Per Henrik Ling: Inventor of the Modern Swedish Massage

Often when one thinks of massage, what comes to mind are the long, flowing strokes and kneading motions of a style known as Swedish massage. Developed by Per Henrik Ling and taught today as the basis of more advanced massage theory, what many do not know is that it originated as something far more active and less relaxing.

Born in 1776, Per Henrik Ling was the son of a minister and the great grandson of the famous Swedish scientist Olof Rudbeck, a contributor to the fields of medicine and linguistics. He studied theology and completed his degree at Uppsala University in 1797 before making several voyages abroad, befriending a Chinese gentleman by the name of Ming. Ming was both a martial artist as well as a practitioner of Tui na, an acupressure modality characterized by grasping and kneading motions intended to eliminate blockages along the body's meridians. It was from this combination of disciplines that Swedish gymnastics, the predecessor to Swedish massage, developed. A far more active regimen than what is seen today, Ling used these exercises to treat his overused joint injuries and rheumatism.

Ling's quest for knowledge brought him to Germany, France and England, where he continued to hone his skills further. His passion and skill for fencing acquired him the title of fencing-master at Uppsala in 1805, and having found himself fully healed of his ailments by his daily gymnastics, he began shifting his focus toward how his knowledge might benefit others.

Ling then attended training in anatomy and physiology, incorporating the most current medical knowledge into his exercise regimen. He then began formalizing his system of Swedish gymnastics, despite facing opposition from current medical practitioners. In 1813, Ling obtained the co-operation of the Swedish government and created the Royal Gymnastic Central Institute with himself as its principal. While Ling's methods never came to be widely accepted, he eventually became a member of the Swedish General Medical Association in 1831, as well as a member of the Swedish Academy and a titular professor in 1835. He passed away in 1839.

While Ling is responsible for much of the theory of Swedish massage, the techniques as practiced today and as incorporated into various robotic massage chairs and other aides were formalized much later. Ling and his contemporaries left no written account of Swedish gymnastics. Instead, what is practiced today is a more simplified set of maneuvers based on the gymnastics but altered by Dr. Johan Georg Mezger. It is due to Mezger's influence that the fundamental techniques of Swedish massage were given French names. Several additional attempts were made to formalize Ling's unwritten practices, some going as far as espousing Swedish massage as the only medical treatment necessary, but Mezger is most credited for the modality as it is known today.

While today's Swedish massage is more relaxed than its gymnastic predecessor, its influences remain true. Effleurage, or long and gliding strokes, act as stretches which lengthen and tone muscle fibers. Petrissage, lifting and kneading, incorporates aspects of Ming's Tui na influence. By combining these principles into more passive techniques that can be facilitated by a trained therapist or massage aide, the many health benefits of Ling's techniques can be appreciated by many more than could have been possible otherwise.