professions’ confidence in massage as a legitimate medical art during the late nineteenth century went down.

The polio epidemic of 1918 revived the massage technique. Research on the benefits of massage in the prevention of the complications of paralysis began during this time. Broad licensing began in the early 1940s. The most recent revival of massage began around 1960 and has continued to this day.

Increased medical awareness that lack of exercise contributed to cardiovascular disease and other diseases led to an emphasis on physical fitness. This made wy and gave birth to health sciences, in the late 1960s, to move towards preventative medicine and the benefits of sports were again discovered. Acupressure received more attention during the 1970s and 1980s than any other bodywork modality.

Current trends seem to suggest the increasing popularity of massage and body related therapies used for stress reduction and chronic musculoskeletal problems. Massage can be considered a part of manual medicine and throughout history has stood independently to promote health. Manual medicine has grown today to become the foundation for osteopathy, chiropractic and physical therapy.