Massage Therapy

This article is part of the branches of CAM series.

Complementary and alternative medicine Classifications

NCCAM:Manipulative and body-based methods

Modality:Professionalized

Category: Image - :Massage Frankfurt.jpg|thumb|right|Massage in Frankfurt, Germany.

Massage is the treatment and practice of soft tissue manipulation with physical, functional, and in some cases psychological purposes and goals.Definition of massage, Prescottlmt.com The word comes from the French massage "friction of kneading," or from Arabic massa meaning "to touch, feel or handle" or from Latin massa meaning "mass, dough". Online Etymology Dictionary, massageMerriam Webster Dictionary Online, massage (In distinction the ancient Greek word for massage was anatripsis , and the Latin was frictio.) An older etymology may even have been the Hebrew me-sakj "to anoint with oil."

Massage involves acting on and manipulating the client's body with pressure (structured, unstructured, stationary, and/or moving), tension, motion, or vibration done manually or with mechanical aids. Target tissues may include muscles, tendons, ligaments, skin, joints, or other connective tissue, as well as lymphatic vessels, and/or organs of the gastrointestinal system. Massage can be applied with the hands, fingers, elbows, forearm, and feet. There are over eighty different massage modalities. The most cited reasons for introducing massage have been client demand and perceived clinical effectiveness. 13 (4) pp.471-475

In professional settings massage involves the client being treated while lying on a massage table, sitting in a massage chair, or lying on a mat on the floor. The massage subject may be fully or partly unclothed. Parts of the body may be covered with towels or sheets.