Back Massage

Is your back hurting you? Long hours in the office or lifting heavy stuff for an extended period of time can cause occassional backache and muscle pain. When that occurs, you need to sit back, relax and get yourself a proper back massage therapy. This article will discuss some of the benefits of massage therapy, proper back massage techniques or if you have some extra cash to spare, you could probably get yourself a back massage chair. I will present the price range of several old and new back massage chairs. What could be more relaxing than a back massage after a long hard day at work? Agreed?

We are the masters of our own body. Having said that, it is very important for us to take care of our own health. Getting a proper back massage means taking good care of our spine. According to the research done by the American Massage Therapy Association, back massage therapy is beneficial to the body in three ways. Firtsly, it improves the blood circulation, which in turn helps the back muscle to recover from strenuous physical activity. Next, it relaxes the back muscle, which facilitates the movement of the upper half of your body (You know, those situations where you can turn around without feeling a searing pain on your back). And studies have also shown a positive correlation between relaxed muscle and improved sleep pattern. Most importantly, massages in general lead to an increase in the level of endorphin, the ‘feel good’ hormones in your nervous system. Feeling good makes you less stressful and this is very important to prevent chronic pain or diseases in the future.

Firstly, have your partner lay on his/her stomach on a comfortable surface. This can usually be done on a bed, a futon or a mattress. This is the initial set up for all back massage therapies. When your partner is relaxed, you can begin the therapy by appying pressure (with both hands) in a circular motion with the tip of your fingers and move them up and down the side of his/her spine. When your are done with the spine, gently massage the shoulder blades and work your way up towards the neck.

Next, splay your fingers out along his/her back and with the pads of your thumbs gently, but more firmly this time, start rubbing circles up and down the sides of the spine. While you are massaging, always check with your partner to see how he/she feels, whether he/she wants it harder or more gentle. Again, just like the initial phase, when you are done with sides, work on the shoulder blade and knead the muscle in between the spine of the shoulder blade and the backbone. If you encounter a “tight” area of the muscle, simply rub the small bundle of muscle with the pad of your thumb gently in a circular motion. After that, using all four fingers, massage either side of the spine in a kneading motion.

Repeat this motion for about 10 minutes and slowly decrease the pressure after that, until you are just basically rubbing your partner’s back.

Of course, if you cannot find yourself a partner but at the same time, would like to help yourself to a relaxing back therapy session from the comfort of your own home, getting a back massage chair could be a viable alternative. The price of a back massage chair could range from tens of dollars to a couple of hundred dollars. A search on Amazon will show you that the price of a second hand back massage chair from Shiatsu would cost approximately $68 while a brand new one could cost somewhere between $189 to $400, depending on the brand and specifications.

Getting a back massage after a tiring day is certainly rewarding. I will end this article with a short clip on back massage therapy: