Massage therapy’s great. And there are numerous studies outlining why, most coming from a medicinal point of view (we’ve written about a lot of them: massage therapy’s helpful to cancer patients, people who are stressed, people suffering from jaw pain, etc.).
But a new study shows another, substantial reason why people appreciate and seek out massage therapy: They like it.
According to a recently released study in the Complementary Therapies in Medicine journal, the most important reason cited by the study’s participants in why they seek massage therapy is for the positive outcomes massage therapy provides them. Respondents said that the positive outcomes sometimes came to them immediately, sometimes in the days following the massage. They listed relaxation, pain reduction, injury reduction, increases in function and performance, and a general increase in wellness as examples of the benefits they receive from massage therapy.
Interestingly, the respondents said they continue to receive massage therapy because of its demonstrated benefit over the many years they have received it, and, because “nothing else has the same result”.
Respondents also said they were interested and pursued massage therapy because they identified with the massage therapy culture that they encountered with massage therapists who made them feel comfortable, listened to what they wanted and provided the therapeutic touch they needed.
So, it seems that, if provided with the right therapist, nearly all people would appreciate massage therapy, as we all experience stress, head pain, or other maladies that massage therapy can soothe. One of the main hurdles keeping people from massage therapy therefore must be getting them to a massage therapist who can help them experience it and feel its benefits. Hopefully more people will get over whatever is keeping them from experiencing the benefits of massage therapy so they too can make a simple realization: They like massage therapy!