The Soma Institute

The Soma Institute
6
Clinical Massage Therapy Growth Trends
soma.edu
The field of massage therapy is growing faster than ever before.
As physical and mental wellness become increasing priorities among the aging U.S.
population, more and more people are pursuing the therapeutic benefits of massage
therapy. There is a wide array of notable statistics to document this upward trend:
• U.S. consumers spend between $4 and $6 billion annually on visits to massage therapists. 1
• Since 1997, the number of adult Americans who have been treated by a massage
therapist has jumped from 8% to 22%. 1,2
• 90% of adults now believe that massage can be beneficial to health. 2
• 14% of Fortune 200 companies offer massage as part of their employee benefit programs. 1
Clinical massage therapy has become an integral part of the
healthcare community.
A growing number of medical practices now recognize the healing benefits of
clinical massage therapy. What was once dismissed as a second-tier, “alternative”
treatment is now regarded as a vital part of treatment programs at many hospitals,
rehabilitation centers, and athletic training facilities. 3
• 62% of the doctors and healthcare providers consulted strongly recommended or
encouraged massage for their patients. 4
• 52% of patients view their massage therapist as a “healthcare professional.” 5
• 82% of hospitals offering complementary and alternative medicine therapies
include massage therapy among their healthcare offerings. 6
• Among complementary and alternative medicine practices surveyed, medical
practitioners ranked massage therapy highest (74%) in terms of being perceived as
always or usually effective. 1
• Alternative and complementary treatment methods like massage therapy have
become so widely embraced by medical professionals that the National Institutes of
Health has opened the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 7
• The White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy
announced the need for more public education on complementary and alternative
medical therapies, including massage therapy. 8
1. American Massage Therapy Association, Demand for Massage Therapy – Use and Acceptance Increasing, 2002, available at
www.amtamassage.org/pdf/02demanddraft2.pdf.
2. American Massage Therapy Association, 2005 Massage Therapy Consumer Survey Fact Sheet, available at www.amtamassage.org/pdf/05consurvey.pdf.
3. Interview with Michael Jones, Clinical Massage Therapist, Gottlieb Health and Fitness Center, June 17, 2005.
4. American Massage Therapy Association, 2004 Massage Therapy Consumer Survey Fact Sheet, available at www.amtamassage.org/pdf/04survey.pdf.
5. American Massage Therapy Association, 2003 Massage Therapy Consumer Survey Fact Sheet, available at www.amtamassage.org/pdf/03consurvey.pdf.
6. Milivojevic, JoAnn, “Massage and Pain Relief”, Massage Therapy Journal, Spring 2004, pp.46-53, available at
www.amtamassage.org/journal/spring04_journal/MassageAndPainRelief.pdf.
7. Opening of National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, details at www.nccam.nih.gov/about/aboutnccam/.
8. White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy, Final Report, March 2002, ISBN 0-16-051476-2.
The Final Report can be purchased by visiting www.whccamp.hhs.gov/finalreport.html. Description: NIH Publication 03-5411.