Thursday, September 24, 2009

Sports Massages: Enhance Rehabilitation With A Massage Chair

By Mike Nixon

Most people, when they think of massage. Think about an afternoon at the spa, being pampered with a mud bath and taking in the heat in a sauna. Perhaps refreshing and rejuvenating your skin with fresh peels and wraps. This is great if your going to be lounging about. However, is there a massage geared toward sports enthusiasts? For athletes there is a sports therapy massage. Sports massages are used to warming up and stretch muscles prior to sports activity. Don't happen to have a masseuse, no problem massage chairs are can perform many sports related massages. Amazingly shiatsu massage chairs are have a vast array of massage therapies built into their chairs.

Athletes know the benefits of massage. Many athletes obtain sports massages to prepare their bodies for more strenuous exertion. These massages are more than just feeling good after the match. Today's massage chair manufacturers are have many massage features specifically for both amateur and professional athletes.

Many doctors recommend sports therapy massage for their athletes before, during and after a game. Sports massage has been shown to minimize injury and speed recoveries from injuries. These sports therapies are used by professional athletes before, during and after competition. Athletes needs sports therapy massages to loosen tight muscles increase their flexibility. Additionally, these massages help to increase circulation which helps the body metabolize fuel faster, leading to greater bursts of energy and enhanced performance. Sports massages, quite simply can help reduce sports-related injuries such as sprains, fractures, spasms and pulled muscles.

Sports therapy massage for athletes is like nourishment for muscles. It increases circulation, cuts down on pain, and allows for quicker rehabilitation after an injury. Many of the high end massage chairs from Panasonic, Omega and Sanyo are incorporating more features aimed at helping athletes. These shiatsu massage chairs have many massage therapies ranging from Swedish, Shiatsu, Reflexology, Acupressure and Deep Tissue massage.

You may not be a professional athlete, but a weekend warrior. Weekend warriors are more at risk since they play more intermittent. If your passion is any type of active sport such as tennis, golf, basketball, or softball, then you know the importance of warming up and warming down your muscles by stretching. The Omega Montage Premier massage chair has a lower body stretch function. This lower body traction functions by using air pressure to hold your feet in the footrest. The footrest is first raised and then lowered down in 3 steps. As the footrest goes down to each lower position, it stretches and elongates your muscles from the hips down. Proper stretching helps you perform better and reduces the chances of injury.

Sport Massage Therapy combines both the Swedish and Shiatsu techniques. Swedish techniques use long, flowing strokes which enhances circulation and the flow of blood. Shiatsu stimulates the acupressure points while applying a gentle squeezing action to particular areas of the body. Shiatsu relaxes the muscles and relieves tension. Massage chair recliners use these techniques for the upper body and use an air compression system for the lower body. The air compression system gently squeezes, holds and releases the muscles of the lower body. These shiatsu chairs contain many strategically placed airbags. The Panasonic EP-3222 massage recliner uses an incredible 33 airbags built into both 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.

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