People find that massage therapy can help with a wide range of medical conditions, including:

• Allergies


• Anxiety and stress
• Arthritis (osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis)


• Asthma and bronchitis


• Carpal tunnel syndrome


• Chronic and temporary pain


• Circulatory problems


• Depression


• Digestive disorders


• Headache and muscle tension


• Insomnia


• Myofascial pain (condition of tissue connecting the muscles)


• Reduced range of motion


• Sinusitis


• Sports injuries


• Temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ)

Although massage therapy does not increase muscle strength it can stimulate weak, inactive muscles and partially compensate for the lack of exercise and inactivity resulting from illness or injury. It can lead to a fast and more complete recovery.

Massage Therapy In The Workplace
Employers and employees recognize the benefits of massage therapy in the workplace.

• Massage therapy has been shown to be effective in reducing stress and managing/relieving pain.

• Many companies have seen that massage therapy has increased productivity and reduced stress.

There are many ways in which American companies incorporate massage therapy into the workplace.

• Massage therapists as full- or part-time employees.

• Individual contractors.

• Employee wellness centers.

• Cost-sharing for massage therapy sessions with employees.

Research has shown that massage therapy benefits employees in the workplace.

A study by the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami found that after five weeks, a group of 26 employees who had twice-weekly, 15-minute massages in the office fared better than a control group of 24 employees who were just told to close their eyes and relax. The massaged group experienced reduced stress and improved performance, while the control group did not.

Top companies offer massage therapy in the workplace.

• Among the companies identified as the "100 Best for Working Mothers," 77% offered massage therapy to their employees.

• Eighteen percent (18%) of corporations with more than 500 employees offered massage therapy to their employees versus 11% of companies nationwide of all sizes that were surveyed.

• Companies offering massage therapy as an employee benefit include Allstate, Best Buy, Cisco Systems, FedEx, Gannett (USA Today), General Electric, Hewlett-Packard, Home Depot, JC Penney, Kimberly-Clark, Texas Instruments and Yahoo!

• S.C. Johnson says that more and more managers recognize the benefits of massage for their employees - and the company's been offering massage therapy as a benefit for more than 10 years.

Source: 2005 Massage Therapy Industry Fact Sheet (Released January 23, 2006)
© 2006 American Massage Therapy Association

Click here to download the full 2005 Massage Therapy Industry Fact Sheet (Adobe Acrobat Reader Required)

Stress At Work

80% of workers feel stress on the job, nearly half say they need help in learning how to manage stress and 42% say their coworkers need such help; 12% had called in sick because of job stress. - American Institute of Stress
An estimated 1 million workers are absent every day due to stress.

Occupational pressures are believed to be responsible for:

• 30% of workers suffering from back pain

• 28% complaining of "stress"

• 20% feeling fatigued

• 17% having muscular pains

• 13% with headaches

Replacing an average employee today costs between $3,000 and $13,000.

Repetitive musculoskeletal injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome have become the nation's leading workplace health cost and account for almost a third of all workers' compensation awards