AMTA Representatives Meet with NIH

AMTA at NIH

Discussion with NCCIH on the Important Role of Massage Therapists in Pain Management Research

On March 14, 2018 representatives of the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) met with staff at the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Researchers Ann Blair Kennedy and Nikki Munk, and AMTA’s Director of Government and Industry Relations James Specker met with David Schurtleff, PhD, acting director NCCIH, Wendy Weber, ND, PhD, MPH Branch Chief (acting deputy director) and other senior staff to discuss the importance of finding more researchers to submit grant proposals on the efficacy of massage therapy. 

Over the past 20 years, AMTA has had many interactions with the NIH, but this meeting focused on the necessity of increasing the amount of massage therapy research, as massage therapy has become more accepted as an important approach to managing pain. 

Learn how AMTA is engaging with organizations and agencies regarding massage therapy as an alternative to opioids in the treatment of pain »


Online CE on Massage and Pain

Lower Back Pain and the Role of Massage Therapy

Massage Therapy for Post-Operative Pain

Receptor Techniques for Painful Necks