International Massage Therapy Research Conference (IMTRC) 2025, Washington, DC

 We just returned from the Massage Therapy Foundation's 2025 International Massage Therapy Research Conference (IMTRC) in Alexandria, Virginia. Held every three years (April 27-29 this year), this conference brings together massage therapy field leaders, clinicians, educators, and researchers to discuss the practice implications and applications of current research in massage therapy. 

This conference was PACKED with reports back on research. Here are just a few of the presentations we attended:

• The conference opened with a keynote from Dr. Tracy Gaudet on WHOLE HEALTH —exploring how healthcare is transforming from disease-based to purpose-driven care, and the role of massage therapy in that vision.
• Massage for pregnancy after loss - Dr. Sarah Fogarty presented the MTF-funded HOPES Study from Western Sydney University, which investigated massage as an adjunct to care for women pregnant after experiencing stillbirth
• Ergonomics and self-care for therapists - Phase II findings on how massage therapists can protect their own bodies
• Massage in hospital settings - Including pediatric oncology patients and palliative care dosing studies
• Oncology massage - Research on massage during chemotherapy infusion showing significant improvements in neuropathy, anxiety, fatigue, pain, and nausea
• Opioid use disorder - Interoceptive awareness training through body-oriented massage therapy as an adjunct to medication treatment
• Veterans with chronic pain - The TOMCATT study examining care ally-assisted massage approaches
• IBS in children - Abdominal myofascial release to improve symptoms
• Burn scar treatment - A case study on myofascial cupping techniques
• Radiation-induced fibrosis - Dr. Geoffrey Bove presented findings from his MTF-funded research on whether massage can prevent the fibrosis and neuropathy caused by cancer radiation therapy. His preliminary results show massage reduces inflammatory markers.

A major theme throughout the conference was the intersection of massage therapy and mental health, with increasing amounts of research being done in this area. In fact, Dr. Cynthia Price and Dr. Sarah Fogarty co-edited a special issue of IJTMBB on this very topic in September 2025.

Dr. Cynthia Price, a Research Professor at the University of Washington and licensed massage therapist, presented her research using Mindful Awareness in Body-oriented Therapy (MABT), an approach she developed that combines manual therapy, mindfulness, and psycho-educational approaches to teach interoceptive awareness and self-care skills for emotion regulation. Key findings presented included:

• Opioid Use Disorder: An NIH-funded multi-site randomized clinical trial showed that MABT as an adjunct to medication treatment resulted in significant improvements in PTSD symptoms, interoceptive awareness, pain severity, pain interference, and physical symptom frequency. Participants showed high engagement with the intervention and continued using MABT skills, demonstrating increased capacity for regulation, sense of personal agency, and reduced risk of relapse.
• Chronic Pain: A pilot study in an integrative clinic showed 73% of referred patients completed the eight-session MABT protocol, with statistically and clinically significant improvements in physical function, fatigue, anxiety, sleep disturbance, social roles, and pain interference.
• Substance Use Disorder: Research with women in treatment showed significantly fewer days of substance use for those receiving MABT compared to treatment-as-usual, along with improvements in eating disorder symptoms, depression, anxiety, dissociation, and perceived stress.

We got a chance to hear from and speak directly with the editors of the International Journal of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (IJTMBB). Edited by Amanda Baskwill and Sarah Fogarty, this journal is completely free to read online.

We went home feeling  Being in a room full of smart people asking big questions about what massage therapy can do, who we are as professionals, and how we can better serve the people who come to our tables.

The next International Massage Therapy Research Conference will be in 2028.

We got a chance to meet with and interview massage researcher and editor Sarah Fogarty, PhD. 

Nicole & Rachelle hanging out with Massage Therapy Research Legends (from left to right) John Balletto, Ruth Werner and Diana Thompson.

Meeting up with fellow ABMP Massage & Bodywork authors and podcasters, from left to right, Nicole from AnatomySCAPES, Rachelle from AnatomySCAPES, Ruth Werner, and Cal Cates. 

We stopped in to visit Fascia Research Society friend Christopher Rodousakis at his Align studios in DC.