Sunday, September 13, 2009

A Massage Chair With Shiatsu Massage

By Jason Woodward

It is now common to find shiatsu massage techniques in massage chairs. This ancient Japanese massage therapy was promoted to assist in the production of stress and to relieve many elements of the body. Although this is a famous Japanese technique, it development originally began back and ancient China. It is a form of acupuncture that uses pressure instead of needles. The subtle techniques of shiatsu massage have been duplicated by many different manufacturers of massage chairs.

Did you know that shiatsu is a form of acupuncture? Yes, this is true. Acupuncture and its sister technique acupressure are two forms of stimulating trigger points in the body. Shiatsu uses a form of acupressure to trigger different point in the body.

Shiatsu is similar to an acupressure massage. However, the difference really lies in the placement of the massage. Acupressure massage is typically done only over the acupoint. Shiatsu massage has been expanded beyond the acupoints and involves a greater range of massage movements.

Shiatsu continues to evolve with modern times. The modern version of shiatsu uses movements which include vibration, grasping, shaking and other types of movements to loosen and invigorate tight muscle areas.

Typically, the movements in a shiatsu massage are accomplished through increasing pressure in a rhythmic pattern. This also involves the stretching and manipulating of different soft tissue areas. Increasing pressure is often used to stimulate the acupoints in the body.

Massage chair manufacturers have studied the precise movements of the shiatsu massage technique. A variety of different technologies have been developed to precisely replicate this effective massage treatment.

Massage chairs use advanced roller designs which can move in three dimensions. This helps to replicate the increasing pressure which is a key characteristic of shiatsu massage. Manipulation of the soft tissue areas is done with a variety of movements to stretch and elongate the muscle tissue.

One of the first technologies used in massage chairs is vibration. Vibration is still used because it is effective in deeply penetrating muscle tissue. However, other technologies are used in addition to vibration motors in providing a relieving shiatsu massage therapy.

The use of squeezing and grasping is another important technique in shiatsu. Massage chairs use an air massage system to provide this squeezing and grasping function. The use of airbags is common to firmly squeeze the muscles. This relieves tension very effectively.

Did you know that massage chairs have their own computers? Yes a computer board is used to control the various technologies and a massage chair. This computer is programmed with customized software to coordinate the precise movements of different elements in a massage chair.

You can now find shiatsu massage treatments practiced and almost all parts of the world. This famous technique has a variety of different interpretations. There is no exact method to perform shiatsu massage, but rather there is a general framework of tools which when used together constitutes shiatsu massage.

Shiatsu massage therapy is best thought of as a framework of different techniques. These techniques when used in the right combination are effectively known as shiatsu. These techniques also continue to evolve in order to deliver the most effective treatments.

You also find that different massage chair manufacturers offer slightly different interpretations of shiatsu as well. This is to be expected as shiatsu is a medical art and not a medical science. What is important is that the shiatsu massage treatment works for you. The best way to find out is to try different massage chairs and find the one that most effectively relieves your ailments. - 14130

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