Chicago Style Gymnastics

Massage therapy is practiced throughout the ages and through the development of all schools in the world of medicine. The ancient Greek philosopher Hippocrates medical writing that the friction of the body was absolutely central to his system of healing and preservation of the body. The same is true for the legendary Chinese emperor known only as "The Emporer Yellow, who is credited with the invention of what has become known as traditional Chinese medicine.

The current wave of massage therapy as understood in the United States came from Sweden in the 1800s. There, a man named Per Henrik Ling developed a set of techniques that attract the attention of some leading physicians in New York. Interestingly, innovations Ling massage therapy have been inspired by a deep friendship and partnership for many years a friend of China who taught the philosophy of Chinese medicine and martial arts.

Ling became extremely impressed by the benefits of therapeutic massage and what he called "medical gymnastics", and gradually developed what became known as the Swedish massage system. Ling was so impressed by the results he has seen this new style of massage that he has made extravagant claims for which she cut many medical establishments of the time. However, he managed to make some very useful links with leading physicians in New York began to promulgate its use Swedish massage techniques in the States.

Over time, medical gymnastics "Ling system were reduced and the friction and pressure aspects have been highlighted, which in many respects is in line with the direct development of massage therapy in Asia. Since that time, the traditions of massage have begun to merge, such as Asian massage styles and an emphasis on energy medicine have become more widely accepted in the Western world and are offered and wanted much more than in previous in Western history.

However, the traditional Western doctors and scientists still have doubts about some of the more "energetic" aspects of massage therapy, because of the difficulty in operationalizing and testing this type of treatment in controlled conditions. However, this is no doubt that massage therapy is as it is practiced today is an effective treatment for many ailments caused by chronic stress and muscle tension.

There are more practitioners of massage therapy in the United States and the United Kingdom than ever, and it is increasingly used in sports and in business culture and organization as a treatment to improve performance estimated for the improvement of mental focus and vitality of its recipients.