Pain Awareness Month: AMTA’s Commitment to Advancing Massage Therapy for Pain Relief

As Pain Awareness Month comes to a close, AMTA is proud to highlight the variety of ways we are championing massage therapy as a safe, effective approach to pain relief. From strategic advocacy and innovative research to award-winning public campaigns, our efforts continue to elevate the massage therapy profession while advancing integrative, whole-person healthcare solutions.

AMTA's Award-Winning Research Campaign

A growing body of research shows that massage therapy is effective for pain relief. Continuing to support this research helps define when massage therapy is most effective, for whom, and how it can be safely integrated into broader healthcare and pain management plans.

At AMTA, we are deeply committed to advancing this work through advocating for federal research funding, supporting innovative studies with the Massage Therapy Foundation (MTF), and conducting educational outreach to both our massage community and the public. In fact, our recent research campaign won the ASAE Power of Associations Gold Award, Hermes Gold Award, and APEX Award of Excellence, highlighting how our collective efforts in funding, advocacy, communications, and education are accelerating research-informed progress for the massage profession and the public it serves.

Learn More About AMTA’s Award-Winning Campaigns 

AMTA Leads the Way with the Pain Collaborative

AMTA serves on the Circle of Advisors for the Alliance to Advance Comprehensive Integrative Pain Management (AACIPM) and works with the Pain Collaborative to Advance Equitable Value-Based Solutions, an initiative that builds on AACIPM’s work. Through these collaborations, AMTA advocates alongside healthcare leaders and organizations to advance comprehensive, equitable pain care and ensure massage therapy is represented in national discussions about nonopioid, integrative, and value-based approaches to pain management.

AMTA Advocates for Nonpharmacological Pain Management

AMTA continues to champion legislation that limits opioid prescriptions and expands access to nonpharmacological approaches to pain relief, such as massage therapy. Through our partnerships with Voices for Non-Opioid Choices and the U.S. Pain Foundation, we successfully supported the passage of the NOPAIN Act in December 2022, which increases access to nonopioid options for acute pain management.

AMTA also recently released an updated Massage Therapy in Integrative Care and Pain Management report, which highlights the efficacy of massage therapy for a variety of conditions and finds that expanding access to massage therapy could save the U.S. healthcare system an estimated $11.1 billion annually.

This expansion would mean fully incorporating massage therapy into an integrative approach to care, working alongside physicians and rehabilitation specialists. As part of this approach, massage therapy could be prescribed alongside medications and other treatments based on an individual patient’s needs. The research in this report is intended to help inform conversations with policymakers, healthcare professionals, and other stakeholders as we work to expand coverage for massage therapy through Medicare, Medicaid, and private health plans. 

Discover how AMTA advocates for the profession

AMTA's Ongoing Commitment

From collaborating with national leaders in pain care and advocating for legislation to launching award-winning campaigns and funding critical research, AMTA remains steadfast in its commitment to advancing massage therapy as a cornerstone of pain management and integrative healthcare. Our work ensures that more individuals have access to safe, effective, and evidence-based massage therapy—helping people live with less pain and increase their quality of life.