Can Massage Chairs Help Back Pain?
Understanding Back Pain
Types of Back Pain
An average of 70-90% of the population will experience back pain at some point in their life. The most common type of back pain is related to the lower back and may be acute or chronic. Acute back pain generally develops suddenly and is often the result of a specific injury or movement.
While it can feel like it will never pass, acute back pain will usually last only a few days or weeks, however, during that time, it can be very painful and reduce mobility and day to day activities. Chronic back pain on the other hand is generally longer lasting and may come or go over months or even years. This type of back pain can be debilitating and seriously impact quality of life.
Acute Back pain can be sharp and painful but generally has a direct cause such as muscle strain from heavy lifting or twisting, working out too hard at the gym, a sports injury, poor posture, lack of exercise or prolonged sitting causing excessive compression on the back and resulting in muscle spasms.
Longer lasting Chronic back pain can often be a result of age-related changes but may also be due to spinal injuries such as fractures, ruptured disc or other trauma. Nerve issues, Vitamin D deficiency and specific health conditions such as Fibromyalgia, Sciatica & Endometriosis can all lead to chronic pain and tense muscles.
How Back Pain Affects Daily Life
Back pain can have a significant impact in terms of both physical & psychological health. Physically, it generally restricts movement, making it difficult to perform routine tasks such as walking, bending, lifting and even sleeping. Psychologically, it can lead to feeling depressed and irritable and lead to anxiety.
Severe cases can even result in breakdown of relationships, weight gain and employment impacts due to missed work days, reduced productivity or inability to think clearly on the job, or make decisions due to the overwhelming constant pain.
How Massage Chairs Work
The Mechanism Behind Massage Chairs
The main components of a massage chair include rollers, airbags, and heat to target sore muscles and help alleviate pain. Think of the rollers in a massage chair like the fingers and thumbs of a professional massage therapist—using those rollers, or fingers & thumbs, to provide kneading, tapping, pressing and rolling to work out the knots and tight muscles in your body.
While the massage chair airbags are there to squeeze and compress key areas of your body to improve circulation & blood flow, get the lymphatic system moving to assist in improved mobility. Soothing heat is generally located in the feet, hands, seat or back of most massage chairs; however, some modern massage chairs even have heat therapy built into the rollers for a hot-stone type experience for added relief.
Technology for Back Pain Relief
Detail the technology specifically designed for back pain, like body scanning and adjustable settings.
Massage chair technology such as advanced body scanning allows the massage chair to determine your precise body shape, size & shiatsu points with the mapping out of the users spinal cord. Some advanced massage chairs offer technology such as 5D AI which enables the chair to identify tension and soreness throughout the whole body and adjust the massage in real time accordingly to provide effective relief to the muscles within the body.
Another important feature within a massage chair that assist with back pain is Zero-Gravity. Zero-G is a specialised recline position that reduces the load on the spinal muscles and alleviates pressure on the intervertebral discs, both of which can lessen pain, decrease tension and lead to improved circulation in the lower extremities.
Benefits of Massage Chairs for Back Pain
Relieving Muscle Tension and Spasms
Massage chair use being incorporated into your everyday life can significantly improve circulation, relax tight muscles, reduce spasms and provide overall relaxation.
Just as engaging in physical therapy can improve discomfort associated with back pain, so too can a massage chair. Research shows that regular massages relaxes the muscles by separating and loosening muscle fibres. The muscles are elongated and stretched during massage, which releases muscle tension and allows for improved movement.
Patients who are able to relax in the comfort of their own home for more regular massage therapy are shown to feel more relaxed and pain free as a result of much more regular release of endorphins and reduced levels of stress hormones like cortisol & adrenalin for overall reduced stress and improved well being.
Improving Blood Circulation
Increased blood flow achieved from regular compression massage utilising the air-bags within a massage chair provide benefits from improved circulation through to reduced inflammation and overall soothing sensations for the body.
Alleviating Pressure on the Spine
Describe how zero-gravity positioning can reduce pressure on the spine.
A massage chair with zero-gravity positioning can reduce pressure on the spine and give you a feeling of weightlessness. The ability to sit in a zero gravity recliner chair at home on a regular basis will assist with overall relaxation and reduces inflammation by positioning the body into it's natural state for optimum comfort and relief.
Scientific Evidence and Studies
David Koivuranta, a chiropractic doctor at the Toronto Neck & Pain Clinic says "massage chairs are good for you because they can easily help you relax, relieve tight muscles and improve circulation." Massage chairs also encourage reflex relaxation through the nervous system, which calms nerves & stress.
Closer to home, Dwayne Parkinson of Parkinson Chiropractic Clinic in Toowoomba QLD talks about the benefits of massage chairs to patients in his own clinic: "Research shows that massage has incredible benefits and as a chiropractor, I'm interested in allowing them to relax and enjoy their experience with us prior to any chiropractic treatment. The capacity to be able to sit our patients into a massage chair and let them relax into that for at least 20 minutes is really beneficial to us to have a relaxed patient that then leads into a better treatment outcome."
Choosing the Right Massage Chair for Back Pain
Key Features to Look For
Important features to look for in a massage chair include accurate scanning technology, zero gravity, heat therapy and adjustable roller intensity. Along with brand reputation and longevity.
Budget Considerations
An affordable massage chair around $3,000 to $5,000 will often provide you with a quality massage that will be very beneficial. If your budget is able to extend into the $8,000-$17,000 price range, you will gain more advanced technology, greater comfort and levels of luxury along with added bells and whistles such as music, lights, aromatherapy or side opening doors for ease of entry and exit.
Recommendations
As well as the feature, functions, feel and comfort, it is important to look at the brand reputation and longevity of the massage chair. Brands such as Fujiiryoki have a long standing reputation as the leading massage chair brand in Japan, since 1954. Other quality brands include Japanese-made OHCO and USA designed & Engineered sister companies such as Positive Posture & Synca Wellness.
The 3 top massage chairs for back pain relief include the Positive Posture Brio Plus, the OHCO M8 Neo and the Fujiiryoki Cyber Relax Pro Massage Chair.
Conclusion
Regular use of a quality massage chair in the comfort and convenience of your own home is a cost-effective way for a person to maintain their body on a more regular basis, improve circulation, reduce pain, improve mood, reduce stress & improve sleep. Whether it be in the middle of the night, or morning noon and before bed—anytime, 24/7 massages.
We encourage readers to explore reputable massage chairs as a potential solution for back pain and consult with a healthcare professional for personalised advice specific to your individual circumstances.
Closing Thought:
There is no more important asset in life than your health and happiness so why not take the first step towards a pain-free life and discover what a massage chair from Relax For Life can do for you? Join our many customers in saying, "How did I ever live without a massage chair?"