Swedish massage began thanks to Per Henrik Ling, who lived from 1776 to 1839, and was titled the ‘Father of Massage'. He was known to suffer from rheumatism, which he cured by himself via a kind of massage which he named medical gymnastics. Swedish massage is largely used today, and when done on adults, it generally includes six specific strokes.

The very first of those strokes are what is known as the ‘Effleurage'. The Effleurage are a number of gliding strokes which are utilized to help warm the superficial muscles. These gliding strokes may either be deep or superficial. The 2nd of the strokes is known as the ‘Petrissage'. The Petrissage is a series of strokes which are used to lift the muscle, since they get to the deeper layers of the muscles tissue. The next of the strokes is the ‘friction'. The Friction works the muscles fibres. As these muscle fibres are worked, any scar tissue formation apparent that might have restricted movement prior to now is released. The fourth of the is addressed as the ‘Tapotement'. The Tapotement isn't actually a stoke, but more of a tapping or hacking of the muscle tissue, and it can operate in a couple of different way. It is used to either stimulate or sedate the muscles tissue, it depends on the rhythm and pressure applied through the massage. The fifth of these is named ‘vibration', which as the name suggests, involves making the muscles vibrate. This is done by either shaking or rocking the muscle tissue, and just like the Tapotement, can either be used to stimulate or sedate the body. The sixth of such is the ‘joint motion'. The Joint Motion's aim is to gain the correct movement in the joint. This can be done by moving the joint in it's full range of flexibility, which helps to alleviate any restrictions.