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Massage Therapy Facts For Physicians
Americans are turning to massage therapy for relief from injuries and certain
chronic and acute conditions, to help them deal with the stresses of daily life,
and to maintain good health. In a July 2000 national survey of adult consumers
by Opinion Research Corporation (ORC), 29 percent said that medical reasons
would motivate them to get a massage. [Medical reasons given include: for muscle
soreness/ stiffness/spasm (10 percent); to reduce pain (6 percent); for injury
recovery and rehab (4 percent); for wellness and prevention (2 percent); for
greater joint flexibility or range of motion (2 percent); or because of a
medical prescription or physician recommendation (2 percent).] *
Medical professionals are becoming more knowledgeable about the efficacy and
benefits of massage and are commonly integrating the services of massage
therapists into patient care. Health insurance companies, realizing the cost
savings of massage, may cover sessions with a massage therapist when they are a
prescribed aspect of treatment. According to a survey of physicians, nurses and
physicians assistants in Washington State (November 2000 to February 2001) by
Group Health Cooperative, 74 percent of these medical professionals perceived
the results of patient use of massage as always or usually effective for the
purpose it was prescribed. **
Doctors are prescribing massage to help patients manage stress and pain.1.
Among emergency room patients, 31% report that they have used massage in the
past for painful conditions.2
In the 2000 consumer survey by ORC, of the 14 percent of adults who spoke to
their doctors about massage therapy, 71 percent reported that the conversation
was favorable about massage and 20 percent reported the conversation was
neutral. Among those 65+ years old who spoke with their doctors about massage,
84 percent said the conversation was positive. *
* From July 20, 2000 survey commissioned by AMTA
**Weeks, J. The Integrator for the Bus. Of Alt. Med., April 2001
1 "The Magic of Touch," Newsweek (April 6, 1998): 71-72.
2 "Many ER Patients Have Tried Alternative Remedies," Reuters Health (March 7,
2000).
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