Have you ever sat on your couch or favorite recliner after a long, difficult day’s work, and wished you could be doing something about your aching neck, back, legs? Massage chairs were designed specifically for this reason. In fact, you can purchase a massage chair for your living room, and say goodbye to daily stress by reclining back and letting the chair’s specially constructed massage heads melt away your tensions.

Massage chairs are said to have many benefits, which are similar to the benefits realized by visiting a masseuse. Chairs that offer a variety of types of massage techniques, from kneading to tapping to rolling and vibrating, and even including some specialized techniques for muscle and tissue relaxation, like Swedish, Shiatsu, and Hawaiian, can be purchased for use in the comfort of your home. Massage chairs that are for basic relief, chairs with more advanced massaging capabilities, and chairs that are state-of-the-art that offer masseuse-like touch from your head to your feet-there are so many to choose from.

When it comes to picking your massage chair, you may want to get some advice from your chiropractor. The following are some things to think about. Think first about why you need this piece of well-crafted furniture. Do you want to have a wide range of massaging options? Look, then, for a chair that has multiple settings. Some chairs will offer just one or two modes, while the top of the line massage chairs will have eight or more from which to choose. Do you want to create a simple spot where your back and neck can be gently relieved of kinks and tension? Or are you looking for a chair that offers leg and foot support, as well? It is important to know what you need, because the options are mind blowing.

Some of these massage chairs will give you the opportunity to have your legs gently massaged, letting the calves release their tension and cramps. This is a particularly good choice for the elderly, who often times have poor circulation in the legs. A massage chair with leg features can, in fact, temporarily improve the circulation, ridding you of the pain associated with decreased blood flow to areas of your body. What about swelling? Massage chairs are particularly good at momentarily releasing built-up fluids, especially in the legs. When fluids accumulate in an area of the body, the stimulation provided by a massage chair helps aid in the body’s absorption of these pent up fluids, which reduces the swelling.

Beyond those selling points, there is also the choice of purchasing a massage chair that stimulates specific points on the body; these are the same points that are targeted in acupuncture. By tailoring your massage to your acu-points, you’ll have increased blood flow to stimulate energy. That’s right-a massage chair can relax your body, while at the same time reinvigorate you after a long day. Or perhaps your thighs and hips are stiff and uncooperative? A massage chair equipped with a stretching feature will use air to manipulate the legs in gentle stretches, raising and lowering your legs in varying intervals.

All in all, massage chairs, which incidentally range in price from several hundred dollars into the several thousands, are available for in home use. After a long, tiresome day, a massage chair in your living room can be the perfect way to unwind.

Technorati Tags: chiropractor, massage chair, neck pain, pain relief

Aside from exercise, a good diet and plenty of rest, one of the keys for an effective health regimen for men is regular massage. There’s nothing like a good massage after a long strenuous work week or immediately following a hectic weekend on the golf course or tennis courts.

Most people know that a massage is good for easing one’s pain but they never really considered it as therapeutic. Of course, anyone can perform a massage, which is simply applying pressure or tension on various parts of the body, either manually with one’s hands or feet, or with mechanical aids. As a therapeutic device, a massage can effectively heal injuries and remove pain, ease one’s psychological stress and improve the overall circulation of blood. There is even a technical term for massage which is used specifically for physical and psychological benefits. The term is “therapeutic massage therapy” or manipulative therapy.

As a commercial undertaking, a massage often involves having a client lie or sit down on a massage table or chair or perhaps even a mattress on the floor. He is generally naked except perhaps for a towel or sheet to keep him warm. In some countries, it is mandatory to have the genitals covered during a massage. The treatment begins with the client facing up or down for the first part of the massage and then he rolls over for the second and last part of the massage.

One of the most popular types of massage is the Swedish massage which makes use of flowing strokes that generally head towards the direction of the heart. These strokes are categorized into six basic types: effleurage, petrissage, friction, tapotement, compression and vibration. The masseuse applies oil, lotion or cream on the body in order to minimize friction and allow the execution of smooth strokes. It is called the Swedish massage because it is believed to have started with the Swedish fencing master and gymnastics teacher Pehr Henrik Ling (1776-1839). However, according to some historians, it was actually a Dutchman named Johan Georg Mezger (1838-1909) who originated the basic strokes of the Swedish massage and later on adopted the French names for these strokes. For more information on pain relief and stress reduction visit Chiropractic Oxnard Style.

Technorati Tags: history of massage, Massage

Massage therapy has become one of the more popular treatments among those with fibromyalgia, and is actually turning out to be one of the most effective methods for treating fibromyalgia pain and fatigue. A number of studies have been done involving massage therapy and fibromyalgia patients. These studies have concluded that those who participated found the following relief of their fibromyalgia symptoms:

Â?Blood circulation was improved in the muscles which enabled faster healing
Â?Improvement in motion range and flexibility
Â?Reduction in stiffness
Â?Reduction in pain
Â?Reduction in stress
Â?Reduction in depression
Â?Improvement in sleep

What is massage therapy?
Massage therapy is one of the oldest forms of treating mental and physical illnesses. It is the process of using structured or unstructured tension, pressure motion, or vibration to the body’s soft tissue (muscles, tendons, joints, ligaments, and vessels) to help alleviate tension, stiffness and pain in affected areas.

It is still not entirely understood how massage therapy works to relieve pain, but many believe that massages effect the central nervous system. Thus, this therapy encourages the production of hormones that are the body’s natural painkillers such as endorphins and serotonin, and is why pain relief is often so successful.

What types of massage therapy is best for fibromyalgia?
There are many different types of massages that can be used as massage therapy. The following are a few different massages that may be effective for providing relief from fibromyalgia symptoms:

Deep Tissue Massage – This is a vigorous form of massage therapy that works to relax stiff or inflexible soft tissue. The deep tissue massage concentrates on the deep layers of muscles and tendons to release chronic tension and pain. The massage therapist uses pressurized strokes across or along the affected muscles. Due to the fact that this massage is designed to deeply penetrate muscles and tendons, it is common to feel pain directly following treatment, but this pain usually subsides in a day.

Myofascial Release – Myofascial release is designed to alleviate the stiffness and tension in the fascia that has been caused by myofascial pain (pain caused by myofascial syndrome which can affect the entire body but is usually present in the face and jaw). Many people who suffer from fibromyalgia also have myofascial syndrome, which is a condition that can aggravate the already unpleasant symptoms of fibromyalgia.

The fascia, a thin tissue layer, covers all of the muscles and organs in the body. The fascia of some fibromyalgia suffers can become exceptionally tight and short causing pain. Myofasical release message therapy works to relieve this pain through stretching methods. This is achieved by a therapists finding the tight area of the body and gradually stretching and holding this area to help the fascia relax. This massage is continued until the fascia is successfully relaxed.

Swedish Massage – This is one of the most popular forms of massage therapy. Its purpose is to increase oxygen flow within the muscles. The increase in oxygen helps improve the health of the muscles by clearing out toxins and increasing flexibility. Swedish massage is performed by stroking the body with the palms, fingertips or thumbs with long, smooth flowing movements. That being said, this massage can also be performed with tapping or kneading techniques to allow the body to benefit from vibration.

If you would like to give massage therapy a try, you should first speak with your doctor. Secondly, you must make sure that you obtain massage therapy from a qualified massage therapist who has experience with treating fibromyalgia symptoms. Although a massage may appear easy to perform, it can be done incorrectly. Therefore, in order to receive the best relief, trust a professional.

Technorati Tags: fibromyalgia, Massage, stress relief

Massage is probably the oldest and simplest existing form of medical care that it has been applied for relaxation, fitness, and other health purposes. Basically, massage therapy is a therapeutic technique that involves manipulation of the soft tissues of the body. It is the calming, therapeutic process of kneading, stroking, and pressing the different areas of the body to alleviate pain, relieve stress and tensions, or relax, stimulate and tone the body.

Well, as what most experts have said, massage, no matter how simple or complex the techniques involved, can really be a great healing system. That being said, it is important to make sure you get a well qualified therapist. For More information on qualified therapists, check with the Oxnard Chiropractor.

A number of massage techniques are available nowadays. The massage is commonly applied in different techniques and in different strokes. The techniques and strokes vary widely from the most delicate touch with the fingertips to the more focused deep tissue work. These techniques may even vary in speed as well as in pressure.

Below is a list of the top rated massage techniques. Read on for one of them might be the right option for you.

Deep Tissue Massage

The deep tissue massage, on the most basic, is a massage technique that focuses on the deeper layers of muscle tissue like the low back. It involves a number of slow movements, but generally the pressure is more intense as it aims to release the chronic patterns of tension in the body. The most common target of these movements and deep finger pressure are the contracted areas, either following or going across the muscles of the fiber, fascia and tendons. Usually, in this kind of massage, the therapists use their thumb, fingers and even elbows to apply the needed pressure.

Swedish Massage

Also included in the line of the top rated massage techniques is the so-called Swedish massage. Basically, this technique involves the use of kneading, tapping or calming strokes applied to the entire body to loosen sore joints and relieve muscle tension and pain. Well, what sets Swedish massage unique from the other massage techniques is that it involved five major beneficial strokes: effleurage, petrissage, friction, tapotement, and vibration. Although each of these strokes differ according to their movements and target points, all of them are developed to promote an ultimate feeling of being pampered.

There is one particular purpose that the Swedish massage is strongly holding to increase the flow of oxygen in the blood and release toxins that were trapped in the muscles. With this purpose alone, the Swedish massage highly works to shorten the recovery time from muscular strain

Sports Massage

Sports massage, as you may know, is a form of massage that is applied for sports purposes, hence the name. It is the technique of kneading and manipulating the soft tissues in the body to help athletes improve their performance, prevent and treat sports injuries. It is highly considered in the field of sports knowing that as the participation in sports becoming more popular at all genders and ages and as performances continue to improve annually, more is expected and demanded from the athletes. It is with this situation that athletes start looking for some effective ways to boost their performances, and sports massage is one of the best solutions they’ve ever discovered.

Heated Stone Massage

Heated stone massage, also known as la stone massage, is widely appreciated and accepted in the healthcare and bodywork industry today. Several clinics, spas, fitness centers, and other healthcare establishments have in fact considered it a very effective alternative to the regular massage therapy.

During the heated stone massage procedure, the therapists and the clients themselves will notice certain changes on the body temperature, including the heart and breathing rates. Heated stone massage is used to indicate such changes to determine the flow of the blood and the exchange of blood and oxygen in the body, allowing a sense of well-being in the end. That’s basically how the heated stone massage works.

Neuromuscular Massage

This is actually a form of deep tissue massage that is applied to the individual muscles. However, the main purpose of the massage techniques involved here is to increase the blood and lymphatic flow, while reducing the pain and release pressure trapped on the nerves. The neuromuscular massage techniques are also considered to release the trigger points which could help relieve headaches and the pain in your shoulder. For more information check out an article in Ventura back pain.

Rolfing

Rolfing also hit the line of the most well-known and widely performed massage techniques available. This technique, on the most basic, involves reeducating the body about proper posture. Yes, posture is given much attention here for the belief that posture highly determines health problems like headaches, backaches and joint pain. With that focus, the rolfing massage techniques no doubt seek to straighten and realign your body by working the myofascia, which is actually the connective tissue that assists to hold your body together. This tissue surrounds your muscles.

Technorati Tags: deep tissue massage, sports massage, swedish massage