Market Overview

The treatment services practiced at those clinics of osteopathic, acupuncture & moxibustion, and massage therapies are positioned as the therapies and treatment services by the practitioners having earned national qualifications. Therefore, they are different from medical practices at orthopedic hospitals and medical, osteopathic, and chiropractic treatments provided by the practitioners who passed private-sector qualification systems.

The domestic market of Judo therapies, acupuncture & moxibustion, and massage therapies in 2020 declined to 94.6% on a YoY basis to 919,000 million yen, based on the sales at businesses, due to spread of coronavirus infections having reduced the number of patients visiting the clinics. In 2021, the market size was estimated as 968,000 million yen, 105.2% on a YoY basis, as the number of patients returned to pre-Covid level.

Noteworthy Topics

Market Trend: Changes in Treatment Trends Caused by Increased Telework and Longer Hours at Home

In the coronavirus crisis, increase in telework and longer hours at home have made more opportunities to watch LCDs for video chats and online conferences, which changed the therapy trends at those clinics that perform Judo therapies, acupuncture & moxibustion, and massage therapies.

At the clinics that practice Judo therapies, the number of patients suffering from lower back pains, headaches, asthenopia, stiff shoulders etc. has grown, which increased the treatments performed to improve such symptoms. It is said to be caused by deskwork done at a dining table, using a different desk and different height of a chair from workplaces, which changed the ordinary posture.

At acupuncture & moxibustion clinics, the treatment related to autonomic nervous system for mental health and prevention of depression has been increasing. In the rapidly changing lifestyles where telework or working at home increases and people spend longer hours at home, people are feeling stressed, which has increased those patients visiting acupuncture clinics for treatment of the autonomous nerves system. The autonomous nerves system is the generic name for the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. Dysautonomia is caused by losing the balance between the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous systems, and the symptoms include fatigue, malaise, insomnia, tinnitus, breathlessness, dry mouth, and blocked throat. WHO (World Health Organization) acknowledges that acupuncture and moxibustion are effective in treatment of dysautonomia and nervous system diseases. Acupuncture & moxibustion clinics are attracting new patient base by appealing the effectiveness in mental healthcare.

Future Outlook

The domestic market of Judo therapies, acupuncture & moxibustion, and massage therapies is expected to face fiercer competition, due to competitions with peripheral industries such as the salons and orthopedics with private-sector qualifications, in addition to the continuous competition from increasing numbers of clinics and of practitioners with national qualifications. This may cause many clinics to discontinue the business if they just keep on providing the same services in conventional ways.

Together with changes in patients suffering from disorders caused by telework and longer hours at home, those patients wanting for treatment aiming at beauty are expected to increase. By strengthening beauty therapy, the clinics may able to obtain female customers and to escape from elderly-dependent management.

Research Outline