| Massage therapy is seeing explosive growth | | | | make the working environment as physically and |
| throughout the industrialized world and in the | | | | emotionally healthy as possible as a means to |
| United State in particular. This growth is due to | | | | increase productivity, the proven physiological |
| many factors both within the therapeutic | | | | benefits of massage are a big if subtle force |
| massage industry and in the broader context of | | | | pushing employee benefits and rewards in this |
| US culture as well. One of the most important | | | | direction. Employers not only get a great, fun |
| developments in the field is the growing | | | | activity that all employees can participate in, they |
| acceptance and awareness of the alternative | | | | also get to feel good that they are promoting the |
| therapies for common issues both temporary and | | | | health of their employees. |
| chronic. Massage, when applied properly has been | | | | Full body massage is also a major segment of the |
| shown in many studies to effectively alleviate pain | | | | massage therapy industry, accounting for 30-50% |
| and other symptoms as well as promoting faster | | | | of the overall market, which is seeing some broad |
| and more extensive healing. Hand in hand with the | | | | yet subtle changes in the marketplace affecting |
| development of studies showing the benefits of | | | | business. With so many clients showing up asking |
| massage has come a broader acceptance of the | | | | for more than just relaxation the massage world |
| use of massage therapy in a variety of settings | | | | is adjusting to respond. Massage clinics and |
| encompassing a broad range of goals. One | | | | individual practitioners are offering more and more |
| growing area of treatment that massage | | | | therapies to address specific problems. For |
| therapists provide is in the medical massage field. | | | | analyzing the current state of full body massage |
| The medical massage field can be defined broadly | | | | Chicago massage therapist Tracy Vinter shares |
| or narrowly; for my purposes a broad | | | | this anecdote: "I had a client of 10 years come to |
| understanding including all massage therapies | | | | my office recently and ask me about treating his |
| undertaken for the express purposes of alleviating | | | | lower back pain. Well of course this is what we |
| symptoms and/or promoting healing. Taken in this | | | | had been doing for years but the cognition of that |
| sense, medical massage is exploding in all areas of | | | | on his end didn't occur until the popular media |
| the country. Chicago massage therapist Stan | | | | helped to reconfigure his understanding." |
| Ellison, 45 of Chicago, IL, says "In the 25 years | | | | In short, massage therapy in all its various forms |
| I've been working with clients I've seen a | | | | is emerging as one of US consumers' favorite |
| substantial shift in the number of new and existing | | | | health alternatives. It is becoming so popular that |
| clients who are seeking massage to treat specific | | | | it is nearly mainstream in all of the US. The ability |
| issues or conditions." | | | | of massage therapy in its professionally crafted |
| Another area that is benefiting from this growing | | | | form is helping to push this revolution in thinking |
| acceptance of massage therapy is chair massage | | | | by providing the public what they want, simple, |
| in the office setting also known as corporate | | | | effective, non-invasive treatments for common |
| massage. In a corporate climate that seeks to | | | | conditions. |