Massage Therapy Journal Winter 2025

Winter 2025 • 75

Embracing a holistic approach that integrates massage therapy could significantly enhance physical recovery, alleviate stress and bolster emotional resilience for the approximately 1.3 million service members today.

and impede recovery, highlighting the need for a holistic approach to address both physical and mental health. Service members, veterans and their families can all receive care from civilian or military providers, often depending on their location and services offered. The military health care system is a comprehensive and specialized network designed to meet the unique medical needs of service members, veterans and their families. This care encompasses a wide array of services, from preventive care and emergency treatment to specialized care for injuries and illnesses related to military service. This system includes military treatment facilities, such as hospitals and clinics, alongside collaboration with civilian health providers. Emphasizing both physical and In 2024, researchers from the Defense and Veterans Center for Integrative Pain Management, conducted a study focusing on the utilization of massage therapy within the military health care system. 22 This retrospective analysis examined records from the TRICARE uniformed services health care program, specifically targeting adults who received outpatient massage therapy. The study reviewed patient records from six months before and after treatment, assessed Findings: Massage Helpful, More Research Needed A total of 179,215 patients that met the study criteria with completed data received massage therapy at least once between June 1, 2021, and May 31, 2023. Musculoskeletal issues were the primary reason for treatment (90%), followed by nervous system (5%) and injury (5%) diagnoses. The Study: How Massage Fits the Military Health Care System

mental health, the military health care system strives to ensure that personnel receive timely, high-quality care to maintain their readiness and overall well-being. The military health and veteran health care systems offer massage therapy to support pain management, but questions remain about the frequency of its use and the availability of providers. Embracing a holistic approach that integrates massage therapy could significantly enhance physical recovery, alleviate stress and bolster emotional resilience for the approximately 1.3 million service members today. By doing so, the military could improve overall readiness and elevate the quality of life for its personnel, ensuring they are better equipped to meet the demands of their service.

the credentials of providers and clinic type, and analyzed injury diagnoses. The study also collected variables such as sex, race and ethnicity, beneficiary group (active duty, retired, family, other), rank and service branch. The goal of the study was to gain insights into how massage therapy is utilized within the military health care system and identify areas for improvement, ultimately aiming to enhance the quality of care provided to service members.

management (6%), primary care and family medicine (6%), and chiropractic (5%) clinics. Physical therapists provided a majority of massage treatments (49%), followed by specialists/ technologists (19%), chiropractors (9%), and occupational therapists (5%). Massage therapists provided only 0.2% of massage therapy sessions. Massage therapy provided by a massage therapist is not a covered benefit under TRICARE. Medically necessary massage provided as a part

The median number of visits was two. Massage was most often provided in physical therapy (PT) clinics (74%), followed by occupational therapy (OT—8%), pain

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