A large number of people are nowadays buying massage chairs for health and relaxation reasons. If you are also thinking of investing in one, then you should at least be aware of certain important facts about massage chairs. Massage chairs are not cheap by any standards and you ought to be clear about your requirements, needs and your budget before you go for buying a massage chair. Some of the main things that you need to know before you buy a massage recliner or chair are:
What are the advantages of using a massage chair?
A massage chair can give you a full body massage in the comfort of your own home when you need it. Apart from helping in relieving both mental and physical stress and tension, a massage chair helps in alleviating body aches and pains, improves blood circulation, reduces high blood pressure and helps in rejuvenating your body after a hectic day at work. Regular use of a massage chair helps in improving your over all flexibility and makes for healthier muscles.
What are the different types of massage chairs?
Massage chairs are broadly divided into Shiatsu massage chairs and Swedish massage chairs. Opinion is divided as to which one is the best massage chair. A Swedish massage chair combines kneading movements with long, smooth strokes during a massage while a Shiatsu massage chair combines patting, pressing, swaying, and rolling movements while targeting the pressure points all over the body. In both cases, a good massage chair will provide you with complete muscle relaxation and freedom from body aches and pain.
What are the features that you should look for in a massage chair?
Massage chairs range from basic to highly feature laden models and the more features you want in your chair, the more dough you will need to shell out. So it is better to decide on the number of features that you are actually going to need or use and then pick a massage recliner that provides you with only those features. Almost all massage chairs come with a number of different massage options and speeds, but most people end up using only two to three such options. So, you really do not need to go for a chair that offers too many massage options that you might not want to use.
People suffering from shoulder and neck aches need to invest in a massage chair that has particular programs for the neck and shoulder area. Similarly massage chairs with airbags in the foot or leg area are beneficial for people who suffer from pains in the lower extremities and muscle and joint pain in the legs. You may want to consider massage chairs with airbags. There are massage chairs with air systems for the buttocks and hip area. The best massage chairs in the market come with airbags for all possible body parts, but these are generally costlier than basic models. Many massage chairs do not offer a raised foot rest, which can be uncomfortable for people who are used to sitting with their legs raised while on a chair. Others might offer a massage that is too low in intensity, which after using for a few months will not be effective in relieving aches and pains. Remember that you will need to use a massage chair for at least twenty minutes to half and hour in order to benefit from your massage and therefore, it is advised that you sit in a massage chair for at least twenty minutes before you make the decision to buy.
Homedics Antigravity Massage Chair
Many of the benefits of the massage chair are the same benefits that are attributed to licensed massage therapy. Massage chairs boast of mimicking the hands of a massage therapist and, while a machine could not possibly fully imitate the hands of a true professional, there is much to be gained by using the functions of a massage chair.
Here is a partial list of health benefits derived from a massage recliner:
1. Deep relaxation and stress release (our guess is that you'll fall asleep the first time you use a chair!).
2. Back and neck pain relief. Most of your body aches and pains come from the muscles. Address the muscles, as the massage chair does, and you will see less and less pain. I can attest to this benefit because our patients that purchase a massage chair usually end up coming into the office less; much of their pain has been alleviated by the chair's massage.
3. Relief of muscle tightness and stiffness (you'll feel like ?putty? when you're done).
4. Improved blood and lymph flow. Blood and lymph clean out your body of harmful toxins. Vigorously working the muscles will increase and enhance blood and lymph flow which will increase toxin removal from your body. This benefit has been known to positively affect blood pressure, too!
5. Improved healing. Improved blood flow will increase oxygen transport to your body tissues. You need oxygen to heal. If the blood flow is improved, oxygen levels will be optimized and your tissues will heal better and quicker.
6. Reduced muscle spasm. Similar to #3, if you've ever had a massage from a licensed massage therapist, you've noticed how good your muscles feel when you are done. Your massage chair will do the same thing. Not only do you get relief from tightness and stiffness in the muscles, but actual spasms will disappear.
7. Increased flexibility. Relax your muscles?and your movement will improve. Sometimes the effect is quite dramatic. Try bending over and touching your toes before you begin your massage chair session. Then, do it again afterwards. You'll be quite surprised at how much better your movement will be!
8. Increased endorphin levels. Endorphins are your body's own natural pain relievers. Exercise, chiropractic manipulation, and massage just happen to be three great ways to increase your endorphin levels. A massage chair will facilitate that as well.
9. Improved breathing. There is nothing like a massage chair to work the muscles around your rib cage.
You may even feel some ribs actually ?pop? back into place while you are on your chair. These tight muscles and ribs can restrict your ability to breathe and you may not have any idea that it is happening?until you get off the massage chair, that is! Try it?take a deep breath after a session and see if your breathing is deeper and easier.
10. Improved posture. Many people who suffer musculo-skeletal pain have poor posture. The most common posture seen in a chiropractor's office, for example, is the forward head carriage and extra-rounded rib cage (the ?slouched? look). This posture is devastating on all the support muscles, ligaments, and bones. A massage chair will help to reverse that posture. After a massage chair session, you will feel as though you are standing straighter. Do it everyday and those changes will seem to last longer and longer.
11. Prevention of degenerative arthritis. This benefit links to the posture problem. Poor posture results in poor loading of the body relative to gravity which, in turn, will result in degenerative arthritis. In other words, when your posture is bad, gravity wears you down a lot quicker. Changing your posture and the way your muscles and ligaments function will change the abnormal loading of your body which, in turn, will slow down the process of arthritis in your spine! You won't fully appreciate this until you're over 40 and you begin to discover new aches and pains that you can't figure out where they came from. Do what you can, today, to prevent that from happening. You certainly don't want to look even more hunched over as you get older, do you?
12. General feeling of well-being. You can't improve muscle function, blood and lymph flow, endorphin levels, and your posture without feeling better generally. Feeling better will, in turn, improve your overall attitude. People that are in pain and discomfort have a harder time feeling ?up? and motivated. It is truly amazing to see how different a person can look just by being pain-free. It almost seems like their whole countenance changes when they are feeling better. And that can affect so many other areas of your life.
Both Steve Taylor & Dr. Alan Weidner are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Steve Taylor has sinced written about articles on various topics from Massage, Acne Treatment. Steve is an electro-mechanical technician and has been involved with massage chairs for the past 15 years. Steve understands the evolution of massage chairs and their advanced technology. Steve is dedicated to helping others achieve thei. Steve Taylor's top article generates over 5400 views. to your Favourites.
Dr. Alan Weidner has sinced written about articles on various topics from Massage, Abdominal and Massage. Dr. Alan Weidner graduated summa cum laude from Los Angeles College of Chiropractic, class of 1991. His website, http://www.massage-chair-relief.com, offers the Interactive Health family of massage chairs and massage recliners.. Dr. Alan Weidner's top article generates over 2900 views. to your Favourites.
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