What is Massage? Part 1: Introduction

Most people see massage as a luxury; something that makes you relax and feel good. This is true to an extent, but it is much more than that. There are many benefits to massage therapy and in this series of posts/articles I will explain them. The first step in this journey is simple. We ask the question:

What is Massage?

It may seem silly and simple to ask this question. But how many of us really look at massage as nothing more than an expensive rub down? I know I did before I took my course. Once I learned exactly what it was and its effects on the body, I was fully convinced that massage is not a luxury, but a necessity to any hard working or competitive creature.

So, what exactly is massage?

Dictionary.com defines it as “the act or art of treating the body by rubbing, kneading, patting, or the like, to stimulate circulation, increase suppleness, relieve tension, etc”. Merriam Webster defines it as “manipulation of tissues with the hand or an instrument for relaxation or therapeutic purposes”. Both of these definitions are much more detailed than I found even six months ago. This tells me that massage is making a positive headway in the rehabilitation and therapy of the everyday person, and that’s exciting!

Massage has been around for quite a long time. It originated in ancient China with the first texts written around 2600-2700BC. In 1949 the information was compiled and translated to English in the book titled “The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine” which is still used as a textbook in human massage courses today. Within those texts it was recorded that massage of certain injuries was the most effective means of recovery.

You may be thinking, “well sure, but that’s for human massage, not horse massage”. True, but science has proven that muscle is muscle is muscle. It does not matter the animal; all muscle works, reacts, and recovers exactly the same way. Because of this, massage can be applied to every being that will accept it.

One of the first books ever written on the subject of equine massage was “Beating Muscle Injuries in Horses” by Jack Meagher, Sports Therapist. Published in 1985, Meagher goes over techniques to find and release tension for many common problems in the horse world. He also explains his stress point therapy, which will be address in a later post.

In 1997, Mike Scott, CSMT, wrote and published “The Basic Principles of Equine Massage/Muscle Therapy”. Originally a human sports massage therapist, and one of the first students of Meagher’s techniques, Scott has a unique take on the world and benefits of multi-species massage therapy. He defines massage as “the manipulation of the soft tissues of the body, such as muscle fibers, fascia, tendon, and ligament” (Scott, 69).

In 2007, “Equine Massage: A Practical Guide” was published by Jean-Pierre Houdebaight, LMT. This is one of the most in-depth, yet easy to read, ‘how-to’ books I have ever picked up. It has a logical flow that helps the reader follow such a complicated subject. I kept this book beside me throughout my course and time again, when I was stumped on a bit of information or technique, this book would have the answer. He defines massage therapy as “the manipulation of the soft tissues of the body in order to achieve specific goals of drainage, relaxation, or stimulation and of resolving muscle-related problems such as trigger points and stress points” (Houdebaight, 2).

In each of these books one thing is repeated multiple times: in order to fully understand massage and what it does, one has to have a basic, if not in depth, understanding of anatomy and musculature.

So, with that in mind, this blog series will begin with the basics of Equine anatomy and work its way through to the problems.