The Future of Massage
Healthcare Massage
Massage therapy has a long history in healthcare throughout parts of the world. However, in the United States, its use as a healthcare practice greatly diminished with the rise of technological medicine and the pharmaceutical industry in the early twentieth century. For example, although once an integral part of physical therapy, massage gradually became a much smaller part of this profession in the latter half of the twentieth century.
It wasn't long ago that healthcare professionals in the United States scoffed at the idea of massage as a serious modality for a wide array of healthcare complaints ranging from musculoskeletal injury to pain management for cancer patients. Today, views are changing significantly. Groundbreaking studies on alternative medicine use by researchers such as David Eisenberg and Daniel Cherkin have shown a consistent pattern of both increased use and acceptance of massage as not only a viable healthcare modality, but a valuable one.
Massage and other complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practices are gaining interest with students in traditional medical schools, which is an indicator of even greater acceptance of these approaches by tomorrow's physicians. An example of this came in June 2005 at the National Education Dialogue (NED) held at Georgetown University. This was a meeting of more than seventy healthcare professionals and educators from conventional medicine and nine CAM disciplines. These educators discussed how to integrate CAM training into future medical school curricula. As a fortunate participant, I was pleased at the warm reception we received from educators from some of the most prestigious medical schools in the country. Many seemed not only fascinated, but excited about the growth and potential of our emerging profession.
A picture of the profoundly expanding use of massage as a healthcare practice can be gleaned from several studies on the use of massage in the United States. Recent investigations show close to two hundred thirty million massage sessions were provided to American adults in 2006. Ineffective results in traditional medical treatment for musculoskeletal disorders has driven millions of Americans to seek better care through CAM approaches, such as massage therapy.
Another study on the practice patterns of massage therapists shows 60 percent of office visits to massage therapists each year are to address musculoskeletal symptoms, or roughly 138 million massage sessions. That is a huge number of massage sessions used specifically for healthcare, and the numbers are almost certain to continue rising.
For massage therapists wanting to make inroads into the traditional healthcare system in the United States, the outlook for this branch of the profession is bright. Practitioners offering treatment for pain and injury conditions, palliative care, and stress and anxiety will find their services in ever greater demand. In fact, consumer expectations in this regard are increasingly placing pressure on massage therapists in terms of skills.
Therapists offering healthcare massage are found in private clinics, sports settings, and other healthcare facilities. Increasingly, practitioners work in chiropractic and physical therapy clinics, doctors' offices, hospitals, universities, or other healthcare establishments. Massage is also an integrated healthcare program in professional sports, dance, and other physically demanding professions. We can look for greater inclusion of massage in mainstream settings, such as hospitals and primary care health clinics. We can also expect massage to continue to garner greater respect, and thus referral, by traditional medical practitioners.
Personal Care Massage
Ask the average person what he thinks of when you mention massage therapy and he is likely to describe an image straight out of popular media - someone with a blissful expression getting pampered in a luxurious resort. This aspect of the profession is considered a personal care service - that which someone uses for overall wellness enhancement, general relaxation, and to feel good, not for specific pain, injury, palliative care, or other ailment.
A majority of practitioners offer personal care massage and work in diverse settings such as home-based practices, private clinics, spas, and high-end resorts. With the development of chair massage, a plethora of settings has emerged - from corporate offices to airports to malls.
The fastest growing environment for this sector in the last decade is the spa industry. Spas in the United States employ more than two hundred fifty thousand people and massage therapy is the most requested service. The spa industry is experiencing a high growth rate, an estimated 15-16 percent per year. Spas provide a distinct employment advantage for some massage therapists, especially those fresh out of school. A new therapist needs to gain confidence and experience by working on a large number of people. In addition, the economic pressures of setting up a private practice may be overwhelming when combined with remaining school expenses. We can expect steady growth in the spa sector for at least several more years.
One area where health and personal care styles of massage are beginning to converge is in medical spas. Medical spas offer similar services to traditional spas but also frequently employ licensed physicians or other healthcare providers. Treatments at medical spas often address not only wellness or beauty enhancement, but also various health problems as well. This innovative development could provide a greater degree of communication and participation between the healthcare and personal care sectors of massage. However, medical spas will need to employ practitioners with the skill base to adequately accomplish spas' advertised healthcare massage services.
Given the demand for personal care massage therapy, the outlook is quite positive for these practitioners.
