Types Of Back Massagers
You can choose from a range of different types of back massagers, whether youre looking for something handy for a recent ache, or need to make a big investment to treat chronic daily pain.
Styles of Electric Back Massagers
Chair
A massage chair is the ultimate back care tool. Typically there are massage nodes within the chair, that work up and down your back while seated. There are a number of things to look for when shopping for a chair, that you can read more about here. Many consider it to be the closest thing to a hands-on back massage.
Fact:
A good hands-on massage can play a crucial role in alleviating back pain. Similarly, a good massage chair is designed to provide some measure of pain relief and relaxation, however, without the need for person-to-person interaction.
Chair Pad
The next best thing to a chair massager is a massage pad that you can attach to your favorite chair. It normally hooks over the back and underneath the seat to give your back full coverage.
Handheld
Handheld electric massagers are typically wands, that you move over your back to get to the source of the pain.
Belt
A belt massager can be wrapped around your lower back or draped around your shoulders so you can get a deep massage in key areas.
Cushion / Pillow
A cushion or pillow massager is handy for use on the neck or lower back where you can tuck it exactly where you need relief.
TENS Unit
Gun / Percussive Massager
Compression Massager / Air Massager
Styles of Non-Electric Back Massagers
Is A Massage Gun Worth It
If youre wondering, Do massage guns help back pain? the answer is yes, they definitely do! We spoke to Molly Palmer, a former ballet dancer who suffers from chronic back pain, and she said: The first time I tried a massage gun, it was the best thing I ever felt in my life. That might be why massage therapy guns are suddenly the hot must-have item flying off shelves .
What exactly is a therapy massage gun? These tools, once used primarily by runners and other serious athletes, are designed to and improve your overall range of motion.
Massage therapy guns use use vibration, also called percussive therapy, to simulate the moves a masseuse would make with their hands, targeting specific areas and providing quick bursts of pressure that penetrate deep into your muscle tissue. The best massage guns for back pain also increase blood flow to sore spots, helping to reduce inflammation and break up stubborn knots.
Some Advice For Lower Back Pain
Advice 1#
Use a foam roller to stretch and release tight, sore muscles. The best way to do this is by sitting up straight on the floor with your legs out in front of you. Then put one end of the foam roller under your buttocks and position it at a comfortable height.
next, lean back onto the other end so that pressure is evenly distributed through both but cheeks as they come into contact with the support surface.
Now roll slowly away from yourself until you feel a pull or tension easing in your lower back muscles.
Advice 2#
Lying down, bend over while pressing firmly alongside the spine . This will help relieve muscles pain due to muscle spasms. Repeat on the other side.
Advice 3#
If you suffer from chronic pain thats been around for more than three months, it might be best to see a doctor and get diagnosed with what exactly is causing your lower back discomfort.
Advice 4#
Drink plenty of water daily, eat natural foods such as fruits and vegetables, exercise regularly so that stress can be released from your whole body. These could also help relieve lower back pain symptoms naturally.
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Modern Massage Therapy 20th And 21st Centuries
Modern massage therapists use a combination of modalities, from Swedish massage and Shiatsu techniques to incorporating oils and hot stones. Massage therapists today often develop their skills and tailor their practice to certain types of clients with specific categories of health concerns.
Today, clients can find a massage therapist for virtually every desired treatment, from sports therapy to pregnancy to oncology. In contemporary massage therapy, practitioners not only perform manual bodywork but also emphasize the importance of patient education in developing preventive lifestyle and health habits.
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Shop our massage collection online or visit a Relax The Back store near you. Stop by our massage chair showroom and try out our zero-gravity massage chairs for yourself. Or work with a wellness consultant online by booking a virtual appointment today.
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Will Stress In My Shoulders And Neck Cause Lower Back Pain
Sometimes youll find that a general back and glute massage will ease many pain across your spine that you didnt even know you had until we started working you. Think about how small the bones and tiny muscles of your vertebrae are. If theyre connected to larger muscles, which pull them out of alignment, then youll feel pain all over the place. For instance, one common complaint that our therapists will often track shoulder and neck pain back to standing on one dominant leg.
Its surprising when you read that therapy release techniques for your buttocks sometimes helps pain in your neck. But it can be one of the most effective techniques at giving relief.
Best Cheap: Homedics Percussion Massager With Heat
This percussion massager packs a punch with two rapidly moving heads that pump up and down to deliver up to 3,100 pulses per minute. It features an ergonomic handle with a unique handgrip design that makes it even easier to target hard-to-reach places, like your lower back, and it even has optional heat therapy. Customize your experience to your body’s preference by selecting either a gentle or firm head attachment and selecting your desired intensity level. Best of all, it’s just $40, though multiple reviewers say it easily compares to high-end alternatives.
Available at $40
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Finding The Right Massage
Finding the right massage therapy for you presents some challenges. One is that practitioners vary considerably in their level of training and experience. There’s also great variation in the kinds of massage available.
Swedish massage is the most common type of massage offered. “Most people who go to massage school will graduate with a level of proficiency in Swedish, which is primarily relaxation massage,” says Arthur Madore, a licensed massage therapist at the Osher Center.
Swedish massage involves long, gliding strokes and kneading of the major muscle groups, as well as friction, gentle rhythmic slapping, and vibration. Among the many other techniques in the marketplace are deep-tissue, pressure-point, Thai, and neuromuscular massage.
Wahl Deep Tissue Percussion Therapeutic Massager
- Price: $$
- Distinguishing features: This handheld percussion massager features a long handle so you can reach most areas. It can help reduce pain, tension, and stress. The massager is a good option for people who want a gentle massage that alleviates stiff, sore muscles.
- Target areas treated: anywhere
- Heat: no
- Safety: you can control the intensity and remove it at any time
- Usability and versatility: The massager reaches most areas. It comes with four attachment heads and a speed dial so you can adjust the intensity. It has a 9-foot power cord.
- Reviews: more than 14,000 reviews, with 65 percent 5 stars
- Cons: The device is too bulky, heavy, and noisy for some. Reviewers report that internal pieces of the device break easily, causing it to stop working.
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Dont Use Massage For Back Pain When
Massage therapy is a great way to reduce many types of back pain. However, in some cases, back pain may require other treatment.
Conditions for which massage therapy would not be appropriate:
- Broken or fractured bones When a bone is broken or fractured due to injury, it needs specific types of treatments to heal the broken bone. While massage therapy can help reduce pain, it cannot heal a broken bone. If your back pain is caused by a fracture, talk to your orthopedic physician about treatments that can help heal the fracture. After the fracture heals, massage therapy is a great therapy for reducing tension and stiffness, promoting blood flow, and restoring movement and flexibility in the back.
- Nonorthopedic causes of back pain Back pain is often caused by orthopedic conditions that involve the bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, or soft tissue in the body. However, back pain can also be caused by nonorthopedic issues such as organ problems. For example, kidney infections and appendicitis can cause pain in the lower back. For situations like these, massage therapy will be ineffective because it doesnt address the underlying cause of the pain.
Shiatsu Massage For Lower Back Pain
Shiatsu is one super-effective massage technique for lower back pain. It is an ancient technique that means finger pressure. Your massage therapist will use their thumbs, fingers, and palms and apply pressure in varying degrees to different parts of the body in a rhythmic sequence.
Pressure is applied along the energy channels in the body called meridians. The effects of this massage are long-lasting. The idea is to release the Qi or the bodys blocked energy and improve the flow of healing energy throughout the body.
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How Often Should You Use A Massage Gun
You can use a massage gun daily, but be careful not to overdo it. You should limit use to two minutes per muscle group. If you experience pain or tenderness, stop using the massage gun.
You can use percussion therapy pre- and post-workout, as well as to target any onset muscle soreness, adds Spencer-Browning. Pre-workout use primes the muscles for training, and using post-workout eases any tension or tightness. You also can use it for any onset muscle soreness you may experience in the days after your workout.
She shares a final tip: Many people, especially first time users, may have questions about the speed of their percussion tool. Based on the science behind these tools, lower speeds are better for pre-workout sessions, while faster speeds are better suited for post-workout recovery.
Do Doctors Recommend Massage Chairs
If you are shopping for a massage chair, you are probably wondering whether the item you choose is really worth the investment. Before you jump into making your final choice, you need to know more about the benefits of massage that these types of chairs offer. After you decide which kind of chair is the best for you, you need to make sure that you visit the store where you purchased it in person.
Did you know that massage chairs can be used anywhere you can reach out? You just need to fold down the arms on the chair, and then you will be able to bring it wherever you need it. This can be a perfect solution for those who need a chair in their home, especially if the room has no access to the bathroom.
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What Are The Different Types Of Massage
If youre a regular spa-goer, youll probably know your shiatsu from your aromatherapy, and your Swedish from your sports massage. If youre not into pampering, however, the different types of massage available can be a bit bewildering.
What, exactly, does a deep tissue massage involve? Are hot stones as painful as they sound? Beyond whats involved, the potential benefits of each different massage type arent always obvious. To get you up to speed with winding down, heres a quick briefing on the most commonly available massage techniques.
Before we get started, remember that although some research suggests that very regular therapeutic massages can reduce pain intensity in conditions such as chronic neck pain, massage is not necessarily restorative or curative . In most cases, treatments of this nature are simply relaxing and enjoyable. Many people report benefits such as pain reduction, reduced stress, reduced anxiety and improved sleep as a result of massage treatments however, your exploration of massage as a tool to manage chronic pain should be a completely personal one.
Five Things To Know About Therapeutic Massage
Ever had a back massage? If you are one of the millions of back pain sufferers, you might want to consider this form of therapy to help relieve your pain. Here are 5 things you should know about therapeutic massage.
Massage is a popular therapy that helps millions of people with a wide variety of spinal conditions. Photo Source: 123RF.com.
Does It Work?Massage is a popular therapy that helps millions of people with a wide variety of spinal conditions, including:
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Muscle tension
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Stiffness
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Pain
Using hands or specialized tools, a therapist kneads, rubs, and strokes the affected muscles to increase blood flow throughout the body. This, in turn, delivers oxygen and nutrients to the muscles and helps eliminate any acids or other waste products that accumulate there, thereby relieving pain.
Types of MassageThere are many types of massage, but the most common ones are:
How to Find a Massage Therapist
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Word of mouth: Talk to a friend who gets massage therapy.
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Your doctor or nurse: Many doctors and nurses are very knowledgeable about different forms of complementary and alternative medicine, including massage.
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American Massage Therapy Association : This organization represents massage therapists around the world.
Make sure your massage therapist has:
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Best For Kneading: Nekteck Shiatsu Neck And Back Massager
Take on stiff necks and back pain with eight deep-tissue massage nodes that work together to knead away knots and relieve soreness. The nodes automatically swap direction every minute to ensure your muscles are targeted from each directionâall you have to do is select between the low, medium, or high intensity. You can also make the treatment extra soothing with the heating function, which heats up to 113 degrees Fahrenheit and comes with an auto-shutoff safety feature after 15 minutes. Plus, this massager has accumulated five-star ratings from more than 20,300 reviewers, some of which called it the “best deep kneading massager.”
Available at , $40
Human Touch Super Novo Top Space
If you dont have a lot of space for a massage chair or are looking for a model that keeps your room from feeling cluttered, the Human Touch Super Novo is the best choice for you. Youll love the space-saving technology on this unit that allows you to fully recline it despite there not being much wall clearance.
Here are some of the other features I liked:
User-Friendly Controls The controls are very easy to access. Youll enjoy being able to control your chair with a touch of your finger. This means you dont have to exert extra effort for your chair to understand what you want, like other models.
Alexa Compatible youll enjoy the voice recognition on this unit that allows you to connect it to Alexa. This means it feels like you have a virtual therapist at home to keep you company. Its also ideal for those with limited sight or who would prefer to control their chair through voice commands.
S and L Track System this chair also comes with an advanced hybrid S and L-track system. This targets your lower back, upper back, hamstrings, and glutes effectively. That means it will effectively give you a full of benefits.
Heat Therapy youll enjoy the heated foot rollers as well as calf massage. It features an optimized reflexology program that targets your calves, knees, and feet.
- Quite expensive
- Alexa compatibility is not fully integrated
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Final Conclusion On Massage Chairs For Back Pain Relief
Its certainly difficult to narrow down the best massage chair, especially with the variety of choices and specialties they offer. However, I find that Luraco i7 Plus is the best chair for me. It suits my needs specifically and delivers great results with each session. You could say its like I have a massage therapist at home.
But I understand it isnt for everyone. There are plenty of other options on the market for you.
For example, if youre looking for a space-efficient massage recliner, the Human Touch Super Novo is the best choice for you.
Youll love the front-sliding mechanism that allows you to put it flush to the wall without any problems reaching its fully reclined position. Youll love the intense Massage it can deliver that is great for sciatica.
The Kahuna LM6800, on the other hand, is a great zero-gravity choice for anyone who is shopping on a budget. Its relatively affordable and comes with great features that you can find on higher-end chairs. Not to mention, Kahunas customer service is also very eager to please.
That said, before you choose a model based on my evaluation, make sure you remember a few things:
Best For Recovery: Theragun Prime
Theragun is a household name for creating high-quality sports recovery massagersâand now its top-of-the-line tech is available in a more streamlined and affordable model. The new Theragun Prime is quieter than an electric toothbrush, according to the brand, but still powerfully penetrates muscles 60 times deeper than standard recovery tools. Instead of counting pulses, Theragun focuses on how many times the massage head actually lifts off the skinâ40 times per secondâto ensure targeted relief. Pick from four attachment heads and five preset speeds.
Available at theragun.com, $300
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What Is Lower Back Pain
Lower back pain is a major health issue. Lower back pain starts in the lower part of your back and runs down to your buttocks, hips, legs, or feet.
The pain may spread to your buttock, groin, thighs, and even into one foot. Lower back pain is generally caused by strained muscles in the lower back region.
Lower back pain is a common condition that affects around 80% of people in their lives. There are many things that can cause lower back pain.
The best way to avoid lower back pain is to exercise regularly and maintain good posture throughout your day-to-day life. If you already have lower back pain, there are treatments available for you as well!