Sunday, July 26, 2009

Massage Chairs Weaken Low Lumbar Soreness

By James W Knowlen

Our backs take the majority of the weight of the body. The spine is designed to distribute the weight of the body evenly across the spine. However, some activities or even an injury can cause the weight to be concentrated on a small part of the spine. This is usually concentrated in the lower back. The muscles become tired with the weight and will tighten up causing discomfort and pain. Massage chairs are being used to help loosen these muscles and help to re-align the spine.

Prevention of low back pain is important to help avoid problems down the road. There are a number of things to keep in mind to prevent back pain from occurring. Prevention requires that you take action before the symptoms of low back pain appear. One of the first items to be aware of is how to protect your back when undertaking various activities. The most often overlooked areas are lifting, sitting and standing.

The majority of minor back injuries can be prevented by paying better attention to your posture. Standing, sitting and lifting are the 3 main activities that if performed correctly will help strengthen the back and to distribute the weight evenly. If you stand correctly with your head held up and your shoulders back, then you are using your back the way it was designed.

How do you sit? For the most part we sit with our shoulders slouched forward. This places more strain on the muscles of the upper back. You can immediately correct this pain by holding your shoulders back and sitting up straight. This protects the back from top to bottom.

Another area to monitor proactively is lifting. Lifting involves additional weight and movement. Because of the extra weight, using proper lifting techniques is very important. The main change that is needed is to let your legs do the lifting and not your back. Most people bend over and let their lower back take the brunt of the weight. The proper way is to bend your knees and pick up the object by extending your legs straight again.

Massage chairs help relieve lower back pain by massage treatments. There are a variety of programs I have used to reduce soreness and discomfort. A rolling massage helps to adjust the vertebrae. You can use a shiatsu massage to relieve soreness and to revitalize your muscles. I have even used some of the traction features of the newer massage chairs to stretch my lower body.

To take some pressure off my lower back, you can select a rolling massage. The massage chair uses rollers to go up and down your spine. You can recline the chair to find the pressure you want applied. The rollers move slowly up and down the spine. As it passes each cervical disc, it will give it a gentle press. This action helps to loosen the soft tissue around the cervical discs.

One excellent therapeutic program on many massage chairs is the Shiatsu massage program. The Shiatsu technique originally comes from Japan and uses acupressure points as well as certain pressure techniques to relax the body. This massage is invigorating and provides soothing relief for the whole body.

Some of the more advanced massage chairs have a traction system. The massage chair will actually hold your feet. It raises the leg rest to the horizontal position. With you in a seated position, the leg rest starts to move downward to 3 successively lower positions. This stretches out the lower body. All this while you are getting your massage treatment!

We have shared some basics in preventing low back pain. Remember many forms of injuries can be avoided just by correcting your sitting, standing and lifting. A massage chair can be used to warm up and warm down when undertaking exercise or other physical activities. Massage chairs provide targeted relief when you do have stiffness and tightness. Get the right set of preventative tools in place to make sure your back stays in great health.

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