Massage Therapy: A Hands-on Approach To Pain Relief

Once viewed primarily as a way to relax and relieve stress, massage therapy is recognized for its effectiveness in helping relieve pain and other medical conditions. In fact, a recent survey by the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) found that while 26 percent of respondents want to relax or do massage to reduce stress, 40 percent had a massage for pain relief. "The medical community is increasingly recognizing the benefits of massage," says Mary Beth Braun, president of the AMTA. "As this trend, massage is becoming an increasingly common component of regular health practices and welfare of the people." Recent studies indicate that massage therapy can help heal injured muscles faster and accelerate the recovery of certain types of surgery. Massage can also help relieve the symptoms of a variety of ailments, from migraines to back pain, and also help reduce the side effects of cancer treatment.As body of research on the benefits of massage therapy grows, the The insurance companies are taking note. The number of respondents who indicated their month-long massage was paid by an insurance company or co-payments doubled since last year.While there is strong interest in massage therapy for medical reasons from all age groups, are was an increase in understanding the particular value of massage of the 18 - to 24-years old. According to the survey, 72 percent of these "Generation Y", respondents disagree that massage is a luxury, and 48 percent of them have already had a massage to relieve pain. Other findings of the survey, including: • The men interviewed and 65 are particularly prone to massage for medical / health reasons; • Women indicated massage therapy was their first choice when asked "what gave you more pain relief? "(24 percent versus 22 percent who chose drugs as the number one choice of pain relief) • Massage Men in situ (19 percent), second only to drugs (24 percent) to the alleviation of pain • Nearly one in three (32 percent) of Hispanic respondents chose massage therapy as their preferred choice of pain relief, and more than half (57 percent), the Hispanics have had a massage to relieve pain. Regardless of age of a person or company to search for massage, find a qualified massage therapist is very important. Those looking for massage therapists massage you should ask if they are authorized to practice massage, if they are nationally certified in therapeutic massage and bodywork and where they received training in massage therapy.