What is a Stretching Massage?
Do your shoulders or neck feel tight and cramped after slaving away behind a desk for hours? Are your legs so tight tying your shoes is a hassle? Still recovering from an injury like a broken foot or ankle that makes walking long distances painful? Yeah, me too.
The good news is that stretching can help keep your body limber, but not all of us are able to incorporate regular stretching into our daily lives. For most of us, finding five minutes to think is hard enough let alone driving to a yoga class or physical therapist. So, why not try it out in your massage chair?
When combined with regular massage techniques, assisted stretching not only keeps your muscles flexible, it improves the effectiveness of your massage.
Stretch massage relieves strain on your joints as well as other benefits, including:
- Improved flexibility
- Better posture
- Improved range of motion
- Increased circulation
Stretch Programs in Massage Chairs
Stretching is a massage chair is a unique experience that can help to simulate the techniques and methods used by chiropractors and massage therapists to help loosen tight muscles. Often, pain in a particular area is related to an imbalance in muscle tissue where one area is too weak and another is overly tight. A stretch alleviates the tightness.
A massage chair does this through the stretch program.
How Stretch Programs Work
When you’re enjoying a stretch program in a massage chair, it usually works by first reclining you back and then arching to stretching your back and abdominals.
Once reclined, the chair’s airbags inflate around your calves and shoulders to hold them tightly in place. When you’re held in place, the ottoman shift back down, creating that arch and performing a bit of traction for the entire whole body. Then over the course of the stretch, the rollers glide up and down your spine.
This type of stretch is especially useful for those with typical or decreased lumbar spine curvature. It can really feel good on your stomach muscle too. Similar to how the cobra yoga position feels.
Flowing Stretch Programs
There are also stretch programs in some massage chairs that stretch in a similar way but keep the chair moving throughout the program.
In these chairs, the ottomans go up and down while the backs alternate between reclining and inclining. This movement can provide a more organic stretching feeling while warming up the muscles.
The stretch program is highly sought-after feature for many, especially if you enjoy a bit more intense massage as the airbags gripping you can squeeze quite firmly.
If you have any questions about massage chairs and how they might provide this type of massage, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re available over the phone or through email at info@massagechairplanet.com.