Massage Chairs - Which Chair

Choosing a Massage therapy chair

There are many different types of massage chair available today and they all seem to come with an array of options. So how do you decide which one to buy?

We have been looking for a suitable massage chair for some time now. My mother not only has cancer of the spine but it has spread to her hip and to top it all she has cervical spondilitis in her neck and shoulder. As a family we thought we would buy her a massage therapy chair (they are not cheap!), in the hope that it would relieve some of the pain. When we came to look for one that would suit her, however, we found that there were all sorts of different options available.

A brief history of massage chairs

Massage chairs were first introduced in the late 1980?s. They were developed to recreate the motions and techniques used by an actual masseuse. The purpose was to relieve stress, tension and 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 means of most people. The cost of producing massage chairs has reduced and more and more people are benefiting from the effects.

How massage chairs work

Massage chairs try to recreate two types of massage therapy techniques ? Shiatsu and Swedish. These are quite different. Shiatsu tends to use pressing, sweeping, patting and rotating movements. It focuses on releasing tension in specific locations 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 benefit on restoring the circulation and helping to allow muscles to relax too.

Massage chair options

There are a number of options available when looking to purchase 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 memorise the shape of the person sitting in the chair and 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 lounge.

Other things to look out for in a massage chair:

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.

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 Massage Chairs ? the Pros and Cons before making any decisions.

Want to know what we chose? We bought a 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 d?cor of her home.

More free information about massage chairs and massage therapy Free Articles: Massage Chairs at www.massage-chair.thegrandfatherclock.com

10 Things You Absolutely Must Consider Before Buying Your Massage Chair (Part I)

The massage chair recliner has fast become a great substitute for traditional therapy that most folks will consider when suffering from back pain, neck pain, buttock pain, headaches, and even leg pain and stress.

The vast majority of folks that are looking for a massage chair are experiencing all or some of these symptoms. Massage chairs have been proven to do wonders for each one of these conditions. As a matter of fact, many of my patients that have purchased a massage chair have needed our clinic less and less for treatment of these common maladies.

Some folks just want a nice massage chair that looks good in their living room or office so that they can relax and just listen to their surround sound movie or music system. That's great too!

But if you are considering investing in a massage chair recliner, there are some things you need to consider before buying. What I'm about to tell you will give you exactly what you need and want to know. It's not just as simple as sitting in a chair to know if a model is good or not. There are a lot of "behind the scenes" things that this report will point out to you that will help make your buying decision easier. You've thought of some of them, like price and looks, but I will cover a bunch of things that have probably never occurred to you. This article is designed to make things clearer for you before shelling out your hard-earned money.

So, what do you absolutely need to know before buying a chair? Since they cover quite a lot of information, we will only discuss the first 2 things that you will need to consider. #3-10 will be discussed in Part II of this topic.

#1. Features - The old massage chairs only provided vibration. Well, today's chairs should offer the following:

Kneading – also known as "shiatsu", kneading rolls outward from the spine and feels much like 2 hands alternately rubbing your back. This is why it is said that massage chairs mimic the hands of a licensed massage therapist…kneading is the reason for the comparison.

Percussion/Tapping – this is the light "karate chopping" on a client's back that you’ve probably seen before on TV. Well, that's what this feature imitates. Increased blood flow and muscle stiffness relief is the benefit gained. It feels wonderful.

Rolling - in our clinic, we have a $2800.00 table that patients lie on, called a "roller table." Basically, wheels just roll up and down the muscles on either side of your spine. Here are the benefits: 1.) gentle moving of the spinal bones, and 2.) stretching of the spine and the muscles around it. Patients love it...and the roller table only rolls! Your massage chair should do so much more than just roll (and for a lot less money!).

Foot and calf massager - many of the new chairs have an attached ottoman that has a calf and foot massage feature administered by an airbag system. This feature is a real "must", especially if you spend a good portion of your day on your feet.

Full recliner – if you want your massage to be as deep as possible, you need to get a chair that has a reclining feature. And the further back the recline, the greater the intensity of the massage. The reclining uses your body weight to make the massage deeper. A lot of chairs don't recline much farther than 135º. You will want 170 degrees or more for the more intense massage option (by the way, the further back your chair reclines, men, the more it imitates a bed...especially important if you're ever forced to sleep on the couch!!).

#2. Durability – a well built chair should give you many, many years of wonderful problem-free pleasure. Even though you most likely can't know how good a motor is or how well built the chair really is, there are some other ways to know if a chair is a workhorse and is going to last a while:

Warranty – a longer warranty will give you greater confidence initially when looking for a chair. You want a company that stands behind their chairs and what greater way to show that than by a warranty. But, beware of long warranties that are so limited that if anything goes wrong there are so many loopholes to not cover your chair that it is as if you had not warranty at all.

Reputation – is the manufacturer of the chair well-known? Are they easily accessible if there ever is a problem? How can you tell? A toll-free customer service phone number to the manufacturer would be great. The length of time in business is probably a good indicator of how good the manufacturer is. Does the chair/company have any professional endorsements?

New vs. Used - there are a lot of used chairs out there, but just like a used car, you never quite know what you are getting. You can bet the warranty has expired, but you have no idea how the previous owner treated the chair. Who knows...maybe it was in a home that had kids jumping on it like a trampoline (that's exactly what happens in my home!).

Dr. Alan Weidner is the owner of http://www.massage-chair-relief.com, a website dedicated to the education and sale of massage chairs by Panasonic, Sanyo, Omega, and Interactive Health. He graduated summa cum laude from Southern California University of Health Sciences in 1991.