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Massage therapy is the manual manipulation of soft tissue intended to promote health and well-being. More than 325,000 massage therapists in the United States provide essential services to millions of patients/clients, both to improve general health and well-being and to treat specific ailments and medical needs. For many patients, massage therapy is a key component of pain management, as well as overall health and wellness. 

There is significant evidence supporting the inclusion of massage therapy for many important patient health treatments, including those for chronic pain management (such as back pain, headache, carpal tunnel syndrome, osteoarthritis, neck and shoulder pain, fibromyalgia, and hospice care), behavioral health treatment (anxiety and stress, depression, PTSD, and substance use disorder recovery), rehabilitation/physical training (athletic training/injury treatment, ergonomics, and job-related injuries, cardiac rehab, joint replacement surgery, and scar management), and acute medical conditions (cancer management, post-operative pain, lymphatic drainage, and maternity and newborn care).

 Incorporating massage therapy into approaches to pain management, and as an integrated complement to some pharmacological approaches, can help many suffering from both chronic and acute pain. 

Because massage therapy is an important part of a comprehensive integrative approach to a variety of health conditions, massage therapists are important members of care teams. In team-based care models, health care providers work collaboratively to achieve patient care goals. Using a team approach to care delivery means that physicians can delegate more responsibility to other health professionals, each of whom can then practice “to the top of their license” to support more efficient processes and improve patient health outcomes. 

Some examples of health systems in which massage therapists are important and active members of integrative care teams are provided in this document, including Beaumont Health, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Nationwide Children’s, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Mayo Clinic, Duke Health System, and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Case studies of collaboration demonstrate how massage therapists can function within team-based, integrative care models and deliver better patient results. 

Data also indicate significant cost savings for patients, insurers, and the government when massage therapy is used as a frontline approach to pain management. For a focused economic impact comparison between massage therapy and opioids for pain management, see the last section of this report.