Introduction
Imagistics, coming back from work after a hectic day at work and a masseuse will be waiting to massage your aching muscles. You know, for a second there, you had the feeling that it was all working out just exactly as you wanted it to. Well, therapeutic massagers would make it as close to that dream as practically possible. These distinctive gadgets are intended to help you feel as comfortable as you need to be if it is chronic pain, sore muscles after exercise or stress in life. Of course, all this will be discussed in this article and in more detail: information on the therapeutic massagers such as how they operate, what some of the advantages are and what massager any client should select.
Massage devices are implements that are employed in giving massages on the muscles to provide relief on tensions, to improve circulation and to relax the muscles using vibrations, percussion and rolling mechanisms. Ideal for injuries, tension and to relax tight muscles, these are personal massaging utensils that help one enjoy the services of a massage center without having to attend one.
What Are Therapeutic Massagers?
Therapeutic massagers are fine details tools used for pressing the muscles with the aim of fatiguing them and to encourage circulation. Today there are a number of similar produced models depending on the size and the main function – portable devices that can be used at any place or the large ones intended for the back and feet. Also, the massagers are of various types with specific working systems as the vibration type, kneading or percussion depending on which area of the body is to be massaged.
How Do Therapeutic Massagers Work?
Therapeutic massagers work by stimulating the muscles and soft tissues in your body. The most common methods include:
-
- Vibration: Vibration massagers use rapid, oscillating movements to stimulate muscles and increase blood flow. This can help reduce muscle stiffness and pain.
- Percussion: Percussion massagers work through tapping or striking maneuvers performed on the muscles at a frequent rate as that which imitates deep tissue. This technique can also be used to best stretch the muscle as a way of massaging the tissues to release knots and manage chronic painful muscles.
- Kneading: Kneading masseuses replicates the actions of a masseuse; the rolling and squeezing actions that are employed in order to enhance the flexibility of the muscles.
- Heat: Some of the massagers have incorporated the heat features that have the tendency of shooing and relaxing the muscles hence enhancing the massage. Heat is also good in relation to blood circulation which is helpful in so many healing processes not forgetting general health.
Benefits of Using Therapeutic Massagers
Some of the benefits of utilizing a therapeutic massager are as follows:
Pain Relief
Currently, there are many health benefits that are associated with massagers and one of the most frequent ailments that compel people to use the massagers is pain. From constant lower back pain, migraine headaches, or general muscle weakness after a workout session, a therapeutic massager is handy.
Improved Circulation
Regular use of massaging promotes circulation as it gets to increase blood flow hence enhancing the required nutrients and oxygen to muscles tissues. Easily increased blood flow can help the healing processes go by quicker and also decrease the stiffness of muscles.
Stress Reduction
One can be assured that by getting a massage, stress will be reduced because the body will have been relaxed. Some massagers boast of having features such as vibrations or some sort of kneading which can help you relax after a tiring day.
Increased Flexibility
Regarding the effect on muscles, using a massager often makes muscles free and easy moving, thus; less likely to get harmed.
Convenience
In contrast with making an appointment to visit a professional massage therapist, a therapeutic massager lets you reap the advantages of massage at any time as well as a place convenient to you.
Enhanced Sleep Quality
Applying a therapeutic massager before going to bed may enable one to calm his/her body and head for bed. The leisure that comes with reading can actually help to alleviate stress levels and hence help a person to fall asleep and also to sleep longer. High quality of sleep is always beneficial for health; it leaves one feeling fresh and ready to take on the day.
Boosted Immune System
Both manual and through a massager, you want to ensure that you get regular massage therapy to improve your immunity. therapeutic massagers enhance the circulation of the blood within the body and help to reduce the level of stress hormones hence enhancing the body immune system. That is, having a better immune system means that one will rarely fall sick or if one does then one will take very little time to recover.
Headache Relief
This is especially good news for those who have problems with tension headaches or migraines – therapeutic massagers will do the trick. Predictably, since the neck, shoulders and scalp are stimulated by these devices, this leads to the easing of tightened muscles which must be responsible for headache. Some massagers also have some modes that are intended for use when one is having a headache and it makes use of natural remedies for the headache instead of drugs.
Which Massage Styles Are Best
With therapeutic massagers; there is the issue of the technique that is employed as well as the massager’s configuration that must effectively suit the target customers. Here’s a guide to the best massage styles you can find in therapeutic massagers:Here is a list of small number of the massage styles that are found in therapeutic massagers
Percussion Therapy
Best For: Able to work beneath the layers of the tissues and cause muscle knots to be released.
Benefits: Percussion massagers deliver minor, forceful strikes repeatedly for a short period and can thus penetrate through outer layers of muscles and that is why they are useful for patients with chronic muscle pain or muscle stiffness. Athletes and other people who often contract muscle cramps use them very widely indeed.
Vibration Therapy
Best For: One of the general classification of this therapy is the general relaxation and stimulation of muscle.
Benefits: Others are the vibration massagers; these are massagers that apply oscillatory movement on muscles to promote circulation. They are useful as an applying device for minor pains and in therapies related to increased blood circulation; they are less intense than the percussion devices.
Heat Therapy
Best For: For muscles to ease the pain and the discomfort that comes with muscle tightness.
Benefits: The models with extra functions allow for the combination of promotional messages with warmth for the direct impact on muscles. Also, the objective of heat therapy is to enhance the blood circulation and prolong the beneficial influence on the compiling of the muscles and provide warmth.
Kneading Therapy
Best For: Thus, the muscles relax extensively and move all the joined parts easily.
Benefits: Kneading massagers emulate the way a masseuse or masseur does during a session whereby he or she gently presses and rubs over specific muscles in a manner to help in relief of tension or in the process of making muscles relax or become flexible. These majority are particularly good for general relaxation during the day.
Heat Compression Therapy
Best For: Minimizing fluid retention in the body.
Benefits: Compression massagers employ air chambers to administer periodic pressure to the chosen area, say the legs or arms. They serve a function of assisting to decrease inflammation, increase blood flow and release compacted muscles.
Foot Massage
Best For: Both foot pain and relaxation of the feet are aimed at as a result of the use of the sandals.
Benefits: A foot massager works through the combined applications of rollers, kneading, and vibrations for the foot solution. Some models also have heat and acupressure additions to make the massage session even more appealing.
Multi-Function Massagers
Best For: These are the ability to Massage the body in any position or angle a client may wish and the ability to give any type of Massage that a client requires.
Benefits: Electric massagers are multi functional, have extra accessories and buttons to offer different options of massaging. It has choices for different customers and can range from simple relaxation to muscle relief.
Thus all the styles of the therapeutic massager have their pros and hence depending on whether the person requires deep tissue therapeutic massager, general therapeutic massager or therapeutic massager for some specific therapeutic purpose, the right therapeutic massager has to be selected.
Techniques
Massagers employed in therapeutic procedures employ several approaches on tone and pain that affects muscles. Therefore, understanding of the above techniques helps in selection of the right massager to be purchased in the market. Here are some common techniques used in therapeutic massagers:The following are some of the most used methods in constructed therapeutic massagers:
Percussion
Description: This technique entails use of tapping or pulsating action that is fast and which can be felt within the muscle.
Benefits: Especially useful for loosening painful muscle myotomes , relieving profound pain and accelerating the muscle tissue’s recuperative processes after heavy training. It creates the feeling of a deep tissue massage, for a similar price range.
Vibration
Description: Vibration massagers are typically used in a way that applies an oscillating motion to provide a vibrating relief over the muscles.
Benefits: Aids in the delivery of oxygen and nutrients and alleviation of inflammation of muscles as well as aid in relaxation. It is most helpful when it comes to expressing minor pains and muscle relaxation.
Kneading
Description: This one is performed in similar fashion to the previous one, with rolling or pressing movements that simulate the hands of the massage therapist.
Benefits: Provide full body massage services that reduces the stress, helps strain the muscles and provide a soothing and attractive touch. It is most appropriate on parts of the body that can be massaged conveniently e. g. back, neck, shoulders.
Compression
Description: Utilizes on air filled bladders or straps being harnessed that may apply pressure to certain areas of the body intermittently.
Benefits: Below, you will find the specific benefits that are attributable to this procedure: The procedure aids in the reduction of swelling of the muscles, pumping of the blood, and also helps muscles to regain their strength. Used prominently in the leg and arm massagers to assist with the healing process in order that it might take a shorter time.
Rolling
Description: They consist of rods or disks that move forward in one direction only, towards the musculus and backward on the return in a to and fro fashion.
Benefits: Function as a mimic to a massage done manually for developing as relaxation, various changes in blood flow. It is good for the back as well as the thighs, and other parts which are likely to be bulky and fatty.
Acupressure
Description: Used only on specific areas of the body corresponding to organs and systems of the human body, and is a bit like acupuncture, however done without a needle.
Benefits: It assists in improving the total quality of living as it stimulates these areas of acupressure that aids in bringing down the stress quotient, energy drift and handling quite a number of conditions.
Tapping
Description: In this case a feather-like stroking movement made on the muscles using the fingertips with the intensity, the rhythm and the speed of tapping being mild.
Benefits: Helps in self-massaging which is very necessary in helping the muscles to relax and therefore not stiff.The formal is particularly effective when used in conjunction with the other forms, in order to further boost its effectiveness.
I must say that all these techniques are very useful in one or other and that is why when deciding which type of therapeutic massager to choose, one has to make sure that the massager has the techniques preferred to be used. If you believe you need deeper muscle-penetrating, relaxation, or indeed, therapeutic processes, it must be useful to know of them.
Type of Therapeutic Massager
1. Percussion Massagers
Best For: Muscle relaxation: deep tissue as well as muscle recuperation.
Percussion massagers that are massage guns operate by giving short and forceful contact like a stroke into the muscles. Every athlete or any person with chronic muscle tenderness would appreciate the poles since they enable reduction of muscle hardness and enhance stretchability. Most of the time, such massagers come with various attachments suitable for the various muscular areas of the body.
2. Vibration Massagers
Best For: The others are specific and include; General relaxation – this is mostly used to make the muscle relaxed, Muscle stimulation.
That is why there are devices, which utilize oscillation or oscillatory movement, to make muscles and blood vessels constructive and practical. These are generally considered to be less ‘powerful’ than percussion massagers and are to be used daily for relaxation massage. Mobile vibrating massagers are also available and there are those designed to be used on a certain part of the body such as the back or feet.
3. Shiatsu Massagers
Best For: Tension and delay whereby muscles are given a chance to release tension.
Shiatsu massagers replicate the genuine Shiatsu massage coming from Japan, which is completed by having pressure on certain points and leg movements to control tension and stress. They sometimes have nodes which are mobile (oscillating in a circular fashion) in the manner of a rubbing palm. The Shiatsu massagers are widely employed on the neck, the shoulder, and back due to the assertive and invigorating function.
4. Heat Massagers
Best For: Relaxing muscle tension and reducing the activity at the sites of pain.
Heat applications are used to enhance the massage process and are therefore associated with the massage process Heat appliances target more on aching muscles and incorporate with massage to enhance the massage process. It is very effective in the case of easing up sore or tight muscles hence the massagers are suitable for people who would wish to have some leisure time and at the same time have their painful muscles worked upon.
5. Foot Massagers
Best For: Some relief of the feet and a small amount of comfort.
Foot massagers currently are intended to only target the feet so as to minimize soreness and other problems associated with the feet such as plantar fasciitis. Such devices may include partial squeeze as well as rolling and may vibrate to handle the feet. Others have heat and compression features also that can be incorporated to make the model even more comfortable.
6. Neck and Shoulder Massagers
Best For: Sharing the following focal pressure for a few minutes on the neck and the shoulders such that.
Neck and shoulder massagers are designed to be located over the shoulders in a way that allows them to concentrate on the neck and the upper back. They also have rotating massage nodes, vibration and, at certain times, they are even warm. These massagers are justified for any person that has to sit tight for several hours at work or has steady migraines.
7. Handheld Massagers
Best For: Flexibility and mobility can be considered as two of the main advantages.
Wearable massagers are appliances designed for the placement on some body areas of the human body; back, legs, arms among them. Almost all of them have at least two working speed modes and are supplied with sets of interchangeable heads to apply force to the human body in different manners. Their tactical dimensions allow for using them in comfort of one’s home, at work or even while traveling.
8. Massage Cushions
Best For: Compact and stylish full body rest.
It could be positioned on a chair, on the car seat, or on the floor and as has been mentioned earlier the massage cushions are manufactured in cushion form. Some are full body massagers; they are most useful for massaging the back, the ”neck”, and thighs. Such cushions often include Shiatsu, vibrating, and heat capabilities; therefore such cushions can be easily accessed by anyone who wants to have a massage either in a sitting or a lying down position.
Choosing the Right Therapeutic Massager for You
When selecting a therapeutic massager, consider the following factors:The following are characteristics which if considered will help in choosing the right therapeutic massager:
- Purpose: If you ever decide to purchase a massager then do so with the considerations of what they are going to solve for you. In the case of severe muscle soreness then, most likely, a percussion massager can assist you over other sorts of massagers. If the purpose is to have a break he or she may need a kind that only vibrates at a low level and produces heat.
- Portability: Are you used on an object that is utilized at home or do they prefer an object that can be easily portable? The messengers can be small sized in such a way that you can hold in your hand and use it wherever you want or there are large machines which are most suitable to be used at home.
- Features: There are also those massagers that come along with other features such as buttons for switching the massager ON and OFF, a power button, and other buttons such as those for intensifying the massager, setting the speed of the massager and the likes. Some factors which might help include; flexibility which allows you to control the force and heat of the massager and heads which can be swapped for the different types of massage that you need.
- Ease of Use: That is, something as simple as the massager and how easy it is to control the gadget must also be considered. Light weight, easy to control? For how long can a cordless device retain its operation if the above is backed by a rechargeable battery? Details such as these can shift the manner in which the individual engages the device to a large degree.
- Price: Regarding the price, the therapeutic massagers may be situated in a large price range beginning from the lowest one to the highest one. Determine how much you are ready to spend and get a massager that will at least be within this range.
What Therapeutic Massage Can Help With
Therapeutic massage can be used in treatment of a number of health disorders and on improvement of some psychological processes. For instance if a person has got some sort of a complaint that is probably perennial, let us take for instance low back pain, neck pain or arthritis, myotherapy can assist to deal with such complaints because the muscles tend to be relaxed and blood flow has gained ground. Exercise and training sessions are probably some of the causes why a number of athletes and physical fitness trainers undertake massage: muscle pains after. Apart from pain relief and other diseases therapeutic massage has a rather positive effect on the psychological state of a person, helping to reduce stress, anxiety and some signs of depression and shifting stress hormones. It can also treat conditions like sleep disorders; mainly; insomnia, flexibility and some diseases like tension headaches, fibromyalgia, and some digestive problems.Touch of massage also assists in avoiding the accumulation of pressure that can be of bodily as well as psychological origin and is therefore a solution to some of the world’s ills.
How to Use a Therapeutic Massager Safely
While therapeutic massagers are generally safe, it’s important to use them correctly to avoid injury:To sum it up, therapeutic massagers are safe, non invasive, but it is prudent to note that they should be used appropriately to harm the body.
- Read the Instructions: The user manual should be used when operating a new massager and this can be an indication that it has to be read when engaging a new massager for use. This will help you in discovering what needs to be done in order to guarantee that the tool operates without fail and free from the fatal risks that may bring its operations to a halt.
- Start Slowly: For first-timers, they should use the massager’s least intensity level until the muscles are accustomed to the use of the massager.
- Avoid Sensitive Areas: It is furthermore recommended that one should not use the massager on the special parts of the body such as the joint area, bony and spinal area. Hence do not apply pressure on the area of high muscle content and only perform the kneading part.
- Limit Session Time: Do not use the massager for several hours consecutively at any particular time period.To the extent that most of the manufacturers’ instructions on the use of the product suggests that it should be applied on a given surface for a period not exceeding fifteen to twenty minutes.
- Consult a Professional: It is important that clients with any health condition or an injury consult with your doctor before using a therapeutic massage.
Conclusion
Therapeutic massagers form the perfect addition to your self-care program, they work on muscle aches, some of them help alleviate stress, and better still, help improve one’s well-being. That is why, one should choose a massager that would be ideal for him or her.Depending on what you require the therapeutic massager for it may be after a training session to ease the muscles, even after a day at work and you are feeling the stress then there is a massager for what you require.
FAQs
1. What is the difference between a percussion massager and a vibration massager?
That is why percussion massagers are capable of applying pressure on muscles in a way that the vibration is strong enough to ‘break down’ the localized muscle tension – which in turn – helps in deep muscle pain. Vibration massagers provide only slight oscillating movement that may be applied for any part of the body and can be used for muscle stimulation.
2. Can I use a therapeutic massager every day?
Indeed, it would be fair to assume that the majority of the therapeutic massagers can be used on a daily basis, but always referring to the instructions of use, including the time of utilization and the power applied. Bear in the initial instances, it is advisable to have compact, though more frequent, sessions but as the body prepares for the test, it is recommended that one should make longer sessions.
3. Are therapeutic massagers safe to use if I have a medical condition?
These therapeutic massages would however most probably be best applied under supervision of a doctor if one has a disease such as for example heart ailment, diabetes or musculoskeletal disease. They will be in a position to recommend to you on the dangers surrounding your state and even recommend specific ones that will be useful.
4. Do therapeutic massagers help with chronic pain?
Of course, therapeutic massagers are helpful in the treatment of chronic pain through stimulating circulation of blood, relaxing tension in muscles and placing muscles and the body in a relaxing state. Nevertheless, one cannot turn to them and base his treatment on them, and everyone wanting to contain his pain has to visit a doctor.
5.Can I use a massager on sore or injured muscles?
Massagers that are electric can be applied on the muscles that contain pain to help relieve the pain and in the process help the muscles to regain its normal state. However, it should be used on muscles that are strained since pressure on such muscles may make the situation worse. This is preferably best done on a low volume or with consultation from a health care provider if necessary.
6. Do I need to use a special oil or lotion with my massager?
Like most therapeutic massagers, the use of the oil or lotion is not mandatory in the application of the product. However, if involved in using a hand held or a manual massager, where the massager is glided across the skin, a little of the massage oil assists in reducing friction or even the entire experience. Manufacturers can also provide certain guidelines and one is advised to read the manual of the device to determine if the manufacturer has provided any.
7. Can therapeutic massagers help with stress and anxiety?
Yes, therapeutic massagers are good for decreasing stress. He noted that massage assist in lowering cortisol which is a stress hormone that assists in stress and anxiety therefore is useful in stress management.
