Massage Isn't Just Relaxing - Research Shows It Offers Real Physical and Mental Health Benefits

Massages can feel wonderful. But are they actually good for you?

In one study, researchers found that 8.5% of Americans in the 2022 National Health Interview Survey reported using massage for "general health". But definitions of health vary widely, explains the study's lead author, Jeff Levin, an epidemiologist and Distinguished Professor at Baylor University. Does the term refer to physical health, mental health, or both? That ambiguity makes research difficult but it may also explain why massage holds such broad appeal, Levin says.

Research typically tries to establish precise causal relationships. Yet the effects of massage appear to be holistic, integrating physical, emotional, and neurological influences, explains Niki Munk, a massage therapist, associate professor at Indiana University Indianapolis, and research director at the Massage Therapy Foundation. Massage is one of the techniques used by Rocco Caputo, a touch therapist at the Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Cancer Center, to support patients.

"When the patients come in, they always say, 'You're the massage guy, right?'" Caputo says. "Then you become everyone's favorite person".

Massage helps people reconnect with their bodies, Caputo explains. It shifts people into a parasympathetic nervous state, which triggers calm. A recent study partly conducted at MSK showed that massage can help patients with advanced cancer experience long-term relief from pain. One outcome of that research is the Imagine Project, which aims to integrate massage and acupuncture into cancer programs across the U.S. "A lot of pain is a symptom that needs to be managed not something that will necessarily go away entirely", Munk says. The study did not examine the mechanisms behind the improvements, but Munk suspects that factors such as muscle relaxation, overall relaxation, and better sleep may help explain the results.

In another study, Munk found that patients experienced clinically meaningful reductions in lower back pain after ten massage sessions. Participants age 50 and older had the most significant improvements.

Massage therapy likely addresses many types of pain, and early intervention may even prevent some cases from becoming chronic, Munk says. But some researchers - including the authors of a 2024 systematic review argue that more randomized controlled trials, considered by many the gold standard for evaluating effectiveness, are needed to assess how well massage treats pain.

The reasons behind massage's physical effects continue to be studied. Shane Phillips, a professor at the University of Illinois Chicago, co-authored a study showing that massage improves blood flow and reduces post-exercise muscle soreness. The study also found that even people who hadn't exercised showed improved vascular function the ability of blood vessels to regulate blood flow and blood pressure after receiving a massage.

The benefits of massage echo the broader power of touch, says Weisman. Massage is a simple yet effective intervention, but often overlooked, she explains.

Professional massage may be inaccessible for some because of cost. But "some form of therapeutic touch" is essential, says Kuon. Self-massage or even a foot rub can be helpful.

Caputo recommends incorporating massage techniques into daily self-care. He has created videos for people to follow at home to relieve issues like headaches or hand pain. (The videos are designed for children, but Caputo notes that anyone can use them).

Levin argues that massage should be viewed as a standard health intervention. "When massage is described as alternative medicine, there's intentionally or not something dismissive about that", he says.

Massage should be more integrated into the healthcare system and covered by health insurance, Munk says. That way, massage could be "accessible to as many people as possible", she adds.