The Future of Healing: How Massage Research is Revolutionizing Integrative Health Practices

As a recent massage school graduate, I’ve been immersing myself in continuing education while I wait for my license to be processed. One of the most inspiring courses I’ve taken is a video series featuring leaders in integrative healthcare from the Cornerstone Collaborative, Mayo Clinic, Veterans Health Administration (VHA), and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). These experts share the latest research and insights on how massage therapy can play a vital role in recovery, restoration, and whole-person wellness. Watching them discuss the evolving place of massage in healthcare has shown me both the opportunities and responsibilities we have as massage therapists to educate, collaborate, and bring meaningful outcomes to our clients. This series has opened my eyes to the ways massage can be integrated into larger healthcare systems and how I can actively contribute to this growing field.

Part 4

Wrapping up the final video in my continuing education series, I geeked out over the insights shared about the science of touch. This session, featuring Dr. David Shurtleff, Deputy Director of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), was an informative session. Dr. Shurtleff's assertion that massage therapy research has “hit its stride” in trying to promote massage therapy and change the way they treat patients. As someone just beginning my journey in this field, it is encouraging to know that the techniques I’m mastering are being studied and validated at the highest levels of neuroscience and biomechanics.

Massage Research at NCCIH:

The NCCIH's mission is straightforward and impactful: to conduct rigorous research that:

• determines usefulness and safety of complementary interventions

• investigates their roles in improving health and health care.

Vision of NCCIH:

The scientific evidence informs decision-making by the public, health care professionals, and by health policymakers regarding the use and integration of complementary and integrative health approaches.

Essentially, they focus on how and why complementary therapies, like manual (massage) therapy, work. Their goal is to help healthcare professionals and the public make informed choices based on solid evidence rather than fleeting trends or assumptions. I have a Bachelor of Science degree from Michigan Technological University, studying 3 years each of both Chemical Engineering and Ecology/Environmental Sciences, so his talk about the scientific method and their findings was particularly of interest to me.

The Mechanics of Touch

During his session, Dr. Shurtleff explored the details of how manual therapy techniques have the power to transform healthcare practices as we know it. The focus of their research is from pain, to therapeutics, to affective touch, to health, to inflammation, to manual therapies, to tissues, to methods in both the clinical research space and basic research space. Researchers at NCCIH are examining how manual therapies affect the body at various levels, from cells to nerve pathways.

One of the studies they are doing is to uncover the neurocircuitry of Force-Based manipulations (massage, manual therapy, soft tissue manipulation, myofascial release, etc). Their main goal for this study is advance research on the study of the neural mechanisms and biomechanics of Force-Based manipulations to include the following:

• terminology and measurement of force-based manipulations

• mechanistic multi-scale (ie. molecular, cellular, and circuit) research measuring the physiological response to force-based manipulations

• contextual effects of force-based manipulations - contribute to a whole health research approach

• biomarkers of Force-Based manipulations

• technology and methodology development for mechanistic studies

As well, they are including the context and looking for biomarkers so that the physiology and neurobiology of Force-Based manipulations can be examined.

Complementary Approaches Reduce Self-rated Physical Disability Caused by Low-Back Pain

Groundbreaking Research Initiatives

In 2022 the NCCIH and NINDS awarded funds to 3 studies:

1. UC Berkeley and Univ of Virginia - focus is the neuronal & systems mechanisms of affective touch and therapeutic tissue manipulation research - Goal: to identify mechanisms through which soft tissue manipulations exert biological effects on the nervous system and non-neural cells and tissues.

2. Univ of Alabama Brimingham and Duke - focus is the Force-Based manipulations research network - Goal: Address the need for metrics of applied force, the neural mechanisms of mechanotransduction, role of contextual factors on manipulation mechanisms.

3. Univ of Pennsylvania and Univ of Minn - focus is SPINE-WORK alleviating back pain  Goal: will create a multidisciplinary network of researchers interested in exploring the potential role of Force-Based manipulations in alleviating back pain.

These studies focus on how touch influences the nervous system and overall health. It is really cool to see massage research being conducted alongside other scientific inquiries, reinforcing the legitimacy of our profession and the techniques we employ.

The Role of Manual Therapy in Healing

The implications of the research are significant. As we understand more about how manual therapy affects our bodies, we can better appreciate its role in the healing process. For example, applying pressure during a massage can stimulate the release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers, which can lead to reduced pain perception. Additionally, touch can activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes relaxation and reduces stress. Applying techniques learned during my time in the student clinic at the European Massage Therapy School, I can help clients alleviate stress and improve their overall well-being.

This can inform how medical practitioners can best manage and treat multi-component, interconnected systems and modulate those systems to improve overall health and prevent disease. To do that, Dr. Shurtleff outlines the path they need to support research from:

basic signs > mechanistic and translational > intervention > refinement and optimization > randomized controlled trials.

He advises that they need to go further to further develop effectiveness of pragmatic studies and dissemination and implementation of information since they know massage works for a variety of conditions. He says there are plenty of opportunities for linking research and clinical practice. Emphasizing that from basic signs, to implementation, and dissemination is critically important if we are going to transform healthcare.

Integrating Touch into Mainstream Care

One of the possibilities from this research is the integration of complementary therapies, like massage, into conventional healthcare systems. As more healthcare professionals acknowledge the benefits of manual therapy we will see a shift in patient care approaches. Dr. Shurtleff acknowledged that massage reduces the Roland Scale for disability, and it improves and reduces disability relative to usual care along with acupuncture, mindfulness, and yoga.

Picture a future where massage therapy is routinely recommended alongside standard medical treatments. This integration fosters more holistic care, addressing not just physical symptoms but also emotional and psychological aspects of healing.

Reflecting on the insights shared in this final video within the Whole Health series leaves me feeling optimistic about the future of massage therapy. The ongoing research is paving the way for a deeper understanding of how touch enhances well-being.

For those of us entering the field, it is an exciting time to be part of this evolving landscape. We are not merely practitioners; we are part of a larger movement reshaping how we view health and healing.

Embracing the Science of Touch

The study of touch is an essential aspect of integrative health practices that is gaining recognition and respect. As we explore massage research, we are uncovering significant effects that touch can have on our bodies and minds.

It’s fascinating to see massage research happening alongside studies on mindfulness, yoga, and acupuncture while performing comparably in outcomes for pain, function, and disability.

One of the most exciting concepts Dr. Shurtleff discussed was the Learning Healthcare System (LHS). A Learning Healthcare System involves a system that can follow a cycle of assembling, analyzing data, interpreting data, and then using those data to affect change in both clinicians and patients. The system must be able to support and conduct effectiveness and dissemination and implementation research or it will not achieve behavior change in clinicians and patients. He stresses that it is critical to have advances in behavior change and implementation research, which are needed to change medical practices while ensuring that the research is comprehensive and evidence-based. This is something not typically done in the healthcare system but it is vital if we are going to move research into practice.* That kind of feedback loop could help integrate massage and other manual therapies more effectively into hospitals, clinics, and rehabilitation programs.

To accelerate that integration, NCCIH is supporting several large collaborative projects

for dissemination and implementation:

• NIH HEAL Pragmatic and Implementation Studies for the Management of Pain to Reduce Opioid Prescribing (PRISM) - the Goal: support multiple pragmatic trials embedded in health care systems, to determine the effectiveness of non-opioid interventions, and to assess the impact of implementing interventions or guidelines on pain management and opioid use.

• NIH Pragmatic Trials Collaboratory - the Goal:  Create the infrastructure for collaborative research with health care systems partners, to generate reliable evidence with real-world data, to improve the cost-effectiveness and efficiency of clinical trials, and to support the conduct of large-scale, high-impact, innovative studies.

• NIH_DOD_VA Pain management Collaboratory (PMC) - vital to help integrate non-pharmacologic, complementary approaches into the VA and DOD healthcare system, moving research to practice - the Goal: Addressing key scientific knowledge and clinical practice gaps in the delivery of high-quality pain care for military service members and veterans, the PMC is addressing a critical gap between science and practice in pain management, and to focus on implementation and evaluation of non-pharmacologic approaches for the management of pain and common co-occurring conditions in military and veterans health care systems.

He ended his session reminding us that:

by using pragmatic dissemination and implementation efforts they hope to accelerate the translation of basic research and the evidence that it provides into practice, which will ultimately transform the way they treat patients and clients in clinical care.

As I wrapped up this course, I felt hopeful. Massage isn’t just a feel-good experience, it’s becoming a recognized, evidence-informed part of healthcare. We’re part of a growing body of knowledge that blends compassion with science, intuition with data. For me, that’s what this series was all about: learning how manual (massage) therapy connects the art of healing with the science of wellness. And as I wait for my license and continue my training, I’m proud to know that I’m stepping into a field that’s not only changing lives, it’s shaping the future of medicine.

For potential massage clients, this means engaging in massage therapy is not merely a luxury; it’s a scientifically-backed practice with the potential to improve overall health.

As I begin my journey in this field, I am excited to share insights with my clients about the benefits of touch and its crucial role in their healing process. Together, we can embrace the future of healing, one touch at a time.

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These presentations have reinforced for me that massage therapy is not just a tool for relaxation, it’s a clinical skill with the potential to improve whole-person health, support recovery, and enhance quality of life. From policy changes at the VA to cutting-edge research at NCCIH and Mayo Clinic, it’s clear that the future of massage is being shaped by evidence, collaboration, and a focus on what truly matters to the patient. As I continue to refine my skills, pursue advanced training, and explore ways to join integrative healthcare teams, I’m inspired to bring these principles into my practice and advocate for massage as a core component of wellness. Each step I take as a massage therapist is part of a larger movement that values science, compassion, and the transformative power of touch. Please subscribe to my newsletter for more updates about the Continuing Education courses I complete about evidence-based manual therapy for whole person health.

* Foley, T. & Fairmichael, F. The Potential of Learning Healthcare Systems (2015) https://learninghealthcareproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/LHS_Report_2015.pdf