Swedish Massage

Details:

The most famous and enduring influence on massage are contributions made by Swede Pehr Henrik Ling. Ling accepted a post as gymnastic and fencing master at the University of Lund in Sweden in 1804. He developed his own system of massage and exercises or gymnastics, the latter of which consisted of four types—educational, military, medical, and esthetic. This system was called the Swedish Remedial Massage and Exercise, the Swedish Movement Cure, or the Ling system. Ling quickly gained international recognition, and modifications of his basic concepts have been used throughout the globe. The term Swedish massage was used to describe the massage component of Ling’s system. For this reason, Ling is regarded as the father of Swedish massage. Another therapist that improved the Swedish massage was a Dutch physician Johann Mezger, who added components of physical rehabilitation. French was the international language in the nineteenth century, and Mezger is credited with introducing the terminology to describe massage techniques (e.g., effleurage, pétrissage, tapotement), which is still used in massage legislation and massage curricula.