subject: Ease Pain More Effectively [print this page] Your'e feeling it, the dread of returning to the office after a nice long weekend. Back to the stress of the workplace, the boss, the co-workers. Surely theres some sort of relief from all of this (short of a two-week vacation to Bermuda!) These days, some offices are allowing everything from on-site child-care, in-house pharmacies to naps. Now, guess whats becoming commonplace - chair massage. It is a relative low-cost way to help get through the day, and is far less expensive than other employee benefits.
Massage is the manipulation of superficial layers of muscle and connective tissue. This is done to enhance function and promote relaxation and well-being. If you are looking to modern medicine to cure your issues, maybe you are looking in the wrong place. The art of massage dates way back, back to over 3000 years. It has been documented by the ancient Hindus, Persians and Egyptians. They all applied forms of massage for many ailments. Hippocrates even wrote papers recommending the use of rubbing and friction for joint and circulatory problems. Are you interested in finding how this art of massage is practiced? Many, many, many methods, over 250 to be precise, are used. Some of these are tapping, kneading, vibration, rocking, applying pressure to muscles, stroking and compression!
The art of massage became popular in the US in the 1800s. It had a surge of popularity until the 1930s and 40s. When modern medicine came to the forefront, the art of massage therapy became discounted as lesser than . Suddenly, it became popular again in the 1960s and 1970s when nurses began to use it to relieve pain in patients. It again gained credibility when, in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta it was used as core medical service. Are you convinced? Do you want whats good enough for an Olympian?
A company can hire therapists to come to their business. They will come at any time of day, weekdays or weekends. These can be offered to employees to help them relax, or can be offered as an incentive for performance. There are many benefits such as a boost to the immune system which leads to fewer absences, a decrease in stress, while improving blood circulation, as well as relieving that muscle pain that can come from sitting at a desk while being on a computer all day. It can relieve headaches, lower blood pressure and improve thinking skills. And these advantages are scientifically proven!
Productivity decreases when the pain is up. We all dream of ergonomically designed offices, but that is not always the case. Muscles tighten up as we sit in our cubicles. This causes stress and impedes blood and lymph flow through the system. Employers benefit from chair massage as there is a decrease in workers compensation complaints, as well as fewer absentees. If we keep our workers pain free and relaxed, we will get increased productivity. Maybe if offices provide chair massages, our American workers would be better off. As a mother of 3, surely this can help me too!
