The History of Deep Tissue Massage
Deep tissue massage was designed to loosen muscle tension and relieve stress. An added benefit of such massage is that it can smooth out scar tissue. The focus is on connective tissues and the deepest layers of muscle mass in the body. Interestingly, while massage itself has been around for centuries, deep tissue massage is actually less than 200 years old.
People in the Far East, as well as ancient Greeks and Egyptians, were the first to discover the benefits of deep tissue massage. Today's Swedish massage is closest in technique to that used by these ancient civilizations. In the mid-1800s, Canadian physicians first developed the technique. In 1949, the Canadian doctor Therese Phimmer developed guidelines for the technique, which she set forth in her book, "Muscles - Your Invisible Bonds." From that time forward, deep tissue massage slowly started finding its place in sports medicine and physical therapy as a way to control chronic pain and treat soft tissue injuries.
