Salvo: Massage Therapy Final Exam Questions and Answers

1.   Which method is defined as manual manipulation of soft tissue using pressure and traction for therapeutic, palliative, and recreational purposes?

a.    Acupuncture

b.    Ayurveda

c.    Polarity therapy

d.    Massage therapy

ANS:  D

Massage therapy is as a method of manipulating soft tissue using pressure and traction for therapeutic, palliative, and recreational purposes.

2.   Which origin for the word massage is Greek?

a.    Mashesh

b.    Masso c.    Masser d.    Makeh

ANS:  B

The origin of the word massage is unclear, but can be traced to numerous sources: the Hebrew mashesh, the Greek masso and

massin, the Latin massa, the Arabic mass’h, the Sanskrit makeh, and the French masser.

3.   When is the earliest the term massage was used by most European-based cultures?

a.    1600s b.    1700s c.    1800s d.    1900s

ANS:  C

By the early 1800s, the term massage was used by most European-based cultures. Historically, massage was referred to by its techniques such as friction or simply rubbing.

4.   The first written records of massage date back to 3000 BC in which country?

a.    India b.    China c.     Egypt d.    Greece

ANS:  B

Early records have revealed that the practice of massage goes back to China, as early as 3000 BC. Acupuncture was not mentioned in Chinese writings until 90 BC.

5.   Which work is commonly referred to as the classic scripture of traditional Chinese medicine?

a.    Tao Te Ching

b.    Nei Ching

c.    Ayur-Veda

d.    Corpus Hippocraticum

ANS:  B

At the time of Hwang Ti, various ideas and beliefs were compiled under the name of the Yellow Emperor (died in 2599 BC) which became the classic scripture of traditional Chinese medicine known as the Nei Chang. The Nei Chang was written about 2760 BC, and this work contains detailed descriptions of massage procedures as well as herbal medicines.

6.   What is the original massage technique in China and the precursor to manual and energetic therapies?

a.    Polarity

b.    Shiatsu

c.    Acupuncture

d.    Amma

ANS:  D

Amma is regarded as the original massage technique and precursor to all other Chinese therapies, manual and energetic.

7.   Which healing method is based on Hindu tradition?

a.    Ayurveda

b.    Shiatsu c.    Amma d.    Polarity

ANS:  A

Knowledge of amma massage traveled to the subcontinent of India from China and massage became part of Hindu tradition. Massage is described in India’s first great medical works, the Ayur-Veda books of wisdom (about 1800 BC) and recommend it as an almost indispensable healing procedure.

8.   Which method is Japanese but based on Chinese medicine concepts, and uses applied pressure of the thumbs, elbows, and other parts of the body?

a.    Ayurveda

b.    Shiatsu

c.    Massage

d.    Amma

ANS:  B

Shiatsu is a Japanese method based on the same traditional Chinese medicine concepts as acupuncture. Acupuncturists use needles at specific points to balance the flow of energy; shiatsu therapists use their fingers, thumbs, forearms, and elbows, and even their knees and feet.

9.   Who is generally recognized as the father of modern Western medicine?

a.    Galen b.    Celsus c.    Rhazes

d.    Hippocrates

ANS:  D

Hippocrates was known to be a fine clinician, founder of a medical school, author of numerous books, and advocated the use of massage or “rubbing.” His works are collectively known as the Corpus Hippocraticum, and summarized much of what was known about disease and medicine in the ancient world. Hippocrates is generally recognized as the father of modern Western medicine, and he believed that physicians should avoid causing harm to patients.

10.   Who wrote the Canon of Medicine, the most famous book in the history of medicine in both the East and the West?

a.    Rhazes

b.    Celsus

c.    Avicenna

d.    Hippocrates

ANS:  C

A text entitled  or Canon of Medicine was written by one of the greatest Persian physicians of his era, Avicenna (980-1037). He was also known as Ibn Sina. The Canon of Medicine is the most famous book in the history of medicine in both the East and the West.

11.   Which individual discussed the effects of massage and used friction on joints in the 1500s?

a.    Paré

b.    Harvey

c.    Galen

d.    Mezger

ANS:  A

Ambroise Paré (1515-1590) was a famous French surgeon who was among the earliest individuals in this era to discuss the effects of massage. He also used friction to treat dislocated joints and other orthopedic conditions.

12.   Who was the first known scientist to demonstrate that blood circulation due to muscular contraction of the heart?

a.    Paré

b.    Galen

c.    Harvey

d.    Mezger

ANS:  C

English scientist William Harvey (1578–1657) discovered the circulation of blood in 1628. Harvey observed the hearts of living animals and determined that muscular contraction (systole) pumped blood through arteries and veins. This discovery enhanced the acceptance of massage as a therapeutic measure.

13.   Who developed the Swedish Movement Cure, which included the use of massage?

a.    Johann Mezger

b.    Pehr H. Ling

c.    George Henry Taylor

d.    John Harvey Kellogg

ANS:  B

Ling developed his own system of medical or Swedish gymnastics and exercise, known as the Ling System, Swedish Movements, or Swedish Movement Cure. The term Swedish massage was used to describe the massage component of Ling’s system.

14.   Which term describes a component of the Ling System?

a.    Shiatsu

b.    Ayurveda

c.    Thai massage

d.    Swedish massage

ANS:  D

The term “Swedish massage” was used to describe the massage component of Ling’s system. For this reason, Ling is often regarded as the father of Swedish massage.

15.   Which individual is credited with having introduced French terms still in use to describe massage techniques?

a.    Johann Mezger b.    William Harvey c.    Pehr H. Ling

d.    Charles Taylor

ANS:  A

The Dutch physician Johann Mezger (1838–1909) is credited with having introduced the French terminology still used to describe massage techniques (e.g., effleurage, pétrissage, tapotement) that are currently used in massage legislation and massage curricula. French was the international language in the nineteenth century.

16.   Who is the founder of modern nursing, which included massage as part of care?

a.    Tiffany Field

b.    Florence Nightingale

c.    Charles Fayette Taylor

d.    John Harvey Kellogg

ANS:  B

Florence Nightingale (1829-1910) from England was the founder of modern nursing. She assumed patient care in hospitals in

Turkey during the Crimean War (1853-1856). She developed a standard of care for soldiers, which massage was an integral part of.

17.   French physician Lucas-Championniere used massage and exercise to treat soldiers injured during which event?

a.    World War I b.    World War II c.    Civil War

d.    Viet Nam War

ANS:  A

World War I provided countless opportunities for the use of massage and exercise to rehabilitate injured soldiers. French physician Just Lucas-Championniere (1843-1913) advocated for the use of massage and passive movements to treat soft tissue injuries, particularly fractures.

18.   In what year did George Henry Taylor and Charles Fayette Taylor introduce the Swedish Movement system in the United States?

a.    1796 b.    1856 c.    1911 d.    1958

ANS:  B

Two brothers, Drs. George Henry Taylor and Charles Fayette Taylor, introduced the Swedish Movement System in the United States in 1856. The Taylors had studied the techniques in Europe and returned to the United States, where they opened an orthopedic practice with a specialization massage, exercise, water cures, and nutrition.

19.   Who wrote the first American textbook on the Swedish Movement System in 1860?

a.    Hartvig Nissen

b.    Andrew Weil

c.    George Taylor

d.    Douglas Graham

ANS:  C

George Taylor wrote the first American textbook on the Swedish Movement System in 1860, titled An Exposition of the Swedish

Movement Cure.

20.   Who opened the Swedish Health Institute of Washington, DC, considered the first massage school in the United States?

a.    John Harvey Kellogg

b.    Douglas Graham

c.    Just Lucas-Championniere

d.    Hartvig Nissen

ANS:  D

In 1883, Hartvig Nissen opened the Swedish Health Institute of Washington, DC). It is considered the first massage school in the

United States.

21.   Who helped popularize massage therapy in the United States during the modern era by writing numerous books and publishing articles in his magazine, Good Health?

a.    John Harvey Kellogg

b.    Douglas Graham

c.    Just Lucas-Championniere

d.    Hartvig Nissen

ANS:  A

John Harvey Kellogg (1852–1943) of Battle Creek, Michigan, promoted massage to the general public. He wrote numerous articles and books on massage and published a magazine called Good Health.

22.   Which massage organization took the first step toward professionalism by the establishing a massage curriculum and accreditation of massage schools?

a.    American Association of Masseurs and Masseuses

b.    Chartered Society of Physiotherapy

c.    Esalen Massage and Bodywork Association

d.    Society of Trained Masseuses

ANS:  D

Four British women established the Society of Trained Masseuses in 1894. They sought to legitimize massage, which had become associated with prostitution. The Society established a massage practice model, which regulated massage through the establishment of a massage curriculum and accreditation of massage schools which included regular inspections and use of only qualified for massage instructors. Members of the Society were required to pass examinations and were subject to routine surveillance.

23.   What was the original name of the American Massage Therapy Association?

a.    Society of Trained Masseuses

b.    Esalen Massage and Bodywork Association

c.    American Association of Masseurs and Masseuses

d.    Chartered Society of Massage and Medical Gymnastics

ANS:  C

In 1943, postgraduates from the College of Swedish Massage in Chicago created the American Association of Masseurs and Masseuses, renamed the American Massage and Therapy Association in 1958, then finally the American Massage Therapy Association in 1983.

24.   When was the American Massage and Therapy Association founded?

a.    1926 b.    1943 c.    1965 d.    1987

ANS:  B

In 1943, postgraduates from the College of Swedish Massage in Chicago founded the American Association of Masseurs and Masseuses. The name was changed to the American Massage and Therapy Association in 1958, and then was changed again to the American Massage Therapy Association, in 1983.

25.   When was the Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals founded?

a.    1926 b.    1943 c.    1965 d.    1987

ANS:  D

Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals was founded in 1987.

26.   Which center was a think tank for human potential movement and the first exposure to massage for many people?

a.    Remedial Hygienic Institute

b.    Esalen Institute

c.    Swedish Institute

d.    Touch Research Institute

ANS:  B

In 1962, Michael Murphy and Richard Pierce founded the Esalen Institute, a retreat center and think tank for human potential movement. For many people, Esalen was their first exposure to massage and where many came to learn massage.

27.   What organization was established to advance massage by supporting research?

a.    Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals

b.    National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork

c.    Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards

d.    Massage Therapy Foundation

ANS:  D

In 1990, the American Massage Therapy Foundation was established by the AMTA to advance the massage profession through supporting scientific research and evidence-informed practice skills. In 2004, the foundation became an independent organization and changed its name to the Massage Therapy Foundation.

28.   What organization offered a national certification exam in 1992 that was later adopted by most states as a licensure requirement?

a.    Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards

b.    National Certification Board of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork

c.    Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals

d.    American Massage Therapy Association

ANS:  B

In 1992, the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork was founded due to encouragement from the AMTA and other industry leaders. The objective was to create a national certification to facilitate massage licensing reciprocity throughout the United States. A national certification exam was created, and many states adopted it as part of their licensing requirements.