Development of a taxonomy to describe massage treatments for musculoskeletal pain

Table 1 Proposed taxonomy of massage practice

Level
Principal Goals of Treatment	Relaxation Massage	Clinical Massage	Movement Re-education	Energy Work
Intention	Relax muscles, move body fluids, promote wellness	Accomplish specific goals such as releasing muscle spasms	Induce sense of freedom, ease and lightness in body	Hypothesized to free energy blockages
Commonly Used Styles (examples*)	Swedish massage, spa massage Sports massage	Myofascial trigger point therapy Myofascial release Strain counterstrain	Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation Strain counterstrain Trager	Acupressure Reiki Polarity Therapeutic Touch Tuina
Commonly Techniques (examples**)	Gliding Kneading Friction Holding Percussion Vibration	Direct pressure Skin rolling Resistive stretching Stretching – manual Cross-fiber friction	Contract-relax Passive stretching Resistive stretching Rocking	Direction of energy Smoothing Direct pressure Holding Rocking Traction

* While some styles of massage are commonly used in addressing one of the four principal treatment goals, some may be used to address several distinct treatment goals.
** By varying the intent (or purpose) for a technique, many of them can be used in massages with different principal treatment goals.

ISSN: 2662-7671