By

s3
BNYS(2nd sem)
S-VYASA
 Contents…
 Introduction
 Definition
 What is Massage Therapy?
 History
 Types of massage
 Physiological effects of massage
 Introduction
 Massage is the systemic rubbing and
manipulation of different part of the body for the
therapeutic benefits

 The word Massage is a derivation from the Greek

massein, or the French masser, which both
mean: to knead

 A male operator is called a masseur, a female

operator, a masseuse
 Definition…

Massage is a scientific treatment, by certain

passive systematic manipulations, upon the
nude skin of the human body.
 What is Massage Therapy?

 It is a mechanical modality
 Act of rubbing, kneading, or stroking
 for the purpose of modifying nutrition, restoring
power of movement or breaking up adhesions
 Used to manipulate the body’s tissue
 History of the massage

o In the Chinese and indian history massage can be

traced back as early as 3000 years ago
o In Ayurveda text, in Dinacharya concept it is
mentioned that massage should be done after doing
exercise.
o “The Cong-Fou of the Tao-Tse”(Chinese text) was
probably the foundation both of modern massage
and of the manual Swedish movements.
 In Japan the massage used to be delivered by blind
man. The masseur used to go to the street and
shout amma! Amma!(shampooing or massage).
 The ancient Greeks and Romans used to employ
the massage along with their therapeutic baths.
 Herodicus(Hippocrates master ) said “friction can
relax brace, incarnate(fleshen)”
 Asclepiades (Greek physician) stopped all his medicines
and rely on massage alone. He noticed that sleep can be
induced by stroking

 The Julius Caesar, who had epilepsy used to pinch the

whole body for the relief.

 Pliny (Roman naturalist) used to rub own body for the

relief from the chronic asthma.

 Celsus,(Roman physician) recommended the

manipulation of the head during headache.
 The natives of sandwich island called the massage
as lomi lomi and delivered frequently to the
exhausted swimmer.
 The Moaris of New Zealand called the massage as
romi-romi
 The Tonga island natives delivered massage in the
name of toogi toogi which means to beat, for the
relief of sleeplessness and fatigue.
 Types of massage

 Swedish massage
 Kellogg massage
 Swedish massage
 Dr. Mezger, of Amsterdam was among the first to apply
the massage treatment scientifically. Their method is now
used throughout Europe.
 According to Mezger, massage is a scientific treatment --
i.e., based upon the anatomy and the physiology of the
human body; his manipulations are certain -- that
is, given or fixed, so that an uninstructed person can not
pick up the
treatment -- it is an art that can not be self-acquired; all
manipulations are passive -- i.e., applied to the patient
without his assistance or resistance; the manipulations
are also systematic -- i.e., they are arranged so as to act
systematically upon the different tissues of the human
 Dr.Mezger divided the massage treatment into four
principal manipulation.

 Effleurage (stroking)
 Frictions
 Petrissage (kneading)
 Tapotement (percussion)
 Effleurage
 Stroking of the skin
 Performed with palm of hand:
Stimulates deep tissues
 Performed with fingertips:
Stimulates sensory nerves
 Superficial, rhythmic stroking:
Contours the body or relates to direction of underlying
muscles
 Deep stroking:
Follows course of veins & lymph vessel
 Performed in rhythmic manner
 Petrissage
 Performed with fingers or hand
 Skin is gently lifted between thumb & fingers or
fingers & palm & gently rolled & kneaded in the
hand
 Often performed without lotion
 Tapotement

 Gentle tapping or pounding of the skin

 Promotes relaxation & densitization of irritated

nerve endings
 Kellogg massage
 It had been formulated by J.H. Kellogg.

 Superficial movements
 Touch
 Stroking and
 Friction

 Deep movements
 Kneading
 vibration
 Percussion
 joint movements
Physiological effects of massage

 Each and every manipulation movements used in

massage has their own physiological effects.
These physiological effects can be classified
under following headings.
 Mechanical
 reflex and
 metabolic effects
 Mechanical effects
 Here the mechanical action of the hands
produces the effects like blood and lymph
movements in their respective channels
 Reflex effects

Impressions on nerve ends of sensory or afferent fibers

nerve centers of the cerebro-spinal and sympathetic

systems

Afferents nerve fibres synapses

Local related area Internal organs

 Metabolic effects
 Manipulation always affect the cellular activities of
the local areas as well as the distant and internal
organs which may be due to mechanical effects
or the reflex actions.
 Effects on Nervous system
 Direct stimulating effects
 Reflex effects
 Sedative effects
 Restorative or reconstructive effects
 Direct stimulating effects

 Vibration and nerve compression may be made to act

directly upon nerve trunks, thereby causing powerful
stimulation not only of the peripheral nerves but of all the
nerve centers with which a nerve trunk is connected.

 Friction is an effective means of exciting nerves.

 Tapping, clapping, and hacking are the most effective

means of exciting nerve trunks.
 Sedative effects

 Strong percussion relief the pain by tiring out thus

reducing the irritability
 Gentle Stroking has the sedative effect.

 Very marked sedative effects are produced by

derivative friction and kneading. Centrifugal friction
(rubbing down) diminishes the blood supply of the
brain, and hence lessens cerebral activity.
 Restorative or Reconstructive Effects.

o Mental fatigue is relieved by massage, through its

effect upon the circulation and the eliminative
organs. The toxic substances produced by mental
activity, are more rapidly oxidized and removed from
the body, while the hastened blood current more
thoroughly repairs and cleanses the wearied nerve
tissues.
o General reconstructive effects are experienced by
the entire nervous s stem through the improved
nutrition induced by massage.
 Effect on muscular system
1. Encourage nutrition and development of the muscle.

Massage blood circulation nutrition

Increase the size of muscle firmness and elasticity

2. Excite muscular contraction

3. Increase the electro-excitability of the muscles .

o smaller number of mill amperes of current is
required to cause contraction of the muscle after
massage than before.
Effects of massage on bones and
ligaments

 It promotes the growth of bones and ligaments

and improves blood circulation to the bones.
 Improved muscular and thus bone circulation also
influences the blood forming process in red bone
marrow, in both quantity and quality.
 Effects on circulation
 Massage profoundly effects the general and local
circulation, depending upon the mode and area of
application.
 General massage increase the rate and force of
heart beats
 The vigor of circulatory activities increases.

 The reflex influence of massage acts as a tonic for

the heart, while the dilatation of the vessels
decreases the resistance so that the heart acts more
freely and efficiently in performing its functions
 Massage has chiefly to do with the circulation of fluid
in the veins and the lymph channels, since these are
more readily accessible from the surface than the
arteries.
 Friction acts on superficial veins but petrissage acts
on deeper veins.
 Effect on respiration
 Increase cellular respiration:
massage increase the cellular
metabolism thus increase o2 consumption and
increase production of co2
 Increase the respiratory activity:
 increase the depth of respiration
 increase the diaphragmatic action thus
helps in lung movements heart action
and movements of lymph and circulation
 Effect on digestion
 Improve the appetite
 Increase secretion of digestive enzymes
 Increase the absorption
 Aid in peristalsis
Effect on nutrition hematogenesis
and phogocytosis
 Increase the no. of red blood corpuscles
immediately after general massage
 RBC increases by 3 t0 7 %
 WBC increases by 40 to 80%
 Cold treatment followed by massage will
drastically improve the blood counts
 Phagocytosis is also the principal means by
which the body antagonizes an invasion of
foreign microbes which always takes place in
connection with infectious disease .

 Massage is also valuable as a regulator of the
nutritive processes. Hopadze has proven that
massage increases the assimilation of nitrogenous
food substances
 Zabludowski has shown that massage both
diminishes the weight of very fleshy persons and
increases the weight of badly nourished
persons, giving increased appetite and sleep. He
showed that these effects continue not only during
the treatment but for some time afterward
 Influence of massage on Elimination
• Encourage elimination:
increase oxygenation , increase venous and
lymphatic drainage, exchange of nutrients and
toxic cellular products
• Increase the activity of liver:
portal circulation, vibratory and percussion
movements over liver area activate the liver
Detoxification action of liver is encouraged
• To Encourage Renal Activity. –
Abdominal massage frequently gives rise to, a
copious discharge of newly formed urine, although
massage of the back or loins does not produce the
same effect. Abdominal massage doubtless
promotes kidney activity through its influence upon
the lumbar ganglia of the abdominal sympathetic and
the solar plexus.
• Promote activity of the skin
increase glandular activity and increase
circulatory changes hyperemia of the skin
 Indication
 Arthritis (Osteo-arthritis, Rheumatoid arthritis,)
 Back pain
 bronchial asthma
 Constipation
 Obesity
 Diabetes
 Paralysis
 Hypertension,
 Contraindication
 Fever
 Open wounds and cuts
 Malignant tumors
 Fracture
 Thrombosis
 Gangrene
 Immediately after surgery
 benefits
Effective in promoting local & systemic
relaxation, increasing local b. flow, breaking down
adhesions, & encouraging venous return
 THANK YOU
THANK YOU