Meta-Analysis on Massage Therapy and Pain Database

This state-of-the-art, comprehensive database includes data from the 99 randomized controlled trials


The Massage Therapy Foundation, Samueli Institute, and the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) have partnered on a collaborative project for a meta-analysis of massage therapy for pain.  The results of this collaboration were published in a three-part series in a peer-reviewed journal and discussed at the International Massage Therapy Research Conference May 12-15, 2016 in Seattle, WA.

The state-of-the-art, comprehensive database houses data from the 99 randomized controlled trials included in a systematic review and meta-analysis that investigated the impact of massage therapy on function in three types of pain populations: 1) populations who would typically visit their general healthcare practitioner with complaints of pain; 2) patients undergoing or recovering from surgical/operative procedures and 3) cancer patients.

Meta-Analysis:

“New Research Analysis Indicates Massage Therapy Strongly Recommended for Pain Management”
May 10, 2016

“New Research Analysis Indicates Massage Therapy Shows Promise for Pain & Anxiety in Cancer Patients”
August 17, 2016

“New Research Analysis Indicates Value of Massage Therapy for Surgical Pain”
September 14, 2016

All three reviews listed above ran online in the journal Pain Medicine, published by Oxford University Press.

Searchable Database:

In the News:

“Can Massage Help Combat the Opioid Epidemic?”2016 Massage Magazine article on Meta-Analysis on Massage Therapy and Pain Database project.