September/October 2023

Save the Date: Black Massage Therapy Conference

The 1st annual Black Massage Therapist Conference will take place on October 14, 2023, in Charlotte, NC. The theme this year is “Let’s Celebrate”. The conference is for black massage therapists to feel a sense of belonging and community. Their mission is to form a community of black licensed massage therapists nationwide and worldwide. This community will network and provide a collaborative approach in how to educate Black communities on holistic health and wellness treatments and services. AMTA is a premier sponsor of the Black Massage therapist Conference. Learn more and register.

NIH Funding Opportunity: Quantitative Measures of Myofascial Tissues

A reissued notice of funding opportunity from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) seeks research applications to develop quantitative measures of myofascial tissues and assess their abilities to detect changes to myofascial tissues across a variety of pain management interventions. This is part of the NIH Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative. The initiative bolsters research across the NIH to improve treatment for opioid misuse and addiction and enhance pain management. The application deadline is October 18, 2023.

Massage Therapy Foundation Announces Research Grant Award

The Massage Therapy Foundation (MTF) has awarded $30,000 for a self-funded research grant. MTF Board of Trustees member Dr. Portia Resnick is the Primary Investigator of the study, “MTF Ergonomics Project: Phase Two.” MTF’s Ergonomics Project conducts data collection about the work of massage therapy professionals to create a structured job task analysis. MTF’s goal is to use this information to provide safety parameters for massage therapy work. Phase Two, beginning summer 2023, employs the use of wearable sensor technology measuring force output. Study participants are being recruited from MassageNet Practice-Based Research Network, a collaborative of therapists and researchers coming together to collect real-world data.

House Bill 255 Introduced in Ohio

State Representatives Kevin Miller (R-Newark), and Haraz N. Ghanbari (R-Perrysburg) recently introduced House Bill 255, which aims to address the unlicensed practice of massage therapy in Ohio. The bill will create a nontherapeutic massage registry for unlicensed bodyworkers in Ohio at the Department of Public Safety. The bill will have no impact on current licensed massage therapists and they will not be required to register. House Bill 255 has not yet been assigned to a committee.

July/August 2023

Massage Therapy Foundation Welcomes Two New Board of Trustees Members

Two new members have joined the Massage Therapy Foundation’s Board of Trustees: Michaele Colizza and Teri Mayo. Colizza is the current National Past-President of the American Massage Therapy Association and has been a practicing massage therapist since 2001. Mayo has owned rehabilitative practices, including a medical massage clinic, for 29 years as a massage therapist. Colizza and Mayo officially joined the Board as of March 1, 2023.

ISPA Releases Findings of 2023 U.S. Spa Industry Study

The International SPA Association (ISPA) released the findings of their 2023 U.S. Spa Industry Study in May. Data indicated that U.S. Spa Industry revenues grew from $18.1 billion in 2021 to $20.1 billion in 2022, an increase of more than 11 percent. The revenue figure sets a new all-time industry record, outpacing the previous high in 2019.

Four Students Selected for Myoskeletal Massage Scholarship

Four students have been selected to receive the Erik Dalton Myoskeletal Massage Therapy Endowed Scholarship at Indiana State University. Dalton partnered with Indiana State University in 2012 to create the Advanced Myoskeletal Massage Therapy program. The scholarship was created to provide assistance to students. The recipients of the 2023 scholarships are Alexis Fears, Giovanni Garrett, Kathryn Tritle, and Nick Anzelone.

May/June 2023

Massage therapy Foundation Partners with Canadian Massage Therapy Association

The Massage Therapy Foundation (MTF) has announced a new partnership with the Canadian Massage Therapy Association (CMTA). The partnership will allow both organizations to co-create new opportunities for expanding the global influence of MTF’s resources on massage therapy research, community service, and educational endeavors. CMTA pledged an annual contribution of $10K Canadian dollars to MTF for support of the Foundation’s activities. “The entire MTF Board of Trustees is extremely grateful for CMTA’s generous commitment, financial support, and human resources for implementation of this collaboration,” said MTF President, Adrienne F. Asta, BA, LMT.

MassageLuXe Introduces New Director of Massage Therapy

MassageLuXe has introduced Terrie Yardley-Nohr, LMT, as the company’s Director of Massage Therapy. Yardley-Nohr has over three decades of experience in the massage industry and has used her expertise to develop programs and curriculums for several career colleges. Additionally, Yardley-Nohr has served on the boards of the American Massage Therapy Association and the Alliance of Massage Therapy Educators. As the Director of Massage Therapy, Yardley-Nohr will oversee the development of new protocols and programs for the hundreds of massage therapists employed by the franchise network.

NIH Publishes Report from Stakeholder Meeting for Research on Whole Person Health

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) held a stakeholder meeting to discuss research on Whole Person Health last October, and is now sharing a summary of the meeting’s dialogue. Discussions included how integrative therapies delivered physically also provide psychological components, such as sensory awareness. AMTA participated, representing the massage therapy profession.

Read the summary here.

Registration Now Open for AMTA's 2023 National Convention

Registration for AMTA’s 2023 National Convention has opened. This year’s convention will be held August 24–26 in Phoenix, AZ. Register for the event, meet this year’s keynote speakers, and see all of the course offerings here.

Registration Open for 2nd Annual Force-Based Manipulation Investigator Meeting

Massage therapists are invited to join the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health for the open session of the 2nd Annual Force-Based Manipulation Investigator Meeting on June 29. The open session will feature programmatic network vision and goals, updates from the three research networks, and a keynote presentation by Dr. David Ginty of Harvard Medical School.

For more information and to register click here.

March/April 2023

IJTMB Welcomes New Editorial Team

The Massage Therapy Foundation’s International Journal of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (IJTMB) has welcomed a new editorial team. Amanda Baskwill, PhD, the new Executive Editor, will lead the new staff. Baskwill is the Dean of Health, Human and Justice Studies at Loyalist College in Belleville, Ontario. Luann Fortune, PhD, and Sarah Fogarty, PhD, will serve as associate editors. Fortune serves as core faculty in Saybrook University’s Mind-Body Medicine program and the Mindful Moments offerings. Fogarty is a massage therapist and researcher who has been practicing massage since 2000. IJTMB is an open access, peer-reviewed publication intended to accommodate the diverse needs of the rapidly expanding therapeutic massage and bodywork community.

Learn more at ijtmb.com

Massage Therapy Foundation Selects 2023 Boston Marathon Running Team

The Massage Therapy Foundation has announced its 2023 Boston Marathon Team Runners. The five runners for the event that takes place on April 17, 2023 are Marshall Dahneke, Rulon Dahneke, David Gonzalez, Dennis Jones, and Theresa Seitz. Team MTF is raising money and creating awareness for the Massage Therapy Foundation. Over the past decade the program has raised a total of $531,074.

To learn more about this year’s runners go to massagetherapyfoundation.org.

Biotone's EDU-TALK Series Continues in March

Biotone's EDU-TALK series is set to continue March 21 with Complex Headache Syndrome presented by Diana Thompson. EDU-TALKS, created during the early stages of COVID, are free thirty-minute Zoom meetings presented by massage industry experts and hosted by BIOTONE.

Register for upcoming events here.

January/February 2023

COMTA Concludes October 17 and 24 2022 Commission Meeting

The Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA) concluded its October 17 and 24 2022 Commission meeting.

COMTA welcomed four new Commissioners:

Patrick Comstock (Administrator)

Carolina Render (Massage Practitioner)

Michael Santoro (Public Member)

Cassandra Stratton (Employer)

Bios and photos of Commissioners can be found here.

NCBTMB Announces 2023 Certification Board Election Results

The National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (NCBTMB has announced the results of the 2023 Certification Board Election. Matthew Gavzy, LMT, PTA, BCTMB and Nicole Zeger, MA were positively voted through by Certificants to join the NCMTMB Certification Board as Practitioner and Public Member, respectively. The results will be effective March 1, 2023. Gravzy and Zeger’s terms are for three years through February 28, 2026. Additionally, Dolly Wallace, LMT, BCTMB was also re-elected as the organization’s president.

AMTA Announces 2022 National Election Results

AMTA has announced that 95.2% of professional members voting in the AMTA National Board Election approved the slate of new board directors to take office on March 1, 2023. The elected board members will be Heber Blackner, Cindy Farrar, Bob Jantsch, Kim Kane-Santos, Cheryl Siniakin and LaDonna Ward. They will join four continuing Board Directors – Jaime Bernardo, Jr., Rick Greely, Jane Horton Johnson and Lee Stang. On March 1, 2023, Christine Bailor-Goodlander will become the AMTA President and current President, Michaele Colizza, will continue on the Board as Immediate-Past President.

Massage Therapy Foundation Awards 2022 Research Support Grant

The Massage Therapy Foundation has announced the award of one Research Support Grant for the 2022 granting cycle of $30,000 to Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia, for a feasibility study investigating massage for pregnant women who have experienced a stillbirth.

Sarah Fogarty, Ph.D., and Phillipa Hay, Ph.D., are the principal investigators. The study is part of an asynchronous mirror image second pilot study with the University of Manchester, United Kingdom, creating a larger retrospective individual participant data meta-analysis.

The study will include 75 pregnant women who have previously experienced a stillbirth and will measure the feasibility of multiple massage experiences as an adjunct to care for women in an attempt to decrease anxiety, worry, and stress.

American Massage Therapy Association Reaches 100,000 Members

The American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) has reached 100,000 members for the first time in its history. AMTA has grown from its beginnings as a group of 29 massage therapists in 1943. “Thank you to our members, past, present, and future.

You are the heart of AMTA,” said AMTA National President Michaele Colizza, in a release. “Together we will continue to lead the way in advancing massage therapy and we look forward to the future of our profession.” AMTA is focused on investing membership dollars back into the profession through research, advocacy, self-care for massage therapists, and by promoting the health and wellness benefits of massage.

Congress Passes the NOPAIN Act

Congress officially passed the Non-Opioids Prevent Addiction in the Nation (NOPAIN) Act, which aims to make a significant impact in helping to prevent opioid addiction throughout the country, in late December. The NOPAIN Act will increase patient and provider access to non-opioid approaches to pain management for those enrolled in Medicare. It also requires a report to Congress on limitations and barriers to access in Medicare coverage for services supported by the HHS Pain Management Task Force, including massage therapy.