The massage approach of Avicenna in the Canon of Medicine

Abstract

Massage is the manipulation of the body tissues by using techniques, such as rubbing, kneading, pressing, and rolling to sustain a state of health and wellness. Massage is one of the oldest and most natural healing applications in human history. Avicenna (980 -1037) gained a very important position in the medical world with his most important work, the Canon of Medicine, known as the holy book of medicine in the Western world. Different types of massage were defined in the book. These were hard friction that braces the body, soft friction that relaxes the body, repeated friction that reduces the amount of fat in the body, moderately hard friction that improves the body, rough friction that leads the blood to the surface rapidly, gentle friction that increases blood flow in the application area, preparatory friction that prepares the body before exercise, and restorative friction that is applied after exercise which alleviates exhaustion. It may be seen that Avicenna, whose work shows influence of Greek and Roman physicians, was heavily influenced by Hippocrates and Galen. It is seen that the massage techniques and effect mechanisms defined by Avicenna about a thousand years ago have contributed a lot to the developments in massage through the historical process.

İbn-i Sina’nın Egzersize Bakışı: El- Kânûn Fi’t-Tıbb Eserinin İçerik Analizi

“…It remains true that massage can also provide passive warm-up. 21 It is thought that the effects of reducing lactic acid accumulation are derived from the massage performed at the end of the exercise. 14 3d.…”

Evaluation of Local Skeletal Muscle Blood Flow in Manipulative Therapy by Diffuse Correlation Spectroscopy

“…Manipulative therapy (MT) is a traditional procedure applied to the musculoskeletal system as part of a medical treatment, sports conditioning, and health promotion. MT techniques include kneading, rubbing, tapping, and pushing performed by a practitioner’s hands ( Goats, 1994 ; Çetkin et al, 2019 ). The demand for MT has rapidly increased during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, due to the excessive tension, pain, and discomfort of the skeletal muscles from the excessive use of computers and hand-held devices ( Ishikawa et al, 2017 ; Kramer and Kramer, 2020 ; Lin et al, 2020 ).…”

Quantitative Evaluation of Manipulative Therapy Effects by Tissue Blood Flow and Muscle Stiffness Measurements

“…

Manipulative therapy (MT), administered by certified physical therapists, encompasses manual techniques such as kneading, pressing, rubbing, and tapping the musculoskeletal system [1,2]. MT is a non-invasive physical therapy that promotes blood flow, alleviates pain, and enhances muscle flexibility [3].

…”