10 Thought Provoking Papers Published in 2025

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Massage Therapy: Current Knowledge and Future Research Directions

The global health burden associated with musculoskeletal conditions continues to increase in both developing and developed countries. This is why my latest project has been to put together a series of resources that will help support the professional growth of massage therapists around the world. These ten core papers identify three dominant themes currently redefining the clinical landscape of massage therapy:

  1. The Evolution Toward Biopsychosocial Care: The most significant shift in the field is the transition from a purely biomechanical model to a Biopsychosocial framework. This approach emphasizes "whole-person health," integrating the complex interplay between an individual’s physical state, psychological well-being, and social environment.

  2. Prioritizing Patient Empowerment: There is a call for practitioners to evolve from providers of passive "fixes" to facilitators of patient agency. Research now favors a model where therapists support self-management and empower individuals to take an active role in their own recovery and long-term wellness.

  3. Strengthening Mechanisms and Research Rigor: The industry is under increasing pressure to define the specific physiological and neurological mechanisms of manual therapy. There is a renewed demand for high-quality, placebo-controlled randomized trials to distinguish the clinical efficacy of massage from non-specific effects, ensuring the field meets the highest standards of evidence-based medicine.

10 Thought Provoking Papers Published in 2025

  1. Cashin, A. G., Furlong, B. M., Kamper, S. J., De Carvalho, D., Machado, L. A., Davidson, S. R., Bursey, K. K., Abdel Shaheed, C., & Hall, A. M. (2025). Analgesic effects of non-surgical and non-interventional treatments for low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of placebo-controlled randomised trials. BMJ evidence-based medicine, bmjebm-2024-112974. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjebm-2024-112974

  2. Cholewicki, J., Hodges, P. W., Popovich, J. M., Aminpour, P., Gray, S. A., Lee, A. S., Breen, A., Brumagne, S., van Dieën, J. H., Dillen, L. R. V., Dreisinger, T. E., Ferreira, M. L., George, S. Z., Goertz, C. M., Hartvigsen, J., Hides, J. A., Hoy, D., Kawchuk, G. N., Koes, B. W., Kothe, R., … Weiser, S. (2025). A meta-model of low back pain to examine collective expert knowledge of the effects of treatments and their mechanisms. Research square, rs.3.rs-7844247. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7844247/v1

  3. Jinich-Diamant, A., Albinni, B., Fishbein, J. N., Jacobson, E., Abraira, V. E., Hong, S., Korgan, A. C., Mazzieri, A. M., & Case, L. (2025). MASSAG Model: Towards an Integrative Neuroscience Framework Linking Emotional Trauma, Pain, and Mechanisms of Force-Based Manipulations. Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews, 106517. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2025.106517

  4. Keter, D. L., Bialosky, J. E., Brochetti, K., Courtney, C. A., Funabashi, M., Karas, S., Learman, K., & Cook, C. E. (2025). The mechanisms of manual therapy: A living review of systematic, narrative, and scoping reviews. PloS one, 20(3), e0319586. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0319586

  5. Loghmani, M. T., Keter, D., Bove, G. M., Winkelstein, B. A., Bulea, T. C., Olausson, H., Pathak, M. N., Powell, R., & Cook, C. E. (2025). A Model to guide force-based manipulation research and practice. PloS one, 20(9), e0331606. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0331606

  6. McSwan, J., Panwar, C. E., & Mobasheri, A. (2025). Looking Inwards: The Role of Self-Care, Self-Management and Self-Healing in Musculoskeletal Pain. Musculoskeletal care, 23(3), e70169. https://doi.org/10.1002/msc.70169

  7. Munk, N., Daggy, J. K., Slaven, J. E., Foote, T., Garner, M., Evans, E., Laws, B. V., Matthias, M. S., & Bair, M. J. (2025). Therapist Delivered Massage for Veterans with Chronic Neck Pain: A Randomized Control Trial. Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.), pnaf118. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1093/pm/pnaf118

  8. Ridehalgh, C., Fundaun, J., & Farrell, S. (2025). Neuro-immune contributors to persistent musculoskeletal pain: from mechanisms to clinical assessment and management. Musculoskeletal science & practice, 81, 103468. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msksp.2025.103468

  9. Shepherd, M. H., McDevitt, A., Keter, D., Albers, N., Clewley, D., & Cook, C. (2025). The person-centered hypothesis framework: Advancing clinical reasoning in musculoskeletal pain management. Musculoskeletal science & practice, 80, 103395. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msksp.2025.103395

  10. Vincenot, M., Poisbeau, P., Morel-Ferland, N., Dumas, G., & Léonard, G. (2025). A 5000-year overview of the history of pain through ancient civilizations to modern pain theories. Pain reports, 10(3), e1241. https://doi.org/10.1097/PR9.0000000000001241