Massage involves acting on and manipulating the body with pressure – structured,
unstructured, stationary, or moving – tension, motion, or vibration,
done manually or with mechanical aids. Target tissues may include muscles,
tendons, ligaments, skin, joints, or other connective tissue, as well as lymphatic
vessels, or organs of the gastrointestinal system. Massage can be applied with
the hands, fingers, elbows, knees, forearm, and feet. There are over eighty
different recognized massage modalities. The most cited reasons for introducing
massage as therapy have been client demand and perceived clinical effectiveness.