Americans Using Massage Therapy for Pain Relief

In the past many people have thought that a massage was simply for indulgence. However, according to a survey conducted by the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA), more and more Americans are turning to massage as a way to manage pain.  In fact, 30% of all people who sought a massage in the past year did so for pain management. This group of people is followed by 22% who received one for relaxation purposes. Furthermore, 87% of respondents agreed that massage therapy can help reduce one's pain and 85% said that massage therapy is helpful in a person's overall health and well-being.

According to this survey by the ATMA, America's older generation seems to be more responsive to massage therapy. Baby boomers age 45 to 64 sought massage therapy about seven times during the past year. Those who fall into the age bracket of 18 to 44 sought therapy five times during the course of the past year. Also baby boomers averaged about 20 massages in the last five years while those 18 to 44 only averaged around 10 in the last five years.

Those who seek pain relief massage therapy do so for a variety of reasons including pain management, injury recovery, soreness, control or headaches/migranes, and general wellness.

Those who may be skeptical of the medical benefits of massage therapy may be interested to know that there is a large body of medical evidence supporting the use of massage therapy. In fact, some studies show that massage therapy can be more effective in some cases that traditional medicines and treatments. More specifically it has been shown to be very beneficial for lower back pain sufferers, those with shoulder pain, and headaches.

While the studies show that massage therapy has been useful, physicians are beginning to acknowledge the benefits as well. According to the AMTA, one in five survey participants said that they had discussed massage therapy with their doctors and more than half of these participants said that their doctor had strongly recommended it or encouraged it.