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More Facts About Massage
One in five Americans have had a
massage from a massage therapist
in the past five years and 13%
report receiving one in the past
year. This is up 8% from 1997.
Today, there are more than
90,000 Nationally Certified
practitioners that serve
millions of consumers.
In 1996, massage therapy and
bodywork was officially offered
for the first time as a core
medical service in the Summer
Olympic Games in Atlanta.
Thirty-six states and the
District of Columbia now
regulate the practice of
therapeutic massage and
bodywork. Of those, thirty-one
states, in addition to the
District of Columbia, now use
the NCBTMB examination as
meeting (in part or in whole)
the requirements of regulation.
Consumers spend between $2 and
$4 billion dollars annually on
visits to massage and bodywork
practitioners, totaling
approximately 75 million visits
each year.
The three most often cited
reasons for getting a
therapeutic massage are
relaxation (27%), relief of
muscle soreness, stiffness or
spasm (13%), and stress
reduction (10%).
Health insurers are increasingly
expanding coverage to include
medical massage.
Fifty-four percent of primary
care physicians and family
practitioners say they would
encourage their patients to
pursue massage therapy as a
complement to medical treatment.
In 1999, 52% of American adults
thought of massage as
"therapeutic," which is up 47%
from 1997.
An estimated 20 million
Americans receive massage
therapy and bodywork each year,
according to the National
Institute of Health (NIH).
Approximately 50,000 massage and
bodywork practitioners provide
45 million one-hour therapy
sessions each year.
Massage and bodywork therapy is
sought out by a large number of
people in age brackets: 18-24
(22%); 25-34 (31%); 35-44 (25%);
45-54 (22%); 55-64 (19%); and
over 65 (9%).
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