If you play sports or other physical activities, then you know that injuries come with the territory. Depending on the type of injury and the extent of your injury, you may need physical therapy. Physical therapy is the process of rehabilitation and recovery from your injury or physical ailment. Physical therapy works on recovery of your musculoskeletal system. Massage therapy is used as part of the recovery process. Some of the more advanced therapy clinics are starting to use massage chair recliners as part of their arsenal of tools to help people recover from their injuries.

Physical therapy starts with an expert therapist. Much like a trainer, the physical therapist will design a program to increase the flexibility and strength of the injured areas. The therapist must understand your situation. They must know the procedures you went through if you had surgery. They also must know the physiology of your body and its related mechanics. Most of the programs require stretching and massage for flexibility and exercise for strength. They use specialized equipment in order to target specific areas or individual muscles. Massage chairs are particularly effective in loosening tight areas and enhancing blood circulation.

One of the first things you will do in physical therapy is to sit down with your therapist. You will go over in detail your physique and injured areas. The therapist understands surgeries and there affect on your muscle and skeletal systems. They will design a specific program with you. You will be put through a regimen of stretching. They will want you to gain more strength. You may need to do exercises or use specialized exercise equipment. They may rub down or massage certain areas of your injuries. They may have you receive massage therapy in a massage chair recliner. All these therapies are designed to help your recover fully.

One of the key areas when you start is to make your muscles more pliable. When an injury occurs, the body immobilizes the affected area. Your body has redundant systems for most everything. If your leg is injured, it will want the other leg to take over. The body does not want the injured leg used and tries to shut it down to heal it. This is good, but your muscles become stiff and tight. They actually hurt when you start to bend them. Stretching is an important part of the physical therapy routine to build back flexibility.

Exercises are important to help rebuild strength. When we have an injury, we tend to protect that area. Protecting that area is usually to isolate and immobilize it. In other words, we tend not to use the injured area. This helps to prevent further injury, but at the expense of strength and conditioning. To help rebuild the body, exercises help to build up strength, endurance and agility. Physical therapy clinics have a wide array of exercise equipment from treadmills, stationary bikes, weights and more. These help you focus building up a particular set of muscles.

Some of the problems encountered in the physical recovery process are scar tissue. Scar tissue forms harder than the original tissue. This needs recurring kneading and pressing massage to restore flexibility. The muscle tissue breaks down into shorter lengths when physically stressed. The muscles tissues need the fibers to be elongated to restore further flexibility. Massage therapy targets these two important areas. Some physical therapy clinics use massage therapists and may also use massage chairs. In either case, the focus is on increasing the longer term flexibility. Massage therapy is effective in loosening the muscles and scar tissue while increasing the blood and nutrient flow accelerate the healing process.

If you push your limits, you may sometimes go too far and suffer an injury. Or they may just happen. Either way, you just want to be fully recovered. The physical therapies being offered utilize top notch technology and methodologies. From massage chair recliners to treadmills, you will be exposed to a range of treatments designed for your full recovery.

Hopefully needed not require Physical Therapy, but if needed then research what massage therapy most benefits you. A massage chair can be an excellent investment in your health. Massage Chair Therapy offers many techniques

Posted under Exercise

If you are in the market for a recliner, then you should check out the beautiful new Serenity recliner by Omega massage. This extraordinary recliner is beautiful just as a recliner. However, this comes with a number of different therapeutic options to relieve tension, muscle stiffness and help you to relax.

If you are looking for an extraordinary recliner that will beautify your home or office, then the Serenity massage chair is one you have to check out. It has a beautiful wood chair back. The chair back wraps around the sides of the chair giving it its beautiful lines.

The Serenity recliner is not your ordinary recliner. It comes with a powered recline for the chair back and also the leg rest. Simply push the button in the control panel and recline back to a comfortable and relaxing position.

Settle back into the zero gravity position. The zero gravity position was found to better distribute the weight of your back. This helps to relieve tension building in concentrated parts of your spine.

It's easy to relax in the Serenity massage chair. It comes with an MP3 player and headphones. You can download your music onto the included USB stick and plug that into the remote panel. Slip on the headphones and let chair relaxation begin.

Do you like to just cuddle up and read a book? The Serenity you recliner is perfect for this. Just recline back and activate the built-in heaters to warm your body as you read and relax in this wonderful recliner.

The Serenity massage chair also has a number of soothing and relaxing massages. There are seven air bags located in different parts of the Serenity. The airbags are driven by an air compressor which provides a gentle squeezing action to relieve tight areas of the body.

The Serenity has vibration massage programs. There are three automatic programs to provide deep relief of the lower body. These vibration motors are located in the lower half of the chair to provide invigorating and stimulating relief of your tension.

The swivel base is made of wood. It also matches the chair back. The chair back is one piece of wood. Both of these are in a cherry red color. The grain is very well done on these chairs and stands out very prominently.

The Serenity massage chair has beautiful lines and will complement your home or office. It is available in black, white and brown. This is a massage chair which fits in any room in your house.

Unlike most massage chairs, the Serenity massage chair is truly an outstanding design. It does not look like a massage chair. It is thin and has beautiful lines. Most massage chairs look big and bulky, but not the slim looking Serenity massage chair. This is a great new direction as many massage chair designs get relegated to the garage or gym.

The Serenity massage chair by Omega massage is a one-of-a-kind recliner. Omega has certainly broken the mold for what massage chairs look like. The Serenity massage chair is a conversation piece which also provides you with a number of therapeutic in relieving treatments. Get the best of both worlds with the Serenity massage chair.

Check into the Serenity Relaxation Chair and peruse its arsenal of excellent features. We carry other models from Omega Massage including the Montage Premier and Orion

Posted under Fitness

What is Lordosis?

Lordosis is an abnormal excessive front-to-back curvature of the lower back Lumbar Spine. It is also known as Hyperlordosis or Swayback or Saddleback. Lower Back Pain is a common symptom of Lordosis, and is a correctable condition if addressed properly before any permanent damage is dome to the Lumbar Spine.

What is the cause of Lordosis?

If the pelvis rotates forward as a result of some kind of condition, the center of gravity of the body will move forward as well. The upper torso will then move backward to reposition the center of gravity so that it is vertically balanced. An excessive front-to-back lumbar curve is the end result given other names such as Hyperlordosis, Swayback, or Saddleback. This Postural Dysfunction of the lower back Lumbar Spine causes muscular imbalances as well as incorrect Lumbar Spine positioning. Hyperlordosis doesn't happen overnight, but develops over a period of time, and is fundamentally a postural and developmental problem.

How is Lordosis associated with Foot Positioning?

Lordosis is caused by anything that positions the heels of the feet higher than the balls of the feet. Wearing high heeled shoes results in postural dysfunction of the lower back, and that is a primary cause of Lordosis. Muscular imbalances are then caused by the postural dysfunction where there are corresponding anterior and posterior hypertonic muscle groups in opposition to weak and inhibited muscle groups in the pelvis and lower torso. Lower Crossed Syndrome is a condition that is commonly caused by the result of those imbalances.

What Muscle Groups corresponding with Lower Crossed Syndrome are Hypertonic (Excessively Tight)?

The anterior hypertonic muscle groups directly related to Hyperlordosis Lower Crossed Syndrome are the Hip Flexors (Psoas Muscles) and the upper anterior thigh muscles (Rectus Femoris and Sartorius). The posterior hypertonic muscle groups directly related to Hyperlordosis Lower Crossed Syndrome are the muscles of the Lumbar Spine (Erector Spinae, Multifidi, Quadratus Lumborum, Rotatores).

What are the Weak and Inhibited Muscle Groups that correspond with Lower Crossed Syndrome?

The anterior weak and inhibited muscle group directly related to Hyperlordosis is the abdominal Muscles (Rectus Abdominus). The posterior weak and inhibited muscle groups directly related to Lordosis is the buttocks muscles (Gluteus Maximus) and the posterior upper leg muscles (also known as the Hamstrings or Biceps Femoris).

How does Hyperlordosis cause Lower Back Pain?

With the spine positioned in an excessive lordotic curve, a primary dysfunctional source of pain and a secondary dysfunctional source of pain is created. The primary source of pain is the improperly positioned lumbar spine. The secondary source of pain is the abnormal tissue hypertonicity that is created.

How is Lower Back Pain caused by an improperly positioned Spine?

The improperly positioned lumbar spine due to Hyperlordosis results in unbalanced, uneven, and abnormal weight bearing loads upon the Lumbar Vertebrae and the Intervertebral Discs, which could result in nerve impingement and/or Sciatica. The excessive curve also results in incorrect Lumbar Facet Joint movement i.e. reduced Lumbar Facet Joint movement and /or Lumbar Facet Joint Compression which can turn into Lumbar Facet Syndrome. That Facet Syndrome could be a stuck open or closed Facet Joint or a Facet Joint that sticks or binds. This could also cause Facet Arthritis.

So what kind of Pain Symptoms are experienced directly as a result of the Improperly Positioned Spine?

Facet Syndrome Pain Symptoms due to the improperly Hyperextended Lumbar Spine are the result of Facet Joint Compression, decreased Facet Joint movement, and irritation caused within the limited Facet ROM-Range of Motion in a Hyperextended state. The development of Osteophytes (Bone Spurs) and degeneration of Intervertebral Discs would result in additional pain symptoms over time, and would have an effect upon nerve roots in the Lumbar area. Pain could be localized, radiating, or Radicular-nerve root pain in nature.

How does Tissue Hypertonicity cause Lower Back Pain?

Excessive soft tissue loading, compression and reduced circulation occur due to Lordosis. The tissues become hypertonic due to the compressive state. This in turn causes reduced circulation, resulting in the inability to move waste products out of the muscles, ligaments, tendons, and other soft tissue, as well as causing an impediment to the flow of nutrients into cell structures. This multiple cause and effect issue then results in significantly reduced circulation that causes lower back pain, and results in Ischemia (lack of Blood Flow), Myofascial Pain Syndrome or Trigger Points.

What can be done about Lordosis?

The first thing that should be done is to alleviate as much as possible any condition that positions the heels higher than the balls of the feet while standing. The best Hyperlordosis approach to treatment is a Diagnostic Pain Assessment conducted by a skilled Medical Massage Therapist or other Healthcare Professional prior to Hyperlordosis Treatment. Comprehensive compilation of information based upon Postural Analysis, Range of Motion Testing and other Special Tests will be used in the Assessment to formulate the most effective treatment plan for this condition.

Posted under Fitness