Adamson-Macedo and Attree noted that the interchangeable use in the literature
of terms such as “massage,” “stroking” and “rubbing” has led to confusion and
misinterpretation of findings across studies.42 These authors suggested that the term
“massage” implies kneading, whereas the term “rubbing” implies friction. They
defined stroking as “…to pass the hand (or the fingertips) softly in one direction.