A 2009 study suggested that back pain should be made a national health priority, considering that around 80% of Australians suffer from it and 10% of them have significant disability as a result. Since then, the government hasn’t taken any significant steps to improve these statistics, but people surely can. There are many ways to combat back pain, however, the most effective, and I must say the most pleasant one, is getting a massage. But which one to choose? Should you go for the traditional way of massaging and call a therapist, or should you buy a massage chair so that you can treat yourself with one whenever you feel like you need it? Well, let’s take a quick look at the pros and cons of both.
Massage Chairs
Most people’s jobs involve sitting in a chair for 6-8 hours a day. This is very dangerous as it causes negative effects on their health – from cardiovascular diseases to muscle pain, tension and fatigue. Ironically, one particular type of chair helps fight the negative effects of sitting – the massage chair.
Many Australians buy massage chairs as a form of home relaxation. What better way to unwind from the daily stress than by sitting in a massage chair enjoying it’s soothing effects while watching your favourite show or reading a captivating book? What makes massage chairs popular is the fact that they are at your disposal at any time you feel the need for an instant relief. You don’t have to wait for an appointment with the therapist any longer, you can simply sit on the chair and feel it doing its magic and relaxing your muscles.
But besides being great at relieving muscle tension and back pain, the vibration of the massage chair improves blood circulation, and therefore, prevents cardiovascular diseases. Other than private users, many companies decide to buy massage chairs for their employees as these help boost their performance rates. A happy and healthy employee is without a doubt an effective one. Moreover, we constantly see massage chairs at airports, banks, gyms and other institutions, which only means they are becoming an important part of our lives.
One of the biggest disadvantages of massage chairs is that they are somewhat expensive. However, when you think about it, the couple of thousand dollars ( roughly how much a massage chair costs), will only be enough for only about 10-20 massages. Buying a massage chair on the other hand, will bring you a life-time worth of massages at any time you want and need one.
Massage Therapists
Many people also prefer the old fashioned way – visiting massage therapists. They can offer you a variety of massages according to your ailments. Plus, you can tell them what movements suit you best and react if they are applying too much pressure. A massage session normally consists of lying on a table, undressed and covered up with a sheet. However, many shy individuals find the thought of this terrifying, so they avoid being massaged by a therapist. And of course, there are people whose religion does not allow them to reveal their skin. In these cases, a massage chair is the solution they need.
For all essential oil lovers, a massage performed by a therapist can include some of them.
However, you need to be wary when hiring one. There are many fake therapists out there. Australia does not legally require therapists to have some sort of a licence, so many use that opportunity to pose as one for a couple of bucks. This is very risky, as if the so-called therapist makes a bad movement and is inexperienced in the matter, instead of disappearing, your pain could increase tenfold.
