BENEFITS OF CHAIR MASSAGE

Prevention of Pain

Costs of Back Pain

Long periods of sitting during the workday can cause the muscles to become tight and weak, resulting in poor desk posture. This greatly increases office workers’ chance of back injuries, muscular degeneration and pain.1

The costs of back pain in the EU are very considerable and have been estimated to exceed €12billion each year.2

How Chair Massage Helps:

Regular massage therapy can help release chronic muscle soreness and tension that may hamper an employee’s ability to work effectively and without pain. Chair massage provides natural pain relief from strained muscles, reduces tension and improves posture by helping muscles to relax.

Scientific Evidence:

A 2011 study found regular chair massages decreased musculoskeletal aching and pain and increased range of motion after just one month.3

Stress Reduction

The Costs of Stress

The cost of missed workdays due to stress / depression according to EU-OSHA calculations, adds up to a bill of 94 billion Euros a year. The same source suggests that stress is a factor in between 50% and 60% of all lost working days. This represents a huge cost in terms of both human distress and impaired economic performance.

How Chair Massage Helps

Research suggests4 that frequent massage reduces cortisol, which is a major stress hormone, and high levels of cortisol have been linked to high blood pressure, suppressed immune system function and obesity. And you don’t need an hour-long massage to reduce cortisol levels or lower stress. Studies5 have found that even a brief 15-minute chair massage once a week can reduce stress systems.

Scientific Evidence

A 2012 study6 showed that 15-minute chair massages to nurses during work hours significantly reduced their stress.

Increased Brain Power / Stress Management

Studies show that prolonged sitting may affect the brain’s fuel supply and have a negative impact on brain health, resulting in poor performance, ‘brain fog’, lack of focus and even depression.7/8

All employers want a highly functioning, focused and positive team, so how can massage help achieve that?

How Does Chair Massage Help?

When the brain is taxed by continuous pressure to think fast, it cannot function to its full capacity. Massage helps to calm the mind, allowing employees to step away from the problem or task at hand,  and freeing up space for subconscious creative thought. When your employees are given the time and the luxury of relaxation, they’ll be able to think more clearly and effectively.

Scientific Evidence

Even a brief chair massage visit can significantly improve employee problem-solving abilities. A scientific study9 gave one group of workers a 15 minute rest, and another a 15 minute massage regularly over a 5 week period. The group that received the massage performed significantly better on complicated tasks like math problems, as well as demonstrating lower anxiety levels and job stress.

Better Sleep

Studies10 have found that people who receive regular massages spend more time in deep sleep, which is the restorative stage of the sleep cycle. Massage aids relaxation, relieves work stress and reboots the mind enabling better sleep, so that employees are ready to tackle the next day feeling completely refreshed.