Massage therapy is a broad term encompassing many types of bodywork.  Some types of massage therapy are swedish massage, deep tissue massage, neuromuscular therapy, myofascial release and sports massage.  There are many reasons people seek out massage therapy; stress reduction, pain management, post-exercise recovery, injury prevention and rehabilitation are the most common.  Some of the modalities such as; myofascial release and craniosacral therapy, first became popular with Osteopathic Physicians (D.O) and Physical Therapists who began using these manual techniques when nothing else seemed to work, i.e patients having chronic pain, or the cause of pain was unknown.   Twenty years ago it was impossible to think that chiropractic care or massage therapy, both considered alternative therapies, would ever be covered under health insurance plans.  Now chiropractic care is covered under most health insurance and massage therapy is becoming more widely accepted as more health care practioners become educated about the health benefits of massage.  Now many view massage therapy as not only a treatment for many physical ailments but also as a prevention.