According to the centers for disease control and prevention, 50 million Americans suffer from chronic pain, and it affects more people than diabetes, heart disease and cancer combined. For relief, many people have turned to prescription opioids, which carry a serious risk of addiction, abuse, and overdose, along with several side effects.

AMTA is proud to be leading the conversation on massage therapy as a safe and effective, non-pharmaceutical approach to pain. While the association continues to collaborate with legislators, pain organizations, and healthcare providers on this topic, AMTA is also making a concerted eff ort to build awareness with the general public and specific populations such as athletes and veterans. As part of this multimedia eff ort, AMTA recently featured high-profile print advertisements on Massage for Pain in the Major League Baseball All-Star game program and in the USA Today Veterans Affairs Special Addition. The two publications had a combined reach of 1.2 million.

AMTA believes it’s important to advocate for safe, non-pharmaceutical approaches to pain relief for both veterans and athletes. In fact, it’s estimated that up to 70% of veterans live with chronic pain while athletes and former athletes are at a greater risk for life-long injuries and pain issues. Massage therapy has shown to be an effective, non-opioid option for many types of persistent pain faced by these two groups, including arthritis, neck, shoulder and low-back pain.

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