Massage

The goal of massage therapy is to achieve or increase health and well-being and to help the body heal itself through manipulation of soft tissues. Various techniques are used, and there are different schools of treatment.

Massage, an ancient technique, was introduced into the United States in the mid-nineteenth century. The first known American practitioners were two New York physicians who had received training in Sweden. In the 1870's Swedish physicians opened clinics in New York. At first physicians performed massage, but they eventually delegated the technique to nurses and physical therapists. An upsurge of interest in the field began in the 1970's.

Twenty-two states and the District of Columbia require massage therapists to have 500 or more hours of education from a recognized school, and some states also require them to pass a licensing examination. The American Massage Therapy Association Commission on Massage Training Accreditation/Approval (COMTAA) accredits 23 programs in 28 locations around the country. Forty additional programs have received approval for their curricula but will have to become accredited by March 1999 in order to remain affiliated with COMTAA.

The National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Body Work (NCB) administers the most widely used examination. NCB, which is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies, administered its first exam in 1992; by September 1997, 27,000 people were certified. Several states have accepted this examination as part of their licensing procedure. Massage therapists are currently licensed in 25 states and the District of Columbia. Some municipalities in states that do not require licensing -- for example, Tucson, Arizona, and Chicago, Illinois -- have passed licensing ordinances.

Some studies indicate that massage helps premature babies gain weight more quickly, reduces swelling of the arm following radical mastectomy, and is effective in relieving pain in patients with soft tissue injuries. Therapeutic touch may be beneficial in wound healing and anxiety