The Chinese used massage for therapeutic purposes as early as 6,000 years before Christ. The Japanese, Assyrians, Persians, Egyptians, ancient Greeks and Romans knew about its benefits.

Massage and its benefits have been known since ancient times. This simple method of treatment and relaxation was practiced by the ancient Greeks, among others, immediately before gymnastic exercises. Hippocrates, the father of medicine born in Greece, spoke about the benefits of massage in the treatment, but also in the prevention of various diseases. In the Middle Ages, massage was frowned upon because of Christian teachings that deny carnal pleasures. Swede Per Henrik Ling is considered the founder of modern massage and kinesitherapy. He lived in the 19th century and was primarily engaged in teaching swordsmanship. In 1813, he founded the Royal Central Gymnastic Institute for the training of gymnastics instructors. From there, this science spread to many European countries.

Today, Swedish massage is the most popular in Europe, including here. Doctor Tetzger is responsible for the development of massage in Western Europe, especially in Germany, because he established it on a scientific base. 

Types of massage

The whole body undergoes a general massage. On the other hand, massage often works on a specific part of the body which we call a local massage. According to its purpose, it can be divided into medical (therapeutic), sports and hygienic. Medical - therapeutic Rheumatic and post-traumatic conditions such as soft tissue injuries are treated with this type of massage. It also acts on neurological diseases. It helps with many injuries and is often combined with other methods of physical therapy. Therapeutic massage helps with joint function disorders. When this disease appears, the patient will feel pain in the joints after walking or standing for a long time. Then it is necessary to apply therapy in the form of antirheumatic drugs and analgesics. Ultrasound, underwater and manual (manual) massage are useful for these conditions.

Degenerative disease of the spine (disus hernia) in the form of lumbar or cervical syndrome is also one of the most common rheumatic diseases. During the treatment, in addition to medicines, certain medical aids, and less often surgical procedures, physical therapy is used. These include thermotherapy, which can relieve pain and reduce muscle tension, hydrotherapy, which is often more successful, and underwater massage is also useful. The most popular are: Thai, acupressure, Chinese, shiatsu, lymphatic, anti-cellulite or Californian, Ayurvedic and reflexology. Some of the mentioned ones will be discussed here. 

Sports massage

Sports massage is divided into preparatory and relaxing.

The preparatory massage should be performed about fifteen minutes before exercise because its goal is to prepare the body for physical effort. It is carried out in combination with physical warm-up exercises. It serves to speed up circulation and reduce general muscle tone. It should be remembered that even completely passive muscles can be tense. This is exactly what we call muscle tone. Relaxing massage, on the other hand, is applied after physical activity. It is combined with warm baths and has the task of relaxing the athlete. The goal is to prepare the athlete for training, to increase endurance during physical activity, and to eliminate the consequences that may arise after increased exposure of the organism to efforts. In addition to the general, there is an even more specific division of sports massage into: massage during training, previous massage performed before the competition itself, recovery massage after the competition for the purpose of eliminating fatigue and tissue breathing, and massage for development and development. physical qualities.