Massage is highly respected as one of the oldest, most effective therapeutic techniques. Although the art of massage was first mentioned in writing about 2000 B.C.E., it is believed to have been a vital part of folk medicine much earlier. Chinese, Indian, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Persian, Arabic and Japanese medical literature abound with references to massage. Throughout its long history, the therapeutic benefits of massage have been recognized and utilized in health maintenance.

Oriental massage is said to have been developed into a systematized branch of healing in China during the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.E.- 220 C.E.). Utilizing the ancients' perspective on Qi (life force) and its meridians (pathways), a variety of techniques were devised to manipulate and restore this energy in the mind-body-spirit continuum. Massage has flourished in China throughout its history and it remains the modality of choice in many hospitals and clinics to this day.

The practice of massage spread from China to Japan in the sixth century and reached its peak in the Edo period (1603-1867). After the introduction of Western medical techniques in Japan during the nineteenth century, massage lost its venerable status. It wasn't until the twentieth century that it reemerged as a powerful therapeutic tool, used to treat a variety of conditions.

It wasn't until the eighteenth century, however, that Per Henrik Ling of Sweden (1776-1839) developed a systematized approach to massage and medical gymnastics (remedial exercises). His work incorporated Western massage practices as well as Chinese massage techniques thought to have spread to the West during the sixteenth century.

The technique of Swedish massage consists of a system of manipulation of the soft tissues combined with active and passive joint movements. This system of massage and exercise was established in accordance with principles of anatomy and physiology and was designed to improve the functioning of the nervous, muscular and circulatory systems. Through his ardent study and dedication, Ling won acceptance for his new ideas, and his technique spread throughout Europe and the United States. The Swedish Institute's P H. Ling Medical Massage Clinic honors his work and achievement.

The pioneering massage work of P H. Ling continued to develop and, today, massage and other manual techniques are used by massage therapists, osteopaths, chiropractors and other practitioners. In recent years, massage has enjoyed a renewed respect in the United States, and massage therapy has become an integral part of complementary health care.

Massage has been a part of Western therapeutic technique since the time of the Egyptians and the Greeks. Pictorial representations of massage appear in several Egyptian hieroglyphs and papyri. Hippocrates recommended massage and manipulation for several ailments. Galen and Celsus carried the work of Hippocrates into Roman times. Their writings on massage and other forms of medical treatment were the basis of medical practices that continued relatively unchanged into the Middle Ages. The Arabic medical colleges (which flourished during the early Middle Ages) taught massage technique in the Greco-Roman tradition as part of the standard curriculum.

Massage also remained a vital part of folk tradition in Western Europe, especially in the Slavic and Scandinavian countries. In the sixteenth century Ambrose Pare, a French physician, advocated massage as a treatment to accompany surgery.