Massage -The word comes from the French massage "friction of kneading," and is the treatment and practice of manipulation of the soft body tissues with physical, functional, i.e. mechanical, medical/therapeutic, and in some cases psychological purposes and goals. It is thought that the word possibly from Latin massa "mass, dough" or from Arabic massa "to touch, feel, handle".

Massage involves manipulating and acting the patient's body with pressure (structured, unstructured, stationary, and/or moving), tension, motion, or vibration done manually or with mechanical aids. Muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, skin and other connective tissue are the main target.