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 Overview of Massage Therapy Research

Public Interest in and Use of Massage Continues to Increase

• The cost of healthcare in the United States is estimated to reach $2.2 trillion by 2008 from 1.6 trillion in 1998. 1
• Consumers spend between $4 and $6 billion annually on visits to massage therapists - approximately 27% of the $21.2 billion spent on unconventional healthcare in 1997.2

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• Consumers visit massage therapists 114 million times each year.2
• About 18% of the 629 million annual visits to alternative healthcare providers.2
• There are numerous indications that massage therapy is gaining acceptance and growing.
• Of the types of alternative care explored, people say they would be most likely to use massage therapy (80%), vitamin therapy (80%), herbal therapy (75%), and chiropractic (73%).3
• 54% of primary care physicians and family practitioners say they would encourage their patients to pursue massage therapy as a complement to medical treatment.4
• HMO members using complementary and alternative medicine services rate their satisfaction with HMO-defined acupuncture, naturopathic, and massage benefits as high.5
• 78 of this country's 125 medical schools - including Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Georgetown, and Johns Hopkins - now offer courses in alternative medicine ... up from 27 in 1995.6
• A total of 27% of the adult U.S. population reports having massages in the past 5 years, 15% in the past 12 months.7
• Massage has become increasingly popular among consumers over 45, being used by about a third of this age group versus a quarter of those younger. Massage is also popular among consumers 25 to 34.8
• Those who seek massage therapy from a trained professional average 7 visits per year.3
• The number of massage therapists is between 160,000 and 220,000, including students.10
• American Massage Therapy Association's membership increased more than fourfold in the 1990s to over 41,000 members.11
• American adults are having many more massages than they did even a year ago, pointing to a trend that therapeutic massage is increasingly accepted and appreciated.7
  · Consumers visit massage therapists 114 million times each year.2
  · Massage is sought out by large numbers of people in all age brackets.7
  - 18-24 (22%) - 45-54 (22%) 
  - 25-34 (31%) - 55-64 (19%) 
  - 35-44 (25%) - Over 65 (9%) 
• Massage is equally popular among men and women in all regions of the country and across most incomes.7
• Massage is popular among people with some college education (31%) and people with only a high school education (16%), but more popular among college graduates (35%).7
• People earning more than $50,000 are having massages most often (34%).7
• The massage explosion can be attributed partly to the growing population of tired, aging, not-quite-as-limber-as-they-once-were baby boomers, partly to an increased awareness of the effects of stress and of the physiological benefits of "pressing the flesh."9
• More working-class professionals are using massage therapy to relieve stress and treat sore muscles. Massage therapists that once served only elite professionals or athletes see a wider range of clientele.9

Studies show that patients make more visits each year to alternative care practitioners (629 million times per year) than to primary care physicians (386 million), and most of them pay out of their own pockets for the care they receive.21

More than four in ten adults in the United States (42%) have used some type of alternative healthcare in the past year and many report a likelihood of future usage. Nearly one-half of adults in the United States (45%) say they would be willing to pay more each month to have access to alternative care, and most people (67%) believe the availability of alternative care is an important factor when choosing a health plan.3

A survey by the Office of Alternative Medicine found that over half of the conventional physicians in the United States have recommended or tried alternative medicine.22

Studies show that better-educated, affluent individuals seek out and use alternative medicine more than the less-educated and poor.1

Sources
1 Health Industry Today October 1999, Vol. 62, Pg. 10.
2 Eisenberg, et. al., "Trends in Alternative Medicine Use in the United            States, 1990-1997," Journal of the American Medical Association 280(18): 1569-1575 (November 11, 1998).
3 "The Landmark Report on Public Perceptions of Alternative Care" (November 1997).
4 "The Physician and Unconventional Medicine," Alternative Therapies in Health: Medicine 1 (1995): 31-35.
5 "First Retrospective Member Survey on HMO," St. Anthony's Alternative Medicine Integration & Coverage 2(8): 1 (February 1998).
6 Barzansky, et. al., "Educational Programs in US Medical Schools, 1998-1999," Journal of the American Medical Association 282(9): 840-846 (September 1, 1999).
7 "Public Attitudes Towards Massage Study," Caravan Opinion Research Corporation International (August 1999). 
8 "Pressing The Flesh," New York 31(1): 36-40 (January 12, 1998).
9 "Society for Human Resource Management 2000 Benefits Survey" (April 4, 2000). 
10 AMTA Market Analysis Exhibit II (January 1999). 
11 AMTA Member Growth (December 1999).
12 "The Magic of Touch," Newsweek (April 6, 1998): 71-72.
13 "Many ER Patients Have Tried Alternative Remedies," Reuters Health (March 7, 2000).
14 Orange County Register (July 14, 1993).
15 "Sports Massage and Contemporary Trends: Interview with Robert K. King," Massage Therapy Journal 34(1): 41-46 (1995).
16 Sports Extra, telecast on WBBM-TV, Chicago, IL (April 6, 1997).
17 Field, et. al., "Massage Therapy Reduces Anxiety and Enhances EEG Pattern of Alertness and Math Computations," International Journal Neuroscience 86 (1996): 197-205.
18 "The Healing Power of Touch," Life (August 1997): 52-62.
19 "Alternative Medicine Moves Into the Workplace," Alternative Therapies 2(1): 47-51 (January 1996).
20 HR Focus (September 1997): 1-3.
21 "Alternative Medicine Makes Inroads, But Watch Out for Curves," The New York Times 147 (April 28, 1998). 
22 "A Closer Look: Integrating Alternative and Traditional Medicine," Risk Management 44(9): 62-66 (September 1997). 
 

 

 

 

 

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