Our
family have been looking for a massage chair for some time now. My
mother not only has cancer of the spine but it has spread to her hip and
if that wasn't enough she has cervical spondilitis in her neck and
shoulder too. As a family we thought we would club together and buy her a
chair (they are not cheap!), in the hope that it would relieve some of
the pain. When we came to look for a suitable one however, we found that
there were all sorts of different options available.
A
bit of history first. Massage chairs were were first available in the
late 1980's. They were developed to emulate the techniques and motions
used by an real masseuse. The objective was to relieve stress and
tension and to help improve back pain. The expense of producing the
chairs, which had to be passed on to the customer, meant that they were
usually beyond the reach of most people. Now, twenty years later and the
cost of producing the chairs has gone down and more and more people are
benefiting from the effects.
Massage
chairs attempt to recreate two types of techniques - Shiatsu and
Swedish massage. These two techniques are quite different. Shiatsu tends
to use pressing, sweeping, patting and rotating movements. It focuses
on releasing tension in specific areas of the body to restore blood
circulation, muscle structure and benefit internal organs too. Swedish
massage uses long gliding strokes and kneading motions and has the most
effect on restoring the circulation and helping to allow muscles to
relax too.
You
will find a number of options available when purchasing a massage
chair. At the luxury end of the market, the chairs have at least 2
rollers each in the back, legs and arms (some have 4). The chairs adjust
to the size of the person sitting in the chair and automatically detect
acupressure points that will be specifically worked on. These very
expensive massage chairs actually memorise the shape of the person
sitting in the chair and then develop programs of massage for specific
areas of the body. It will memorise these programs so that they can be
reproduced whenever that person sits in the chair again. The downside of
these very expensive, leather covered chairs, is that they are HUGE and
not for the normal sized room.
Other things to look out for -
Some
chairs have air bags in the leg area: These are not beneficial unless
there are motors to roll and knead the legs. All they do is squeeze the
legs, just like when someone has their blood pressure taken.
It
might have arm massagers, claws or air cuffs: Not only do these make
the chair look bulky, there is no proof that they do anything other than
squeeze the forearm!
Be
careful because a massage chair isn't necessarily going to be a benefit
to you. Make sure that you read the article Massage Chairs - the Pros
and Cons before making any decisions. You will find a link to it at the
bottom of this article.
What
did we chose in the end? We bought a simple chair that just had wooden
arms and could recline electronically. The programmer was easy to read
and use. In the upright position it also helped my mother to get out of
the chair. That way she can relax completely, feet up, in the chair to
maximise the benefits of the massage. The massage chair is not too bulky
and fitted in with the décor of her home.
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