As our bodies age, we lose flexibility due to the normal aging process. This can happen for several reasons, including loss of water in our tissues and spine, increased stiffness in our joints, and a loss of muscle tendon elasticity and the pliability of surrounding tissue.
Decreased flexibility can negatively impact everyday life by preventing us from functioning normally. Inflexible, stiff joints and muscles can, in turn, limit physical activities we once enjoyed.
Limiting physical activity can then contribute to loss of muscle strength. If we lose strength in our muscles, we move them less often. When our muscles aren’t taken through their full range of motion to maintain their length, we can experience further decreases in flexibility. While we can’t prevent some loss of flexibility, we can slow the process and prevent loss of function to maintain a healthy, active lifestyle.
Six Primary Benefits of Flexibility
- Improves your ability to perform daily physical activities
- Decreases the risk of injuries such as fractures and muscle strains
- Improved balance, which decreases the risk of falling and injury
- Decreases chronic pain
- Improves your workouts due to better overall muscular performance
- Improved posture
Incorporating a luxury massage chair into your self-care routine has countless benefits that can improve your overall health, and improving flexibility is one with lasting benefits as we age.
Five Ways a Massage Chair Improves Flexibility
Eases Muscle Tension and Alleviates Knots
The targeted massage techniques used in a massage chair can effectively release muscle tightness and knots, promoting relaxation and reducing muscular tension. Relaxed muscles allow for greater range of motion and overall mobility.
Stress often causes muscle tension in the neck and cervical spine. If not addressed, this can decrease flexibility, making you prone to injuries. The M.8 NEO features a specialized neck roller for nuanced massage, combined with air-driven neck stretching to deliver gentle traction of the cervical spine. Additionally, OHCO’s patented X-Y Shoulder Stabilizers provide a gentle spinal extension of your mid- and upper back.
The M.8 NEO LE’s immersive technology includes aromatherapy and chromotherapy, which soothe the nervous system and melt away stress, anxiety, and muscle tension. Aromatherapy helps reduce muscle tension because certain scents and essential oils trigger a range of relaxing responses from creating a calming effect by reducing cortisol and relieving pain through analgesic properties. Both aromatherapy and chromotherapy can improve blood flow and reduce inflammation.
Prevents Muscle Imbalances
Sitting for extended periods or repetitive movements can lead to muscle imbalances, as some muscles become tight and others weaken from lack of use. The M.8 NEO LE’s Back Autoscan personalizes the massage to your body and guides the sessions to focus on the shiatsu points of your neck, back, and seat. Targeting the areas commonly affected by muscle imbalances helps improve blood flow, restore muscle equilibrium and prevent injury.
Improves Blood Circulation
The stretching, kneading and rolling motions delivered by a massage chair promote blood flow to muscles, which can help reduce muscle tightness and keep us active and more flexible as we age. Some luxury massage chairs include infrared heat therapy, known for its healing properties. Studies indicate several health benefits of infrared heat therapy, including improved cardiovascular function and blood flow, reduced pain and inflammation, faster regeneration of muscle tissue and detoxification.
The OHCO M.8 NEO LE’s infrared heat reaches deep into your muscles, nerves, and tissues to improve blood flow, flushing out toxins and delivering oxygen and nutrients to injured tissues.
Reduces Muscle Stiffness
A massage chair stimulates circulation and relaxation, reducing stiffness. The increased blood flow to the muscles can help flush out metabolic waste and toxins, reducing muscle soreness and stiffness. Additionally, the stretching and manipulation provided by the massage chair can help elongate and relax the muscles, allowing for a full range of motion and improved flexibility.
Enhances Joint Mobility
Joint mobility improves when muscles are relaxed, allowing for greater flexibility in everyday movements and making daily activities more manageable and comfortable. OHCO’s M.8 NEO LE offers three different stretch styles and intensities, from a quick, gentle session for beginners to a full-body Thai stretch for more intensity.
Massage Chairs Promote Healthy Aging
Massage chairs can be a great way to maintain flexible, balanced and healthy muscles essential to our vitality. OHCO’s M.8 NEO LE includes features that enhance flexibility and mobility, combined with mood-boosting, immersive technology for a transcendent in-home massage experience anytime you want.