Thursday, October 23, 2008

Sports Massages Come of Age in Shiatsu Massage Chairs

By James Knolan

The typical idea of a massage is spending the afternoon taking a good soak in a mud bath, feeling the sauna, and rejuvenating your skin with fresh peels and wraps. This definately sounds relaxing, but what can one do for sports activity? For sports enthusiasts and athletes there is a sports therapy massage. Athletes know how important it is to stretch and warm up muscles. Sports massages are used to help warm up and stretch out muscles and joints before physical sports activity. Don't have time for a masseuse? How about a massage chair? Shiatsu massage chairs are can do a vast array of massage therapies for a variety of needs.

Top athletes have been utilizing massage as part of their total athletic regimen. Athletes have a sports massage to prepare their bodies prior to strenuous physical exertion. These massages are not your typical day at the Spa massage. Sports massage techniques are being integrated into many massage chairs. These chairs have specific programs for both professional and amateur athletes.

Doctors have learned that a sports therapy massage for athletes before, during and after a game or match can limit injury and contribute to faster recovery when injuries do occur. This is because sports therapy massages loosen muscles increasing their flexibility while increasing circulation allowing them to metabolize fuel to enhance performance. This cuts down on sports-related injuries such as a pulled muscle, sprains and fractures. Other benefits for athletes are improved range of motion, increased bodily fluid flow, scar tissue break-down and endorphin releases.

Many of the high end massage chairs from Sanyo, Panasonic, and Omega have built in features specifically for athletes. These shiatsu massage chairs come with a variety of massage therapies including Reflexology, Swedish, Shiatsu, Acupressure and Deep Tissue massage. Sports therapy massage for athletes is as integral to a serious sport regimen as lifting weights. Massage increases fluid circulation, reduces pain, and speeds recovery after an injury.

Is your passion tennis, golf, basketball, or softball? Then you know it is important to warm up and stretch your muscles prior to playing. Although professional athletes have trainers and masseuses available to them, what is available for a Weekend Warrior? How about a shiatsu massage chair? Need to warm up, try the Omega Montage Premier. The Montage Premier massage chair has a lower body traction function. Omega uses an air system to hold the feet in the footrest. The footrest then raises to a horizontal position. The footrest is then lowered to 3 positions. As the footrest lowers to each position, it stretches out and elongates your muscles from the hips down. Proper warm up and stretching can help increase performance and also reduce the chances of injury.

Sport Massage Therapy is a combination of two distinct massage techniques: Swedish and Shiatsu. Swedish massage techniques use long, flowing strokes to increase blood circulation and flow. Shiatsu works on two levels. The first level is the stimulation of acupressure points throughout the back. The second level is the application of a gentle squeezing action to particular areas of the body. Shiatsu helps relax the muscles and also to relieve tension. Massage chair recliners use both techniques to provide a full back massage. The lower body is massaged with an air compression system. Panasonic, for instance, uses the air compression system to gently squeeze, hold and release the muscles of the lower body. The Panasonic EP-3222 massage recliner has an incredible 33 airbags in the seat and footrest to perform lower body massages.

If you are looking for a great way to get ready before your strenuous activity, these chairs can be a very practical alternative to getting a professional masseuse. Even sports like golf, which do not seem too strenuous, actually put significant stress on the body. In golf, for example, one swings using the muscles on one side of the body in a singular direction. This causes you to over-utilize some muscle groups and under-utilize other muscle groups. How many golfers complain about bad backs? Too many to count! That simple swinging motion done repetitively can cause muscle and tendon damage if you do not warm up and warm down properly. An invigorating shiatsu massage before and after golf will make you feel better and might even take a couple strokes off your game.

Many massage chair recliners provide a very thorough massage therapy which helps one to relax, reduce tension and warm up the body prior to sports activity. Although shiatsu massage chairs are not cheap. Think of the alternative, injury. If you could avoid an injury, how much is that worth? The cost benefit of having a massage chair is really helping to reduce your risk of injury and enhancing your performance. Whether you are a professional athlete or a weekend warrior, you can get significant benefit from a shiatsu massage chair recliner. - 15255

About the Author: