If you have stress, you are certainly not alone. Stress is simply the response our bodies have from all the demands placed on it. We have all felt the effects of a stressful day. We may have sore, tight or tense muscles, especially in the neck and back. Research studies show that getting a massage really helps to relieve all that built up stress. You may not have time to slip off to the day spa, but there are other options. One particularly effective option is to have your own massage chair.

Our bodies respond to stress with the fight or flight reaction. When we come under stress, the body prepares itself by mobilizing the major organs to support the body taking immediate action. The hands and feet are supported to take action. Trouble is most of the stress we now have is more mental than physical. This means our bodies are ready for physical action, but it never really occurs. We usually don’t fight or flight, but sit there with a pile of stress on our minds. The chemicals released by our body to take action do not have a proper release.

Now, we are not going to be able to avoid stress, but we can learn to counteract it. We need to have a means to reverse the stress building process. Call this a relaxation response. This would be a state of deep relaxation which would be the opposite of the stress. The relaxation response would bring the body back into balance, reduce the stress chemical release and slow down the muscles and organs.

We know that with higher levels of stress we need to find more effective relaxation. What could be better and more effective than a massage? You get full body coverage and peace of mind to boot. Not a bad combo. Your body gets to have its tight muscles slowly and thoroughly worked over. The tightness is slowly soothed and the muscles relax. As your muscles relax, your mind shifts away from pain, torture and the anxiety of the day. Your mind is freed. Drift off into your own thoughts or better yet–no thoughts at all!

Two of the most important massage techniques are Swedish massage and Shiatsu massage. A Swedish massage is designed to relax and energize the body. It uses a variety of techniques to relax the muscles and bring about greater energy to the body. A Shiatsu massage uses the pressure points throughout the body to manipulate the energy flow. Pressure is used on the trigger points to unblock energy while kneading and chopping strokes help to invigorate the muscles.

One of the best tools in the arsenal of stress relief in one of the top massage chairs by Sanyo, Omega or Panasonic. These massage chairs have the capability to deliver shiatsu, Swedish, Hawaiian, deep tissue, sports, reflexology and more massage therapies. Have a particular problem area? Then zero in on that area. These robotic masseuses can cover you from head to toe.

Massage techniques are just part of these new generation massage chairs. You can find heat therapy or muscles stretching and even music. After all, music helps you to relax your mind. If your mind relaxes, your body then has a chance. Best of all for a massage chair is it is always waiting and available. Effective stress relief must occur on a periodic basis, just like the events that are causing you stress. Got Stress? Find your new balance of harmony in the new economy with a massage chair recliner.

Massage therapy is being used to relieve many ailments. There are a wide variety of health therapies available today. Some are varients of older therapies and some are targeted for specific problems. Understanding the best massage therapies for you can help you focus the relief for your benefit. We present the best 5 massage therapies.

Swedish Massage: Swedish massage is one of the most common massage therapies found in spas throughout the world. The Swedish technique uses longer strokes, kneading and gentle pressure on the superficial layers of the muscles. Swedish also involves the use of heat and stretching. There are functions in the massage chair that include heating elements and even stretching the lower body. The premier massage chair recliners incorporate these features into their chairs to provide a realistic and soothing Swedish massage.

Kneading Massage: The kneading technique comes as a by product of the making dough for baking. This massage technique is used to loosen and relieve tight muscles. The kneading is a pinching movement with a longer stroke. These actions ease sore muscles by elongating and stretching them in small strokes. This helps to work out knots and other tightly bound muscle areas. Kneading also enhances the blood circulation and flow.

Neuromuscular Massage: If you train or work out a lot, a neuromuscular massage can be a great relief. In training muscles spasms can occur when the muscles lack sufficient blood flow. This causes the muscle tissues to become sore due to lactic acid build up. The key with neuromuscular massage is to disperse the lactic acid. This technique applies continuous pressure while massaging to encourage proper blood flow. As the lactic acid is dispersed, oxygen is able to be resupplied to the deficient area.

Compression Massage: Compression massage uses a firm rubbing motion. Compression is a squeezing action. It is usually using the whole hand as opposed to the fingers. This is good to cover larger parts of the body. In this case, compression is a pushing action than creates a firm rubbing sensation. It is effective for use for muscles like on the leg and arms. Compression can also be a pushing action than creates a rubbing sensation. The squeeze, hold and release helps to reduce aches and pains.

Acupressure Massage: Acupressure comes from the ancient healing art of acupuncture. Acupressure bypasses needles for firm pressure. There are about 350 acupressure points in the body and almost 100 in the back, should and neck. The acupressure massage targets your main trigger points. Firm pressure is used to stimulate these points by penetrating deeply. This helps to release blocked energy within the body and to restore balance and harmony.

These are some amazing massage therapies. Your health is of critical importance. Make sure you get the health therapy which relieves your discomfort and brings back harmony. There is a great variety of massage therapies available. These can be performed in the comfort and convenience of home with a massage chair recliner. Find the best massage health therapy for you.

If you suffer from constant, dull pain, muscle tension or chronic pain, then many regular massage techniques are just not effective for these conditions. In these situations a deep tissue massage may be just what the doctor ordered. A deep tissue massage penetrates beyond the superficial layers of the muscles to get to the root of the pain or discomfort. Muscles have long flexible tendons, but can breakdown and become shorter and less flexible causing pain and discomfort. A deep tissue massage seeks to elongate these tendons to restore their inherent flexibility.

If you have suffered an injury, then you know that scar tissue has less elasticity than normal tissue. The elasticity can be restored by elongating and stretching the affected areas. Deeper muscles need this stretching action to rebuild and increase their range of motion. A deep tissue massage helps to break down scar tissue and increase elasticity in muscles and tissues.

Professional athletes receive deep tissue massages on a regular basis to restore their muscles, breakdown scar tissue and increase their mobility. This is especially critical after hard training and exercise. Professional athletes have regular access to obtain deep tissue massage therapy and thus can get the full benefit of the treatment. Those of us who are not professional athletes are at a significant disadvantage, since we may not have a massage therapist at our continuous disposal.

More studies have been performed on massage therapy and its benefits. What is common to all the studies is the need to obtain massages on a regular frequency. Your muscles are being worked out on a continuous basis, therefore, the relief of such activity must be on a continuous basis. Restoring flexibility and the elasticity of your muscles requires frequent deep tissue massage. This just makes sense. The challenge is how to get deep tissue massages frequently. Fortunately, massage chairs provide daily pain relief in the comfort and privacy of home.

Technology continues to advance at a rapid pace and deep tissue massage has been integrated into many of the premier massage chair brands. Companies like Panasonic, Omega Massage and others are pushing the limits with ever more varieties massage therapies into their chairs. These massage therapies include air compression, stretching, heating elements, music therapy to name a few. Software programs control all aspects of the deep tissue massage. The program starts the massage more superficially and then gradual works deeper into the muscles working out the tightness, pain and aches.

These massage chair companies are developing therapies for persons who suffer from more chronic conditions such as chronic pain, fibromyalgia, muscle cramping and even carpal tunnel syndrome. Many new features target such areas. With air compression massage, for example, there are airbags for your hands and forearms. The program will gently squeeze, hold and then release. This gentle, repetitive action loosens the muscles, relieves aches and pains. Massage chairs can deliver full body massages from the neck to the feet.

Deep tissue massage is not for everyone. Since this massage specifically targets getting to the deep layers of the muscle, most people may feel sore the next day. This is normal as the massage has penetrated to the deeper layers to relieve tension. If this is a concern, then it is always advisable to ask your doctor if this type of massage is appropriate for you. Many health professionals are optimistic that with more studies being performed, that deep tissue massage will be shown to provide more significant benefits for chronic pain sufferers.

But remember, the effectiveness of massage therapy is obtaining it on a regular basis. Stress, tension, anxiety builds up gradually and must be relieved on a continuous basis. People who have more chronic conditions should also receive massage therapy on a continuous basis. As the damage to muscles is more severe, it takes more time for the healing process. Seek relief for your pain. A great way to do this is to see what massage chair recliners are available. There is one for every pain and every price range.

1. Define Your Needs: What are your long term needs? With massage chairs comes a wide selection of features, models and manufacturers. First and foremost, what type of relief are you seeking? Then look at what massage therapies can best relieve your trouble areas. If you are looking for full body, then are particular massage techniques that you prefer. Massage chairs are a long term investment and your budget needs to factor this in. These are the salient items to think about for a massage chair.

2. Back Pain Relief: What are the important areas on your back? Do you need more attention on lower back or is shoulder and neck coverage more important. Some massage chairs have grasping which is good around the shoulder and neck areas. A thorough kneading massage in the lower back relieves muscles. Make sure the massage chair reaches the lower lumbar areas to ensure relief. To relieve pressure off the cervical discs, a finger press massage is very relieving. The finger press massage uses the rollers going up and down adjusting each disc as it goes. These are just a few features in massage chair recliners.

3. Massage Therapy: Massage chairs have many massage therapies available. Choose from Shiatsu, Swedish, Hawaiian, Acu pressure, Reflexology, Deep Tissue and many more. It is important to familiarize yourself with the different types as each provides certain benefits. Also, massages can be light and gentle to more invigorating depending on your needs and comfort. Most massage chair recliners offer multiple massage therapies, so make sure the most important ones are covered.

4. Lower Body Massage: Do you enjoy having your feet massaged? The premier massage chair brands deliver reflexology foot massages. The footrest has built in reflexology nodes that gently push up into your reflexology points inducing full body relaxation. Ease those tired feet with the gentle squeeze, hold and release of the reflexology foot massage. If you sit a lot, then get a buttocks massage. The massage chair cycles through massaging both hemispheres and also provides vibration therapy to enhance blood circulation. How about a little stretch? Massage chairs have lower body stretching capability. The footrest holds your feet and then extends out to more positions to stretch your lower back, hips, thighs, knees and ankles. Massage chairs have rapidly advanced the technology and effectiveness of lower body massages. Most massage chair concentrated really on the back, neck and shoulders. This was accomplished using rollers to imitate human hands. The lower body presents more challenges. These companies have developed a mechanical paddle system and air massage using air compression. Some chairs are mixed with both, but the best massage chairs use one or the other. The paddle system is limited to the calf areas. Air massage is much more flexible since the massage is delivered via air bags. These chairs have air bags for the arms, hands, feet, calves, thighs, hips, buttocks providing superior coverage.

5. Warranty Coverage: Make sure you go with a known brand of massage chairs. I would hate to tell you the stories we have gotten from people who bought from a fly by night outfit. One good test is if the massage chair company has retail accounts. If they do not, then who has leverage to make sure the warranty is honored? Most warranties cover parts, labor, in home service vs. service center, and shipping expenses. The difference is what they cover and for how long. Fortune 500 companies make you buy an massage chair industry. Compare warranties and costs and find the right protection for you. How long does the manufacturer cover parts? If you need service, can a technician come to your home or do you need to send your massage chair to a service center. This is important, as sending around 200 lbs of massage chair is not an easy task. Also, how long will the manufacturer pick up any shipping expenses to repair the massage chair?

It is an exciting time to be looking for a massage chair. The technology is so advanced and the features are very effective. Research into the various massage therapies and find the ones that will most effectively work for you. When you start to find some models, check around for others that match what you want in a chair. The best is always to try the massage recliner, and then you can test its effectiveness directly. Shop around to find the best deal; do not forget to factor in taxes and shipping. Most of all, find a massage chair to meet your needs today and tomorrow.