Research exploring how massage therapy is being used in the military health system.
Contributed by the Massage Therapy Foundation, November 1, 2025
Research and practitioner evidence has established a broad range of benefits1 of massage, including alleviating muscle tension, reducing pain,2-7 and enhancing circulation and flexibility.8-12 The therapeutic effects of massage can also accelerate injury recovery13,14 and promote overall well-being.15 Moreover, massage reduces stress levels, improves sleep quality and boosts mental clarity.
In today’s fast-paced world, where stress and physical discomfort are common, integrating massage into your self-care routine is a great way to maintain physical and emotional health.
Musculoskeletal injuries and pain are particularly prevalent in service members due to the physically demanding nature of their service-related duties.16-19 Rigorous training, frequent heavy lifting and high-impact activities place considerable strain on the musculoskeletal system, leading to issues ranging from acute injuries like sprains and fractures to chronic conditions such as lower back pain and joint disorders.
These physical challenges are further compounded by the stress and emotional strains of military life, including combat exposure, extended deployments and separation from family.20,21 These stressors can exacerbate pain and impede recovery, highlighting the need for a holistic approach to address both physical and mental health.
Service members, veterans and their families can all receive care from civilian or military providers, often depending on their location and services offered. The military health care system is a comprehensive and specialized network designed to meet the unique medical needs of service members, veterans and their families.
This care encompasses a wide array of services, from preventive care and emergency treatment to specialized care for injuries and illnesses related to military service.
This system includes military treatment facilities, such as hospitals and clinics, alongside collaboration with civilian health providers. Emphasizing both physical and mental health, the military health care system strives to ensure that personnel receive timely, high-quality care to maintain their readiness and overall well-being.
The military health and veteran health care systems offer massage therapy to support pain management, but questions remain about the frequency of its use and the availability of providers.
Embracing a holistic approach that integrates massage therapy could significantly enhance physical recovery, alleviate stress and bolster emotional resilience for the approximately 1.3 million service members today.
By doing so, the military could improve overall readiness and elevate the quality of life for its personnel, ensuring they are better equipped to meet the demands of their service.
Embracing a holistic approach that integrates massage therapy could significantly enhance physical recovery, alleviate stress and bolster emotional resilience for the approximately 1.3 million service members today.
In 2024, researchers from the Defense and Veterans Center for Integrative Pain Management, conducted a study focusing on the utilization of massage therapy within the military health care system.22 This retrospective analysis examined records from the TRICARE uniformed services health care program, specifically targeting adults who received outpatient massage therapy.
The study reviewed patient records from six months before and after treatment, assessed the credentials of providers and clinic type, and analyzed injury diagnoses. The study also collected variables such as sex, race and ethnicity, beneficiary group (active duty, retired, family, other), rank and service branch.
The goal of the study was to gain insights into how massage therapy is utilized within the military health care system and identify areas for improvement, ultimately aiming to enhance the quality of care provided to service members.
A total of 179,215 patients that met the study criteria with completed data received massage therapy at least once between June 1, 2021, and May 31, 2023. Musculoskeletal issues were the primary reason for treatment (90%), followed by nervous system (5%) and injury (5%) diagnoses. The median number of visits was two.
Massage was most often provided in physical therapy (PT) clinics (74%), followed by occupational therapy (OT—8%), pain management (6%), primary care and family medicine (6%), and chiropractic (5%) clinics. Physical therapists provided a majority of massage treatments (49%), followed by specialists/technologists (19%), chiropractors (9%), and occupational therapists (5%). Massage therapists provided only 0.2% of massage therapy sessions.
Massage therapy provided by a massage therapist is not a covered benefit under TRICARE. Medically necessary massage provided as a part of treatment by a PT or OT is a covered benefit. Active-duty service members, retirees and military family members report using and paying for integrative therapies at a higher rate than their civilian counterparts.
Patients that received therapy from massage therapists were more likely to engage in multiple visits (93% vs. 63%) than those receiving massage therapy from a non-massage therapist. Massage therapists were primarily located in pain management clinics (93%), followed by physical therapy clinics (5%).
Massage therapists were at seven military treatment facilities that had specialty pain management clinics. Active-duty service members had greater accessibility to massage therapist-delivered care than retired service members and family members, likely due to greater access to military treatment facilities.
Patients that received massage therapy from massage therapists were less likely to be prescribed opioids, but more likely to access other pain medications, such as muscle relaxants and NSAIDS, perhaps due to history and occupations of those referred to massage therapists. The current study, however, did not provide information enabling an analysis of referral reasons or the effectiveness of the therapy either in general or when compared to different types of providers.
This small study was limited by the need to use two specific CPT codes and HIPAA codes to identify massage therapists. An overall picture of the use of massage therapy provided by massage therapists not in the TRICARE system wasn’t possible. However, the research does provide a first look at the accessibility, location and use of massage in the military health care system.
This study offers an initial assessment of the limited accessibility of massage therapists within the military health care system and suggests that the utilization patterns of massage therapy might differ when provided by massage therapists compared to other health care providers. Some potential patterns in how referrals to massage therapists are made were also examined.
More research is needed to explore barriers to practice, cost-benefit analyses and treatment outcomes to better integrate massage therapy in the care of service members, retirees and military families. Such research would help enhance and expand the care provided, ensuring that this deserving population receives the highest quality of treatment.
Military Veterans and Massage Therapy
Learn how to advance the use of massage therapy for military veterans especially those receiving services through the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Helping Military Veterans With Massage Therapy
Learn specific skills for providing massage therapy to military veterans.
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