How Effective Are Massage Chairs and Can They Replace a Masseuse?

By
Bella
Bella
Writer
Bella is a skilled copywriter who holds a degree in English studies. Her lifelong passion for decor and interior design is evident in her work, which is inspired by the beau read more
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Tommy
Tommy
Expert Consultant
Tommy is an expert consultant at HouseAndBeyond, with extensive experience in home improvement. A master of all trades, he offers invaluable expertise in areas such as carpe read more
Last updated: August 16, 2023
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In our opinion, back pain is not talked about enough, despite its increasing prevalence. While many people would blindly argue about its rampancy, research revealed that back pain is high up on the list of the most common reasons for doctor’s visits, at third. Another study claims that about 80 percent of the world’s population will experience back pain at some points in life, which means everyone must pay more attention than we currently are.

Lately, massage chairs have become one of the most popular ways of treating back pain and other body pains. But just how effective are massage chairs for these treatments? You might be wondering. We’ve created this article to quench your curiosity and answer the numerous questions you might be having. Here, we have discussed the many scientifically-proven benefits provided by massage chairs.  If you are on the verge of making a massage-chair decision, this article aims to help you reach a great decision.

Benefits of massage chairs

While massage chairs have been around for a while, as the first one was produced in 1954 Trusted Source Massage chair - Wikipedia A massage chair is a chair designed for massages. It can refer to two types of products. Traditional massage chairs allow a masseur to easily access the head, shoulders, and back of a massage recipient, while robotic massage chairs use electronic vibrators and motors to provide a massage. en.wikipedia.org , they’re just starting to gain the popularity they deserve. They’re often expensive, with high-end models being as expensive as $10,000 and averagely-priced models being under $2000, but totally worth it. Below are some benefits you stand to gain from a massage chair.

Manage lower back pain

Most home massage chairs come with options that enable you to focus on certain body regions. These options are often very helpful for people suffering from lower back pain. For instance, there’s a lumbar massage feature, which helps increase mobility and circulation in the lower back. This can significantly improve your back pain that is caused by muscular instability and overuse.

General pain relief

A lot of health experts around the world prescribe massage for both acute and chronic pain. Massage chairs can mitigate the pain caused by arthritis and fibromyalgia, and it has also proven to lessen discomfort from musculoskeletal injuries.

Furthermore, massage helps to lessen the severity of physical conditions like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and knee tendinitis. Most times, it works for these conditions as well as other treatments, like surgery and anti-inflammatory medications. Since it’s non-invasive and low-risk, it gets rid of the probability of complications as well. Most patients who have undergone this treatment for pain relief say it’s most effective.

Relieve neck stiffness

Massage chairs often come with a specialized massage option for the shoulders and neck. Of course, it’s quite successful in lessening the pain that comes along with a stiff neck. Not only that, but it also reduces the headache that often comes with it. When you massage that area, it also reduces stress and stimulates serotonin and dopamine. This increases the discomfort threshold and facilitates the healing of the hurting regions. Some models are designed as office massage chairs, so you can enjoy their benefits during the long working days.

Improve venous and lymphatic flow

How Effective Are Massage Chairs and Can They Replace a Masseuse?

The lymphatic system of the body is as essential as the blood flow of the body. It’s the drainage system that balances our body fluid and protects the body from infections. One logical way of describing this system is that it is the sewer system of the body since it collects the waste by-products of the body.

While the heart is responsible for pumping blood across the body, there’s nothing to force the movement of the lymphatic system. It only moves when you breathe or contract muscles. Therefore, lymph fluid is likely to accumulate in the body when you’re always inactive, and the accumulation may cause inflammation.

A massage chair, when reclined, aids the lymph movement across your body, thereby fighting swelling and disease. A practical example to explain this is that most times, when people’s feet swell after a tough day, the most common solution is to put the feet up, and the swelling will naturally reduce.

Improve your mood

Massage often directly affects the brain chemicals responsible for regulating mood by reducing stress hormones, such as cortisol, while increasing mood-aiding neurotransmitters like oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin. When you get a massage from these chairs, you will feel better, and your mental focus will be sharper.

How Effective Are Massage Chairs and Can They Replace a Masseuse?

Stress reduction

Research consistently shows that massages relieve stress. Just a single session has been shown to reduce high levels of fight-or-flight hormones while releasing the natural endorphins that improve mood and promote feelings of calm. Periodic massage sessions can help reduce stress on a continued basis. Many offices offer chair massage for this very reason.

Help sleep better

Unsurprisingly, studies have revealed that massage therapy lessens fatigue and significantly enhances sleep, no matter your gender or age. It’s why massage is often recommended for sick people suffering from heart disease, cancer, and even psychiatric disorders. Have you noticed that you often feel sleepy while being massaged? This explains whys.

Post-workout recovery

Another thing massage does is that it helps aid post-workout recovery. According to studies, massage helps to reduce the manufacturing of cytokines, which causes inflammation. Besides, massage helps stimulate mitochondria, which helps in the conversion of glucose into the required energy for cell repair and function. The bottom line is that massage helps your muscles to adapt to the high demands of exercise.

Improve digestion

Every part of the body benefits when you relax different muscle groups. Of course, your digestive health also shares in the positive effect of this. With improved blood circulation, the organs of the body are able to work optimally, which allows your food to be processed more effectively.

It causes a significant improvement in the way your food moves across your body, which promotes food flow across the lower body. This prevents constipation, gas build-up, and internal infections, allowing for an overall healthier body.

When a parasympathetic system is stimulated, the operation and performance of your organs are boosted. This explains why food is processed more easily. When you use a massage chair for only a couple of hours after you have had your meal, you will notice an improved experience.

Relief after physical activities

The human body is extremely smart. That is why your muscles tend to become stiff and sore when your body is overexerted. Of course, these are indicators designed so you will be kept in check. So, rather than persisting stubbornly and proceeding, take a break from the physical exertions and relax.

One excellent way of relaxing after these strenuous physical activities is by using a massage chair. These chairs are designed to loosen tired and sore muscles and discharge body tension, particularly with a Shiatsu mode found on the best massage chairs like the Kahuna LM-6800 Massage Chair.  After a tough day, a massage chair is everything you need, providing you with all the relief and comfort your body craves.

Strengthen your immune system

Another benefit of a massage chair is that it strengthens your immune system. A massage session increases your body’s lymphocytes, which are white blood cells responsible for protecting the body from diseases. Basically, they’re responsible for the immune response of the body. This is why it’s a good thing that massage increases the number of lymphocytes, as it means the body will be stronger in its fight against sicknesses like fever, flu, or a common cold. Experts believe that only a single massage session can significantly improve the immune response of the body.

Save money in the long run

Massage chairs also help you save money in the long run. While how it does this may be difficult to understand at first, you will eventually get it. In most countries around the world, health care is expensive. And since a massage therapy helps to fight off a wide range of illnesses and diseases, there won’t be a need for you to visit the hospital or pay exorbitant fees for drugs and health care.

In addition, having a massage chair means you don’t need to incur expensive fees on massage therapy anymore, especially since you can get affordable chairs like the Esright Massage Recliner Chair, which costs less than $400.


Can they replace a masseuse?

While a massage chair is a truly advanced technological invention, it still somehow falls short when compared to human massage therapists. In our opinion, a massage chair can’t replace a masseuse yet. Below are some reasons why we think a massage chair can’t completely replace a masseuse.

  • Massage therapists often adopt a range of massaging techniques to give you the desired results. It’s also worth noting that human therapists can learn and apply new things. The same can’t be said of a machine.
  • Massage chairs don’t have the medical knowledge that massage therapists provide.
  • The human touch you get during massage therapy helps to release endorphins.
  • Massage therapists offer friendly and warm interaction, which you can never get from a machine.

Final thoughts

Living with discomfort is never the ideal way to live, but most of us will have to put up with this at some points in our lives as we age. While harsh and difficult to accept, this is the truth. Thanks to technological advancements, however, we can now manage the pains effectively with a massage chair. With the different benefits offered by massage chairs, they are the trend nowadays.

Some people are still skeptical about the effectiveness of massage chairs and would rather stick to the traditional way of getting a massage, which is understandable. How effective are massage chairs? They often ask. In this article, we have discussed the different benefits offered by massage chairs, and hopefully, you have also seen a reason you need one of them in your life.

References

1.
Massage chair - Wikipedia
A massage chair is a chair designed for massages. It can refer to two types of products. Traditional massage chairs allow a masseur to easily access the head, shoulders, and back of a massage recipient, while robotic massage chairs use electronic vibrators and motors to provide a massage.

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