Massage Chair Recliners Are an Effective Back Pain Treatment
December 9, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Back pain at some point will rear its ugly head with most of it. It may be lower back, shoulders or maybe the neck. Either it is the result of injury or it is the more gradual progression. If it is more gradual, then do not wait until it is a problem to get it looked at. If you are injured you go immediately, but when back pain just creeps up, then we do nothing. There are treatment options available. Preventative options are better. Check with your health care professional on a course of action for you. Most likely, massage therapy will be part of the healing process. Professional massage therapy is preferred, but not always convenient. Massage chairs are another alternative with many benefits
There are two major causes of back pain. Either it just happens, like an accident, which is most unfortunate. Or it creeps up gradually on us as we go about our routines. A traumatic injury is usually a sharp pain which needs immediate attention. The more subtle, gradual pain build up may from our sitting, posture, pregnancy or even from stress. This more subtle pain is nonetheless painful. We need to think prevention and start to seek treatment while it is in its early stages.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This is certainly true with back pain. If you suffer from back pain, it is not going to go away on its own. Seek professional help. Your doctor can find out what is wrong and develop a plan with you to get healthy again. Remember other than injury, back pain occurs gradually. This means that habits need to be changed to reverse the causes of the pain.
Many of us have built up habits that are now causing the back pain we experience. I know as my stress builds, my shoulders and neck areas get stiff. This starts to cause considerable discomfort as my shoulders and neck start to ache. After speaking with my doctor, I started to realize how I carried my stress and we found some ways to start to reduce the stress by changing my reaction to certain situations. My shoulders and neck would really ache. I have started to change some habits which have started my healing.
Tension, aches, pains, anxiety and soreness are all symptoms of back pain. Although we start to change our habits, these symptoms may not go away immediately. We may need relief from some of these symptoms. Massage therapy is an effective modulator of these symptoms. Most people think of going to a therapist to get a massage. However, massage chairs have advanced with the ages and provide some amazing full body massages. Massages range from deep tissue to Shiatsu to Hawaiian. Nothing like having a massage therapy machine at your disposal 24/7.
Consult with your doctor or chiropractor and find the best course of action for your particular condition. Do not just continue to live with the pain. Find relief for your back pain. There are many options available today. You owe it to yourself and your family to get the healing process going. Relieving your discomfort can go a long way to changing your outlook on life. Do not wait find out how you can get relief today.
Reduce Your Stress with Massage Chair Treatments
December 2, 2008 | Leave a Comment
It seems that in these modern times that stress is just part of the landscape. We seem to be under more pressure whether at home or a work. The major shift of stress seems to be from physical stress to mental stress. Our fore fathers were in much more under stress from physical dangers. We on the other hand, seem to be under much more mental stress. We react to both mental or physical stress in much the same way: the fight or flight reaction. Our source of stress has certainly changed, but not our reaction to it.
This reaction to stress causes the body to kick itself into high gear. Our heart rate is increased, the major organs shut down all but the most basic functions and adrenaline is pumped out to boost our energy. There is a major redirection of chemical reactions in the body to get it immediately ready for action. However, with many of the stresses we encounter there is no physical release to all this redirection of energy. This can be problematic since many toxin are the by product of these chemical reactions and these stay in the body.
Stress comes from so many different situations, that we are not able to eliminate its causes. Rather we need effective stress management techniques. Professional athletes are able to redirect the build up of stress into ways to enhance their performance. This is a very positive way to deal with the build up of stress. The only downside for most of us, is where professional athletes have a physical release of the stress from their bodies with physical exertion, but we may not.
Effective stress management requires a physical outlet to release the chemicals that the body is releasing when under stress. Physical exertion is one of the best methods, since that is what the body is primed to do. Another excellent method to release stress is massage therapy. There are many benefits with massage therapy. It is great to loosen up tight muscles and relieve tension. It can relax the organs in the body activated by the stress reaction. It will release toxins that are in our muscles and help to flush them out of our system. And best of all it helps us relax our mind and bring harmony back to the body.
Massage chair recliners have many effective massage therapies with proven beneficial effects. Massage chairs come equipped with Shiatsu massage, Swedish massage, Deep Tissue and many others. Each of these massage treatments target specific areas and have different benefits. In general, they all help induce relaxation and help to ease aches and pains. Massage helps to remove toxins from the body and enhances circulation of the blood and lymph. Both the blood and lymph clean the body of toxins and other potentially harmful substances.
Massage cannot eliminate the causes of stress. Stress comes in many forms and individuals all respond differently to them. However, massage therapy can be an essential tool in stress management. Especially massage chairs which offer unprecedented convenience and availability. These massage chairs offer full body massage capability. They can massage from head to toe. Many advanced massage chairs have stretching capabilities to elongate and relax the lower body. They also may have built in music players which help take your mind off the mental stresses impacting you.
Imagine the convenience of having your own massage chair recliner at home. You start to come under stress situations. You can just sit down and let the massage chair work you over. Your body starts to feel better and your mind starts to clear. You now are in a better frame of mind to come up with better ways to overcome the problems at hand. You now have a powerful stress management tool, your massage chair recliner at your disposal.
Review about the Human Touch HT1650 Massage Chair Recliner
November 25, 2008 | Leave a Comment
We will present a review and evaluation of the HT 1650 massage recliner by Human Touch. This is a full size recliner that converts into a massage recliner. This is a luxury massage chair with many therapeutic massage functions. This review will go through the main functions of the chair and also present the warranty coverage for your consideration.
When you are looking at big ticket items like a massage chair, you really need to take the warranty coverage seriously. A massage chair has many moving parts and sophisticated electronics. The warranty coverage is your long term insurance policy, that gives you peace of mind. The other key caveat is to go with a known brand, so that you warranty is actually going to be honored. Just like an insurance company, you want to make sure they have assets to pay you if needed.
Human Touch provides the following warranty coverage for the HT 1650 massage recliner. You get 5 years on the structure, 3 years parts, 1 year labor and 90 days of in field service. Compared to other known brands, this warranty coverage is competitive. We would like to see more coverage for labor which in our opinion should be equal to the parts.
Now let us get to the good stuff: massage therapy. The HT 1650 comes with a variety of massage therapy functions. There are manual massage functions such as rolling, compression, kneading and percussion. You can also select to focus on certain areas of the back. This massage recliner comes with 8 pre-programs. Select from these full body massages which include full body sore muscle relief, sports and back therapy, leg- foot-hip therapy, neck-shoulders relief, after work stretch, morning wake up, night time soothing, and massage demonstration.
The HT-1650 has a built in body scan function. The body scan detects your acupressure points throughout you back. The computer notes the location of each point and identifies the most important for stimulation. The massage is then adjusted to target those acupressure points to help induce full body relaxation. This is particularly important for the shiatsu style massage, which stimulates your acupressure points during the course of the massage.
The HT-1650 comes with a hidden calf and foot massager. The calf and foot massage doubles as a regular leg rest when not being used for massage. This calf and foot massager is hidden in the front of the chair. The massager can be flipped to reveal the calf and foot massager. This is a great feature in that the calf and foot massager can be hidden from view when not in use.
If you come home with tired or aching feet, then just flip the leg rest over and enjoy a soothing compression massage. The HT 1650 comes with an air massage system that allows you to target your calves and feet. Just place you feet in the leg rest wells and let the airbags gently or firmly squeeze the tension out of your feet. Relief is just a push of a button away.
The massage remote control is thin and has controls on two sides. The main controls are on the front of the remote and the massage comfort, heat and roller position are located on the side. The remote fits into an upholstered pocket on the side panel of the recliner. There is no remote stand which is nice. The concept of the HT 1650 is to have a massage chair hidden inside a normal upholstered recliner. We think Human Touch has very effectively accomplished this goal. Overall, this is a very effective massage recliner with some therapeutic massage therapies in the luxury class of massage chairs.
Review of Sanyo HEC SA5000 Massage Chair
November 23, 2008 | Leave a Comment
We present review of the Sanyo model HEC SA5000 massage chair. Our intention is to provide a massage chair buyer with an objective review and evaluation of a given massage chair. We use a 5 category system. Equal weight is given to each category. Each category can earn from 0 to 20 points. The points are then summed up to provide you with an overall score. The 5 categories cover the following: Warranty & Customer Service, Comfort/Ergonomics, Ease of Use, Features and Massage Therapy. This system gives us a disciplined process of evaluating a massage chair. We hope you find this helping in your search for the best massage chair for your needs. The Sanyo HEC-SA5000 massage chair recliner price is in the $3,000 to $4,000 range.
Warranty & Customer Service: Let us start at the company level and rate the warranty and customer service for Sanyo. Warranty coverage is a good benchmark of the manufacturer’s confidence is its product. Sanyo gives a 1 year labor, 1 year parts and 1 year in-home service. It does cover the roller mechanism for 3 years. For a company as large as Sanyo, the warranty is a little weaker than we would expect. Sanyo did start offering in-home service, which is an important service upgrade to match others in the industry. At least with in-home service they provide 1 year. Overall, customer service is competent. They have a national hot line with 24/7 service. Turnaround time on service is ok. Our Rating in this category is 15.
Comfort & Ergonomics: This section looks at the ergonomics of the design for comfort and relaxation. This chair comes with padded armrests which are soft and comfortable. The head support pillow is adjustable and contoured to support the head. The back pad is plush and well padded. The leg ottoman is in a fixed position and cannot be adjusted. This can be a drawback to taller users. The layout of the remote control is good and within easy arms reach. There is a wired sub remote that has minimal adjustments included. The SA5000 earns a 15 in this category.
Ease of Use: We are always concerned with how easy a massage chair is to use. There are an ever increasing number of features and options, but the manufacturers need to make it easy to use. Everyone wants the best technology has to offer, but not at the expense of a steep learning curve. We like the Sanyo remote for the SA 5000. This is a clean and simple design. There are 4 automatic programs with one-touch buttons. If you like the massage you are getting and the area, then hit the Program Memory button and the chair will remember. This is like having additional automatic programs at your disposal. The side panel controls the lower body air system with individual controls for the lower body, calf, foot and thigh. Our rating in this category is 18.
Key Features: The SA-5000 comes with some unique technology from Sanyo. They include their GK roller systems for neck and shoulder massage. They also have a stiffness detection system integrated into the massage recliner. The GK roller system can reach out over the shoulders. It performs a grip massage that is effective to relieve tension and soreness in the shoulder and neck regions. The stiffness sensor is based on lie detector technology. It monitors your pulse and perspiration to determine areas of stiffness in the body. This is then fed into the computer which then directs the massage for those specific areas. The SA 5000 earns an 18 in this category.
Massage Therapy: The SA 5000 comes with 4 automatic programs, 4 programs stored in Memory, 4 manual massage techniques and 4 massage courses for targeted relief of stress areas. You can select from 5 roller width setting and 5 massage speed settings. The 4 full body automatic courses include: Stiffness, Relax, Recovery and Fine. Sanyo incorporates its exclusive multi-point shiatsu massage for the legs and feet. The air system covers the lower body including the feet, calves and thighs. There are a total of 24 airbags. The air only comfort course includes a multi-point shiatsu massage is delivered to the lower body for a comforting lower body massage. There is also an ankle grip massage. The ankle grip massage is performed by holding a range of built in airbags around the foot. Our rating in this category is 18.
Overall, we rate the Sanyo SA-5000 an 84/100. The SA 5000 comes with many of the same technologies as Sanyo’s high end version the DR7700. The stroke length of the back rollers is 28 inches compared to 31 inches for the DR 7700, but most of the same technology is in the SA 5000. The factory warranty is just ok and you may want to explore an extended warranty to equal other manufacturer’s coverage. The GK rollers are a nice feature for neck and shoulder coverage. The leg rest would be more ergonomic for the American market if there was an extension built in. If you are looking for a massage chair recliner in this category, the SA 5000 is one you should check out.