Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Therapeutic Massage Chairs Diminish Lower Back Distress

By Eric Beckwith

Do you suffer from low back pain? Pain is a symptom of a musculoskeletal disorder occurring in the lower back. The intensity of the pain felt depends on the extent of the disorder. There are numerous causes such as injury or strains to the lower back. Each case involves issues with the discs, ligaments, soft tissue and muscles in the lower back. Treatments vary depending on the extent and area of damage, but one popular therapy is the use of massage chairs to relieve low back pain.

Most people at one point or another in their life will experience some level of low back pain. It may be caused by certain disorders of the lower back, injury or just plain over usage. Some of these causes can be prevented where others may occur as symptoms from other diseases.

There are certain spine conditions that are treated by medical doctors which include Ulcers, Scheuermanns disorder, Pancreatitis, Pagets disease, Pelvic inflammatory disease, Ankylosing spondylitis, and Spinal stenosis. You may require surgery and physical therapy afterwards. In some cases, prescriptions are given.

The vast majority of low back pain issues are fully preventable. This class of issues is caused by poor lift technique, bad posture, lack of warm up or stretching before activities. As we age, our muscles lose their flexibility and require more warm up prior to activity. The areas tend to stiffen up after activities causing pain and discomfort later.

The lower back is a phenomenal engineering feat. The spine is designed to take the weight of the body and distribute is across the spine. This means one area only carries a fraction of the weight. However, injuries occur when that weight concentrates in one area. Think about it, all your weight plus whatever you are carrying is fully put on one area. The result - ouch!

Massage chairs have found their way into more medical and chiropractic offices as a treatment to the muscles, ligaments and tendons of the lower back. The role of the massage chair is to help to loosen and relax these tight muscles. They have a number of specialized techniques that are applied for effective therapy.

A rolling massage is used to provide a traction function with a massage chair. The rolling is performed by rollers located in the back of the chair to target the spine. The patient is reclined back in the chair, and with the use of the patients weight and the angle of recliner, the rollers gently elongate the soft tissues between the discs. This helps to restore flexibility.

Another common task of a massage chair is to provide heat therapy to full body. Special heaters are included throughout the massage chair. Areas that require heat to be applied are selected. The heat is used to reduce swelling and improve blood flow in the targeted area.

Generally, the muscles of the lower spine need to be elongated. Due to stress and strain, they become tight and inflexible. Massage chairs apply traction to the soft tissues between the discs by gently stretching them. This helps to elongate the tissue making it regain its elasticity.

If you are getting a massage, you might as well relax. Massage chairs incorporate MP3 Players where you can play soft soothing music. Music helps the mind to relax and to let go. This letting go releases the tension in the muscles that the mind is holding. This provides an important environment of relaxation in what may normally be a busy location in offices today.

As you can see the occurrence of low back pain is high considering all of its many causes. Almost everyone will have some incidence of lower back pain sometime in their life. For some the pain will be mild, but for others the pain can be quite severe. It is good to know your options and be educated in your choices. Find the right treatments for your and consult with your physician. Technology advances and massage chairs have become very sophisticated. Consider a massage chair a multi-faceted asset in your long term back care health.

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