Americans Turn to Massage for Pain Relief

A survey of U.S. consumers about their massage-therapy use shows that Americans turn to massage for pain relief.

Among the survey results:

• Women indicated massage therapy was their first choice when asked “what gave you the greatest relief from pain?” (24 percent versus 22 percent who chose medications as their number-one pain-relief choice).

• Men placed medications first (24 percent) and massage second (19 percent).

• Massage therapy was three times more popular as a form of pain relief among 18- to 24-year-olds than medication (34 percent for massage versus 10 percent for medication).

• Ninety-eight percent of 25- to 34-year-old respondents believe massage can be an effective way to relieve pain, and 37 percent have already had a massage to relieve pain, while 48 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds have used massage to relieve pain.

The survey was the 10th annual massage-therapy survey of American consumers conducted for the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA), with results released in late October.

The annual consumer survey was conducted by Opinion Research Corporation International August 10-13, 2006, among a national probability sample of 1,013 adults (508 men and 505 women) ages 18 and older, living in private households in the continental United States. The survey has a confidence level of plus or minus three percent.

For more coverage of the AMTA's annual survey, see " Consumers Use of Massage on the Rise" in the December issue of MASSAGE Magazine.