Massage therapy is one of the oldest methods of healing, as the practice of therapeutic massage can be traced back nearly 4,000 years. Statistics from both Health Canada ¹ and the American Massage Therapy Association ² show that millions of North Americans use it today.

Massage therapy refers to a comprehensive health management strategy focusing on the application of various techniques to positively affect the soft tissues and joints of the body. The purpose of treatment is to develop, maintain, rehabilitate or augment physical functioning, relieve or prevent physical disfunction and pain pain, and to enhance the well being of the client. Massage techniques most commonly include pressure and compression, kneading, frictioning, and mobilizing to improve the health and condition of the muscles, tendons, skin, fascia or connective tissue of the body.

According to the Massage Therapists Association of Saskatchewan, the Massage Therapy scope of practice as is follows: the assessment of the soft tissues and joints of the body and the treatment and prevention of physical dysfunction and pain of the soft tissues and joints in order to develop and maintain, rehabilitate or augment physical function or relieve pain. It is the duty of therapists to deliver assessment and therapeutic treatment that assist the client in reaching a desired health outcome.

Today massage is thought of as a holistic therapy that complements medical treatment. The "Physician's Guide to Therapeutic Massage" shows that massage can decrease pain, improve range of motion, improve mood, aid in the circulation of blood and lymph flow, reduce muscle and joint soreness, and improve sleep.

¹ Health Canada (2003)Health Policy Research Bulletin. Retrieved May 10, 2005, from http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/iacb-dgiac/arad-draa/english/rmdd/bulletin/mainstream.html#page6
² American Massage Therapy Association. (2001). Massage Therapy Consumer Fact Sheet