Different kinds of massages offer scientifically proven relief from stress and chronic pain. Massages are often used worldwide as an adjunct treatment for various health-related needs, but so many more people could benefit from it if only it were more accessible. The good news is that massage therapists have been taking chair massage on the road, which has been a tremendous success.
What is Chair Massage?
The client is fully clothed in a chair massage and sits in a specially designed massage chair. The massage can last anywhere from five to thirty minutes, focusing on the back, neck, and shoulders. Besides this, chair massage may include arms, hands, and occasionally, legs. Most chairs come with an extendable armrest for enhanced upper bodywork and are fully adjustable for height and comfort.
The origins of chair massage are not exactly straightforward, as there are many techniques that were arguably earlier versions of the practice. However, it was most notably established in 1968 by David Palmer.
Massage chairs are a highly specialized type of seating designed to provide the various benefits of massage therapy. Using a chair for a massage was to increase the client's relaxation and allow them to remain somewhat upright and aligned in a seating position. Chair massages can be easily performed anywhere the equipment fits, such as the following:
- Offices
- Shopping malls
- Day spas
- Hair salons
- Private homes
- Health clubs
How is a Chair Massage Performed?
A professional chair massage is performed with the same care and precaution as other massages. A massage therapist usually asks clients about their goals and physical limitations. After the discussion, the client is seated in the chair, and adjustments are often made for comfort.
Massaging generally begins with the large muscle groups in the upper back, radiating towards the lower back, shoulders, neck, and arms. Large muscle groups support the smaller muscles that are often the sites of pain, making it an ideal technique for massage therapists to help relieve pain.
What Are the Benefits of Chair Massage?
While chair massages are often limited to the upper body, their benefits are similar to full-body table versions, including stress reduction, enhanced circulation, pain relief, and better chronic disease management. Chair massage has lasting physical effects that help in boosting overall wellness long after the massage is over. Massage is often used as a stress management technique that helps in reducing tension headaches.
Instantaneous Positive Results
A chair massage session that can run for 10 to 20 minutes can bring positive results in an instant. Chair massage targets regions of the body that often get strained while working, including the shoulders, neck, and arms. A chair massage's immediate positive results come from reduced blood pressure, improved attention, and heightened creativity.
Stress Reduction
Stress reduction is often one of the unsung massage chair benefits. Research consistently shows how massages often relieve stress. A single session has shown a decrease in high levels of fight-or-flight hormones while releasing the natural endorphins that help improve one's mood and promote feelings of calm. When released, endorphins foster a sense of increased well-being and can help lower one's blood pressure and get a better night's sleep.
Periodic massage sessions can help reduce stress on a continued basis, which is why many offices offer chair massages.
Enhanced circulation
Chair massages can also help stimulate blood and lymphatic fluid flow. Massage can improve vascular function almost as well as exercise and improve blood flow throughout the entire body. Improved blood circulation also helps flush out toxins from your body, which can indirectly improve your immune system as your body is not as busy warding off the effects of those toxins.
A More Vibrant Immune System
A chair massage can help improve immune function by boosting the production of white blood cells responsible for fighting off infection in the body. While no extensive studies suggest that massage can affect cancer, the body's white blood cells that fight off infection play a role in immune function. It could also help immunocompromised patients to stay healthier.
When the immune system works well, it can help overcome seasons with extreme weather conditions and the common physical ailments it brings. Along with this, an immune system that works well ensures your body is healthy and functioning daily.
Increased Physical Flexibility
Massages also help increase the range of motion and freedom of movement by loosening up the muscles and joints. It unbinds tight muscles to make it easier for someone to move physically.
Pain Relief
Chair massage can be a natural way to relieve pain. It can enhance quicker healing of strained muscle, improve skin health, and alleviate headaches and eye strain. The result that a chair massage can bring is an improvement in one's posture in the long run.
Besides relieving pain and improving posture, massage also proved that it could help decrease the symptom severity of conditions such as knee tendinitis and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. In several cases, the effects of massage are successful along with other interventions. As massage is low-risk and non-invasive, it mitigates the worry of complications in the long run.
Deeper Sleep
A chair massage can also help relieve a broad range of conditions often associated with poor sleep quality, such as anxiety and chronic pain. When scheduled before bedtime, a chair massage can induce relaxation. However, even day sessions can help improve circulation and increase serotonin levels, a hormone that helps regulate sleep.
As mentioned, chair massages have more health benefits than one might have imagined. Trying out a chair massage can be a solid investment due to its health benefits that can be experienced in the long term. Massage can be a powerful tool that helps take charge of one's health and well-being regardless of whether they have a specific health condition or are just looking for another stress reliever.
If you are also interested in the healing powers of massage, you can begin learning more about it through Online Massage Courses. To learn more about the different benefits of chair massage, you may visit Online Massage Courses on their official website.
