How a massage chair works is a good question. Massage chairs have been around for a few decades and have improved dramatically in recent times. In the beginning massage chairs were more of a novelty and were only found in exclusive spas or clubs. As advancements in technology took place manufactures were able to reduce the cost of massage chairs to where a person was able to afford to get one for their home use. Now the popularity of a home massage chair is on the rise with the push for a healthier life style.
The earliest massage chairs were nothing more than a stool mounted on a frame with vibration pads mounted behind the person that they leaned up against. Some have a moveable ball that also vibrated to help in target a certain spot. Well they have come a very long way from this.
Most massage chairs utilize a combination of motors, gears, rollers and vibration mechanisms to provide its occupant with a massage. This type of massage chair has been around for many years. The most basic massage chairs utilize small weighted gears or wheels that are weighted off-center so when they are rotated the imbalance causes vibration. These devices are attached to rollers that contact your back, as the rollers roll up and down a track the vibration devices that are attached to them help to simulate the fingers of a masseuse.
Some of the more advanced massage chairs use a couple of curved tracks that are shaped similar to your back which gives a much more realistic massage. These rolling mechanisms also have the ability to move back and forth as well as up and down and even in small circles. All this is controlled by the chairs microprocessor. The microprocessor stores a number of preprogramed movements that simulate common massage styles.
Many modern massage chairs can perform a number of massage styles for example:
- Kneading – With a kneading massage the chair uses the rollers to move in a small, circular motion on both sides of spine simultaneously. This relieves tension and soreness by lifting and stretching muscles.
- Rolling – With a rolling massage the rollers move up and down the backrest.
- Tapping – With a tapping massage the chair uses alternating strokes along the spine that stimulate both spinal muscles and spinal joint areas.
There are many more styles that modern massage chairs use however for now we will stop and will continue next time with some of the more advanced methods that more suffocated massage chairs use such as air bag systems.
The author of this article, Bruce Lewis is always looking for way to help improve people’s lives, so he is always looking to educating himself in methods that help relieve individual’s pain and discomfort. His expertise is related to massage chairs and how they benefit sufferers of many chronic conditions. He himself suffers from chronic back pain and he has found great relief by using his Osaki massage chair. Be sure to check out the newest Osaki chair the Osaki Massage Chair HQ.