The US Pain Foundation Recommends Massage

Massage has a role to play in managing pain without the use of opioids.

The U.S. Pain Foundation, with input from AMTA, has recommended the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) take a multidisciplinary, multimodal care approach to acute and chronic pain, including massage therapy. The organization also emphasized a need for Medicare and Medicaid patients to receive nonpharmacological approaches, such as massage that are covered by insurance.

Additionally, the U.S. Pain Foundation believes the CMS should make it their goal for people to receive effective treatments for pain sooner, and provided the following recommendations: 

• Compensate physicians for time spent coordinating complex care (including individualized, multimodal, and integrative care such as massage therapy)
• Partner with NIH/NCCIH to continue to build the evidence for complementary treatments such as therapeutic massage, yoga, and acupuncture.
• Reimburse for promising treatments for specific pain conditions as evidence becomes available. 

Read more about the U.S. Pain Foundation’s recommendations to the CMS

The U.S. Pain Foundation and AMTA will continue to collaborate on an integrated approach to care (including massage therapy for pain relief). The U.S. Pain Foundation’s mission is to connect, support, educate and advocate for those living with chronic pain, as well as their caregivers and healthcare providers.