Relief of Pain

Pain Relief:  Massage Chairs or Drugs?

Sufferers of back pain have two main paths that they can go down for pain relief.  There are natural remedies like massage therapy and there are synthetic remedies like pharmaceuticals.  For certain conditions like chronic pain, pharmaceuticals to dull the pain may be appropriate.  In most conditions, natural remedies are more appropriate as the body needs to both recover and relieve the pain.  Massage chairs provide therapeutic massage therapy which can be precisely controlled to tailor the massage to your needs for pain relief and recovery.

Sufferers of back pain fall into two main categories of acute or chronic.  Chronic conditions may include much pain and discomfort and may necessitate synthetic pain relief.  In many other cases, natural methods of recovery including physical therapy and massage therapy are very effective.  If a drug is needed, more often then not it is Methadone.

What is Methadone?  Methadone is an opiod that is used extensively for medical treatment.  Opiods work directly on the central nervous system to suppress pain signals.  This drug is used for treating chronic pain conditions as it is a strong pain reliever.  Doctors may typically write prescriptions for methadone for lower back pain for their patients.

The main advantage of methadone for relieving lower back pain is its immediate affect.  The typical dose of methadone starts to relieve pain quickly and typically lasts from 4 to 8 hours depending on the patient.  This drug goes immediately to work on the central nervous system.

There certainly are some challenges using methadone.  If methadone is used on a periodic basis, say daily, it begins to build up in the body.  This means that the dose size needs to be increase because the body begins to build up resistance to it.  Also, it may take you body up to a week to rid the traces of methadone out of your body.

Here are some of the side effects of using an opiod like methadone.  You can feel weakness, nervous, drowsy, lose your appetite, have trouble sleeping and have a lower sex drive.  Other important side effects include confusion, chest pain, heart beat irregularities, syncope, hallucinations and others.  If you are pregnant or a new mother that is still nursing, then you should not use methadone as you can pass it to your baby via breast milk.

Another not commonly known side effect of methadone is when you come off the medication.  This is especially prevalent when you have been using for some time.  There will be withdrawal as Opiods can be addictive.  Your medical doctor will be monitoring this situation if they have prescribed this treatment for you.  It is always advisable to start out any dosages as low as possible when getting relief.

The other path you can take is that of natural remedies like massage therapy.  A massage chair can help to reduce pain in a natural way.  There are many programs in a massage chair to focus on the soft tissues and muscles of the areas you need the most attention.  You can combine massage techniques to help reduce stiffness, increase flexibility and minimize pain.

There are various massage techniques for a variety of treatment options.  For muscle stiffness, a tapping massage is used to loosen up the muscles.  To increase flexibility, a rolling massage is used to deliver segmented traction to the discs of the spine.  The kneading massage is used to reduce tension and to elongate the larger muscles of the back and shoulders.

Massage chairs can help reduce pain by providing a way to stretch and soothe tight and sore muscles.  Back pain stems from the stiffening of the soft tissue and misalignment of the spine.  Applying mechanical traction to the spine helps to increase the flexibility of the soft tissue.  Penetrating massage therapies can be applied to give deeper tissue relief to the larger muscles like the shoulder and neck areas.

Massage chair therapy provides a natural and therapeutic treatment for soothing and relieving tight and sore muscles.  Because of muscle tension and tightness, massage therapy can make you sore after treatments.  This is normal as these tissues are being flexed and elongated to restore their flexibility.  As the tissues and muscles become more flexible, the pain also decreases.  The important element is to obtain repeat treatment and this is where a massage chair is most convenient.

So there you have it, which path to choose?  If you are in severe pain, then getting immediate relief is very important.  However, for most conditions, it is much better to seek the natural path.  In the end your body must heal itself, so the sooner you can get it on that tract the better.   Massage chairs provide a great variety of treatments which can help in many situations.  If you are suffering from back pain, then you should check with your professional health care provider to find the right treatments for you.  Be sure to ask them about what natural remedies are available.