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Massage Chairs Contain Thorough Acupressure Massage Therapy

One of the oldest forms of Chinese medicine is acupuncture. The Chinese discovered that the body responded to healing itself when certain trigger points were activated. One branch of this is the use of acupressure in place of needles. Acupressure uses gentle pressure to stimulate the energy flow throughout the body. The most advanced massage chairs have now incorporated many new technologies based on these ancient forms of Chinese medicine.

There are different types of acupressure based on the traditional trigger points in the body. The differences between the types are the rhythms, techniques and pressures used. For instance, Shiatsu is a subset of acupressure massage and is its most famous form. Other techniques involve applying firm pressure for 3 to 5 seconds on trigger points. Another technique involves using a pressing pressure with an intermittent tapping action. Yet another technique involves slow pressure on the trigger points to induce whole body relaxation.

We are now seeing technology being developed by some of the top manufacturers in the world for Acupressure. Companies like Panasonic, Sanyo and Omega have integrated methodologies to perform acupressure massage therapy. The massage chairs built by these companies have tremendous technology that can identify your unique trigger points. The technology identifies your points and then it targets specific areas for relief.

These massage recliners take a reading of your back as the acupressure massage is activated. The computer in the chair takes in all the information. It will then, processes it and then create a program just for you. The recliner knows how to manipulate the most critical trigger points and knows the precise location of your points. The massage recliner runs a customized massage just like a massage therapist. These acupressure massages are very effective in revitalizing your body and spirit.

Just don’t think that massage is the only thing you get with a massage recliner. Many chairs are increasingly brining in more dimension to the massage experience. These dimensions may be the application of heat therapy. Heat is used for warming up the muscles prior to activity. It is also used to reduce swelling for injuries. These chairs provide a more deeply penetrating relief with the addition of heat where you need it.

The acupressure massage helps to encourage the flow of blood and lymph. The increased flow of blood and lymph increase energy and help the body to heal. Additionally, some of the benefits of acupressure massage are the following:

Reduction in blood pressure; Reduction in stress; Increased awareness; Increased energy

The tradition of acupressure runs deep in the East. Western science is finally catching up with some of these long held healing processes. This nexus of East meets West is certainly in the best massage chairs. The real benefits from massage therapy come from getting it on a frequent basis. This is where massage chairs bridge this challenge by providing great therapy at a economical cost. Continuous massage therapy at the touch of a button.

Searching for a fantastic Acupressure Massage Chair to relieve those tired, aching muscles? Select from your favorite Acupressure Massage Treatment found in many of the top Massage Chairs with one touch of a button. You are at the controls to target all the regions most important to you! Get the massage chair recliner that you have always wanted now..

Different Ways to Treat Tendon Strain

Sports injuries are the most common activities that may cause tendon strain. The Achilles tendon that connects the calf muscles to the anklebone are often injured by those who play basketball.

Rest and ice pack applications are some of the best treatments for this type of injury. Wrapping the area securely, but not too tight is helpful for the prevention of swelling and the relief of pain. Elevating the area while resting, may also help to reduce the discomfort of swelling and pain.

Injury from repetitive action can sometimes overstretch the tendon too quickly, while putting too much stress on the area. One instance may include that of a weightlifter working the tendon daily without paying attention to the warnings of pain. When the body needs to rest and repair itself, it will send out painful warnings. Tendon strain prevention is conditioning the body for such strain beforehand. This is the reason, stretching is essential even for professional dancers before a rehearsal or performance.

When there is pain and the loss of motion, tendon injury or strain is easy to diagnose. However, further testing may be essential. These tests may include the use of an MRI, x-rays or ultrasound tests. For such a condition as physician may prescribe NSAIDs or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

After healing from surgery, through care is essential. A surgeon may suggest the stretching and strengthening with a daily exercise regimen for the injured muscles. Most often, exercises are done while in warm water to help prevent re-injuring the area. Sometimes you may need to visit a physical therapist to help ensure the proper maneuvers of such exercises. Therapy may involve more than just exercises. Depending on the cause of the injury, the use of soft tissue massages, stretching, running and gait re-education, or ultrasound therapy may be necessary. Various types of splints may be necessary or even the use of cortisone injections or perhaps a medicine for numbing the area may be required.

Physical therapy may comprise of strengthening exercises, ultrasound therapy, soft-tissue massage/mobilization, and stretching and also gait or running re-education. If the tendon strain was done to the Achilles tendon, the surgeon or doctor treating the patient may order appropriate shoes that properly fit your personal foot type. Also, the appropriate shoes may have to actually fit the particular activity. For example, running shoes are different from those used to play basketball. Having the appropriate shoe will prevent recurrence of the condition sometimes. Tendon strain accounts for as high as 50% of sports injuries, thus it may be very important to prevent them from happening.

Golfers elbow or tennis elbow is two examples of sports injuries, which occur by the misuse of the sporting equipment. The treatment for tendon strain is the same regardless of the type of sports that one may enjoy.

Tom Nicholson has spent years caring for carpal tunnel sufferers. You can follow this link to find out more regarding having asore wrist.

Understanding, Caring for And Treating Tendonitis Symptoms

Tendonitis is a condition where the tendons; the fibrous tissue which connect your muscles to the skeletal system are inflamed. If you’ve ever experienced tendonitis yourself, then you know that tendonitis symptoms can include pain which ranges from mild to severe. The factors which affect the severity of this pain include how much strain is placed on the tendon, whether or not you’re adequately hydrated and others, including unconscious movement of the muscles attached to the inflamed tendon. If you’re experiencing pain which you are unsure but suspect may be tendonitis symptoms, this article is for you - read on for a few of the characteristic signs of tendonitis.

Restricted Range Of Motion

One sign of tendonitis is having difficulty moving the affected part of your body. For example, if you are afflicted with tendonitis in your shoulder, you may have trouble lifting your arm over your head.

Pain While Moving

In the early stages of tendonitis, symptoms such as pain may happen only when strain is placed on the inflamed tendon. Your tendons can be strained by any repetitive motion or strenuous activity including sports or physically demanding work.

Pain

When your tendonitis progresses, this can cause persistent pain, whether or not you’re actually straining the tendon at the moment. You might also experience pain when you touch the area and notice that there is some swelling in the area.

Burning Sensation

Many feel a burning sensation in the affected area; usually occurring at night or immediately after engaging in strenuous activity. The best way to prevent this and other tendonitis symptoms is to let the affected area rest.

Other Symptoms

One thing to keep in mind is that tendonitis symptoms can be very similar to those of arthritis, bursitis and carpal tunnel syndrome. You should see your physician for a diagnosis if you find yourself experiencing pain or tenderness in a certain part of your body, particularly if this occurs following repetitive use.

Treatment

As with any sort of injury, prevention is the best treatment of all. Preventing tendonitis symptoms from affecting you starts with knowing how this condition can be caused. As the most common cause of this problem is the strain caused by repetitive motion, it is important to refrain from overdoing it. Tennis elbow and other common sports injuries are actually forms of tendonitis, so athletes should be especially vigilant and avoid repetitive motions which can lead to tendonitis.

Prevention

Use ergonomic ally correct furniture and sports equipment while at work and play

* Stay healthy

* Stay within a normal range of motion

Don’t strain your joints by trying to stretch well past your range of motion

Do not place too much weight on any single joint

Treatment

* Ice packs for lessening inflammation

* Splints or wraps

* Anti-inflammatory medications

Ultrasound therapy

* Physical therapy to strengthen the area

Cortisone injections

Surgery

Any sort of treatment for your tendonitis symptoms should be done in consultation with your doctor. Since there are other conditions which can cause symptoms which are very similar, see your physician for a diagnosis before seeking any treatment.

Tom Nicholson spends his time helping carpal tunnel sufferers. Please click here to find out more about having asore wrist.

Calcific Tendinitis: Definition and Ways of Treating

Also known as “calcified tendinitis” or “calcifying tendinitis,” calcific tendinitis happens when calcium deposits cause tendons to become inflamed. Most often, rotator cuff tendons are the target, and can occur in either or both shoulders.

No one really knows what causes calcific tendinitis, but there are some pretty clear indicators as to what does NOT cause it. Having too much calcium in the diet does not cause it, because those who are diagnosed with calcific tendinitis usually have normal calcium levels in their blood. Therefore, it is NOT advised that you limit calcium in your diet if you are diagnosed with this condition, because you could put yourself at risk for osteoporosis; if you get too little calcium in your diet, your body will simply take it from your bones.

In some cases, it may be that a metabolic condition may cause calcific tendinitis, or that kidney problems can cause these calcium deposits; however, this is only a guess and is not a definite and diagnosed cause. In addition, dramatic injury or overuse of the rotator cuff probably does not cause calcific tendinitis come either. Overuse CAN cause rotator cuff tendinitis, which occurs without excess calcium deposits being present.

May be related to age

One statistical correlation is that calcific tendinitis rarely occurs in those under the age of 30; there are hopes that the metabolic trigger that causes the body to excrete calcium nodules can be identified; it may be possible to use these techniques to treat bone spurs as well.

Symptoms

The usual set of symptoms for calcific Tendinitis is a sharp, burning pain when a stiff shoulder is moved; it’s often described as feeling like gravel is under the shoulder blade, usually when you raise your arm of the shoulder. Sometimes it’s a little subtler than that if the calcium crystallization happens deeper in the tissue, where it can’t be felt through the skin.

Where most people notice calcific tendinitis is when the calcium crystals are shed from the deposits, which causes acute inflammation and pain; this is also when the calcium nodules start to break up and get reabsorbed by the body.

Sudden onset

Calcific Tendinitis has a quick trigger point, rather than small amounts of pain that gradually worsen. Most cases, when it triggers, it’s because the calcium crystals have broken free; the symptoms go away within a week or two as they’re re-absorbed by the body.

Sometimes, your doctor will put you in for an X-ray to find out what’s wrong, and the calcium deposit will show up just fine. Most of the recommended treatments are to take over the counter pain medications and doing range of motion therapy exercises to keep your joint limber, followed by icing it down to reduce swelling and inflammation.

For particularly severe pain, your doctor can give you a steroid or cortisone injection; in extreme cases, arthroscopic surgery can be recommended to break up the calcium nodule and extract it with a syringe.

Tom Nicholson has spent years caring for carpal tunnel sufferers. Please click here to learn more regardingcalcific tendinitis.

Exercises To Improve Rotator Cuff Strength

When it comes to injuries that can really affect every part of your life, rotator cuff injuries are right there at the top of the list. Such injuries result in intense pain every time you lift your arm to do even the simplest of daily tasks. You want to do everything you can to avoid such an injury-and one way of helping prevent rotator cuff injuries is to strengthen the rotator cuff muscles with specific exercises you can easily incorporate into your daily workout.

These exercises are not complicated to perform and they are not strenuous either. Usually, they can be performed with minimal effort using light weights and high repetitions at first prior to moving on to more complicated and challenging workouts. For those curious as to what type of exercises for rotator cuff strength deliver the most effective results, here are a few:

Note: All of these exercises will focus on the joint connecting the shoulder and the arm. This is where the rotator cuff muscle group is located. All of these exercises will include the same basic form or position. Bend your elbow to form a 90 degree angle between your forearm and your upper arm. Rotate the hand to a palm up position. Hold a light dumbbell or weight in your hand to add additional strength. Then incorporate the specific body positioning for each exercise outlined below, maintaining this arm position.

External Rotator - Standing Position - Stand upright with your arms in the above-described position. Perform a moderate level of repetitions-perhaps 10 to start-and adjusting the number of repetitions to the current strength level and tolerance of your arm strength. You can increase the number of reps gradually as you progress in your rotator cuff strengthening regime. But don’t push too hard, as you don’t want to injure the area.

External Rotator - Seated Position - Have a seat on an exercise bench or other flat surface and keep a nice straight back and good posture. Then perform the very same exercise you just did while standing. This can be a little easier for those who have trouble standing for periods of time. Repeat slowly as tolerated.

External Rotator - Side Lying Position - Similar to the previous two exercises, you will actually be performing the exact same arm movements. The only difference is, this time you will lie on your side to do it. This changes your center of gravity and works different parts of the rotator cuff muscle group.

External Rotator - Knee Supported - For those who may have difficulty with the other exercises-or as an additional part of your rotator cuff strengthening workout, perform the exercise described above yet again. Only this time sit on the floor with your knee bent in front of you, foot flat on the floor. Rest your elbow on your knee. Then begin. Again, this changes gravity a bit and works another part of the muscle group. It may also be easier for some people to perform than the other versions. Complete 10 reps or so, depending on your ability.

Tom Nicholson has spent years helping carpal tunnel sufferers. You can follow this link to find out more about someexercises for rotator cuff.

Identifying, Caring for And Healing Tendonitis Symptoms

The tissues which facilitate our movement are the tendons; these tough, fibrous tissues connect our muscles to our bones. Tendonitis is a condition in which these tissues are inflamed. The condition is known by a number of different names, depending largely on where the inflammation is. Inflammation in the knee or elbow may be known as jumper’s knee or tennis elbow, respectively.

Tendonitis symptoms generally occur as an overuse injury. When you repeat the same motion over and over again, you strain and eventually cause small tears in the tendon. This condition can be mild to quite severe depending on how long you have let it go. Many times, you can prevent severe injury and pain by using splints, wraps, ice and anti-inflammatory medications.

In order to prevent your tendonitis from leading to long term or even permanent damage, you will have to know tendonitis symptoms so you can begin getting treatment before more serious injury can occur. These are the most common signs of tendonitis:

Pain

* Swelling

Affected area can feel warm to the touch

* Restricted movement especially first thing in the morning or late in the evening

* Stiffness

A burning sensation after physical activity

Area may painful when touched

Preventing Tendonitis Symptoms

As with any other type of strain or injury the best thing, you can do reduce the risk or prevent the injury all together. This does not mean you will have to quit playing tennis, golf or any other sport, just take a few extra precautions.

Tendonitis sometimes results from exercising without properly warming up before and cooling down afterwards. You should warm up and cool down before and after a workout by stretching to keep your muscles and tendons flexible.

Tendonitis symptoms can also occur from the strain of daily activity. People who are overweight are particularly prone to tendonitis, since the heavier you are, the more weight your joints and tendons have to carry. You can help to prevent tendonitis from developing by losing any excess weight you may be carrying.

Improper form in any situation can lead to tendonitis symptoms. Whether you are on the tennis court or in front of your computer at work all day, it is important to position your body correctly during all kinds of work and play. For work situations, you can add ergonomic equipment such as specially designed keyboards and adjustable chairs to help you achieve the most natural placement of your hand, arms, and elbows and so on.

During exercise or while playing your favorite sport you should be aware of your body positioning as well. Over extending your joints is a perfect way to tear the tendons and cause yourself significant pain. If you are just starting out in a sport such as tennis or golf, try to get formal instruction about proper form to prevent tendonitis symptoms from occurring.

There are many methods for preventing and treating tendonitis. You can use rubs, wraps and ice packs to reduce the swelling and pain, but perhaps the best thing you can do is to rest the affected area so that it can heal. Anytime you feel pain, swelling or burning it is a good idea to stop whatever is causing the pain and seek medical attention.

Tom Nicholson has spent years helping sufferers of carpal tunnel syndrome. You can click here to find out more about having asore wrist.

Stress Management: Chop Your Stress with Massage Chairs

Stress management is perhaps more importantly now than at any other time. More people seem to be experiencing higher levels of stress. The ability to successfully cope with stress is paramount to your long term health and well-being. A great way to manage your stress is with a massage chair.

Stress in modern times is different than it was just a few generations ago. Most of the stress we encounter is psychological. We stress about relationships, work or paying the rent.

When we stress about psychological things, our minds tend to fixate on these problems. However, most of the time we do not immediately solve these problems and they tend to linger. This is where stress management becomes important.

Our bodies react to this psychological stress as is we were about to experience physical danger. In fact, this reaction is hardwired into our bodies as a fight or flight reaction. When we come under stress, our bodies are reacting as if we face immediate and certain danger.

Stress is a survival instinct. It is a way that we cope with the dangers of the physical environment. However, in these modern times we face more psychological danger than physical. However, our bodies do not seem to know the difference and they react by preparing the body for defense.

This reaction may be sustained for long periods of time. The mind tends to ruminate on these problems which cause the stress to linger. The lingering of stress is what is damaging to the body.

Massage chairs work on two different levels to help you successfully manage stress. They help your mind to relax and not focus on its problems which remain unsolved. Secondly, they help to relieve the tension in your body by massage in stiff muscles.

Massage chairs incorporate MP3 players with headphones to help you to relax. Relaxation is easily obtained by quieting and calming the mind. A relaxed mind is not focused on its problems but instead let them go.

Have you ever noticed that when your mind relaxes that your body also relaxes? This is one of the important keys to successful relaxation. Your mind needs to relax and then the body will follow.

One of the major problems with stress is that it causes tension in the body. This tension eventually fatigues your muscles. When the muscles become fatigued they also become stiff and sore leading to aches and pains.

You will find a number of different massage techniques contained in these advanced recliners. They also have full body massage capability. This can provide you with relieve from head to toe. A remote control enables you to choose the type of massage and where you would like it applied.

Massage chairs are simple and easy to use. Massage chair comes with a remote control which allows you to choose a full body massage or to target a specific area. They provide a number of different technologies which enable your whole body to be relieved.

Massage chairs make it convenient to get daily stress relief. It is important to counteract the build up of stress as it begins. The longer it resides, the more damage it will do to your body.

Stress management doesn’t have to be stressful at all. Massage chairs make it easy, fun and convenient to proactively manage your stress. They offer you a wide variety of massage techniques and the ability to target specific symptoms. Do not wait for the stress to build to a crescendo. Be proactive and manager stress on a daily basis with a massage chair.

Take control of your stress and reduce the harmful effects of stress. Get Massage Chair Relief just as your symptoms of tension and discomfort start. Massage Chairs give you the convenience of obtaining frequent treatments. Receiving regular treatments assists in lowering tension, lower blood pressure and helps you to relax.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Symptoms - Are You Enduring In Silence?

Nowadays, carpal tunnel syndrome is so common that many considerate to be at pandemic proportions, largely due to the modern way of life, to which we’ve all become so accustomed. Unfortunately, although there is much that can be done, many people continue to suffer in silence. In fact, many people who have carpal tunnel syndrome don’t even realize they have it, and then there are those who simply don’t feel the condition warrants a visit to the doctor. If the condition is ignored, rather than go away, it will get steadily worse.

If by any chance you have heard of carpal tunnel syndrome before, but you’re unsure as to whether or not you actually suffer from the condition, then is highly recommended that you make an effort to find out more. Essentially, you should make a point often familiarizing yourself with the different carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms. Additionally, you should take time out to learn how this condition can affect employees, and what can be done about it.

Essentially, because so many people tend to use their wrist and finger muscles excessively, it can result in an imbalance, which in turn causes the bones of the wrist to shift, and this causes the carpal tunnel to become increasingly smaller. When this happens, undue pressure is placed on the median nerve which is located inside the tunnel. Several movements such as those we perform when we type, grip something, or squeeze something, all of which are repetitive actions, can result in carpal tunnel syndrome developing.

Essentially, the more pressure which is applied to the nerve inside the carpal tunnel, the more symptoms will be experienced, and the more severe the symptoms will be. While some people may only experience relatively mild pins and needles in their hands and wrists, other people experience complete numbness and severe tingling. Unfortunately, pain is inevitably part of the package, and in severe cases it may result in you loosing the strength in your hands as well as hand coordination.

Over and above the symptoms just mentioned, sufferers will also often experience stiffness and noticeable discomfort when doing certain tasks, which otherwise would not have been a problem. It is also worth noting that the pain is not always restricted to the hands and wrists, in that it can spread up into the forearms, elbows, and even the shoulders.

You can eliminate the symptoms that you are dealing with if you get the right treatment. Often the right exercises for the hands and wrists are able to provide some relief from this problem, although exercises are not the only treatment options available. You may want to look into a good wrist splint for wrists affected by the problem, which can give the wrists a rest and eliminate some of the carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms you have. Other treatment options are available as well, to help you stop this problem from going any further and ruining your life.

Tom Nicholson has spent years helping sufferers of carpal tunnel syndrome. You can follow this link to see how he relieves carpal tunnel syndrome symptoms.

Treatment-Like for Carpal Tunnel Sufferers

There a numerous ways that you can prevent Carpal tunnel syndrome. As there are ways to prevent CTS, there are numerous ways that you can get it, so it will be good for you to know what the steps are that you can take to help combat it. There are a number of things that you need to know that can cause CTS.

Arthritis has been know to be one of the biggest culprits to CTS. Arthritis can cause the ligaments in your hand and wrist to swell, putting pressure on the median nerve causing Carpal tunnel syndrome. Another thing that can cause CTS is being overweight. If you are overweight, start on a dietary and exercise plan to help you shed some pounds. Being overweight can cause pains in your back which will make you change your posture. Changing posture has been known to put pressure on the median nerve as well.

If you are someone such as a guitar player, secretary, or writer are just a few professions where people commonly get CTS. Another profession in which CTS is commonly found is baseball pitchers, because of the amount of stress put on the ligaments in there elbows and arms. At any rate if you are active with your hands for extended periods of time of can cause CTS. Try to give you hands some extra rest and try stretching them out to keep the ligaments from tightening up.

If you are a construction worker who constantly uses power tools, you should try and make sure that you are using tools that properly fit your hands. Bigger tools that don’t fit well in your hands can cause a lot of strain and tension in your wrists and hands leading to excruciating pain. Most writers have a customized keyboard because of the amount of repetition used in writing. You can find these types of keyboards custom made for what you write, at most every major electronics store.

If carpal tunnel syndrome does “get you”, there are some things that you can do to relieve the pain without taking drugs or having to wear a splint. These might work if you become aware of having CTS early enough. To start with, when you lie down you should prop up your arms and hands on pillows. Stop using your hand(s) as much; if the CTS is in just one hand, try to use the other one as much as possible. Try not to bend your wrist(s) much. If you noticed that the syndrome came on after you started using a certain tool, start using a different tool and see if that makes a difference.

Simple in-home remedies like these have been known to relieve the pain of CTS and in some cases also help prevent it from happening to you. Becoming pain free is your ultimate goal, so make sure you take the proper steps needed to help make your life a pain free life. Becoming free of pain is ultimately your goal. By trying some of these simple yet effective remedies can help you relieve a majority of your pain or in some cases become pain free.

There are physical exercises that you can do instead to cure yourself of your CTS. They are safe and free, and can be a permanent cure for your CTS. Let Tom Nicholson, a man who has been helping those who suffer from CTS for years, show you how to help yourself. Click here to learn some basic carpal tunnel exercises to get started=begin finding relief.

Review For The Sanyo SA5000 Massage Chair Recliner

We present review of the Sanyo model HEC SA5000 massage chair. Our intention is to provide a massage chair buyer with an objective review and evaluation of a given massage chair. We use a 5 category system. Equal weight is given to each category. Each category can earn from 0 to 20 points. The points are then summed up to provide you with an overall score. The 5 categories cover the following: Warranty & Customer Service, Comfort/Ergonomics, Ease of Use, Features and Massage Therapy. This system gives us a disciplined process of evaluating a massage chair. We hope you find this helping in your search for the best massage chair for your needs. The Sanyo HEC-SA5000 massage chair recliner price is in the $3,000 to $4,000 range.

Warranty & Customer Service: The warranty coverage helps to reduce your risk in any electronics purchase. This gives you protection of defects from manufacturing of the product. The SA 5000 comes with the following warranty coverage: 1 year parts, 3 years roller mechanism, 1 year labor and 1 year in home technician service. We think the 1 year in home technician service is a good addition for Sanyo. We would like to see all parts covered for 3 years like the top manufacturers do. The customer service is good. Sanyo has a 24/7 call center which is technically competent. The SA-5000 earns a 15 in this category.

Comfort & Ergonomics: When one thinks of a massage chair, you think of comfort and relaxation. The ergonomics of the chair design needs to be comfortable and fit the users. The SA 5000 has a nice appearance with the triangular armrests. The armrests are well padded and comfortable. The side view of the chair is a little plain below the armrest detail which is a little industrial from our point of view. The chair is comfortable to sit in. The upholstered back pad is plush and soft to the touch. The headrest pillow can be adjusted to accommodate different users. The leg rest is one area of concern in that it cannot be adjusted or extended. Taller users may want to see how well they fit in the chair. This chair was originally designed for the Japanese market, so it is scaled for the target population. Our rating in this category is 15.

Ease of Use: Massage chairs have evolved to full body massage loungers. This is an excellent development, but on the flip side, manufacturers need to ensure that their product remain simple and easy to use. The SA 5000 remote control is fairly straightforward to use. It has 4 single touch automatic programs. You have a Program Memory button that memorizes the last few minutes of massage and will store it for future use. There is a side panel that contains the manual massage functions. The SA 5000 comes with a wired sub remote. This sub remote has the pulse monitoring system and has the program memory function and enables you to work the foot rest and chair back. This recliners earns an 18 in this category.

Key Features: The prominent features in the Sanyo SA 5000 are the Stiffness Detection Sensor and the GK Rollers. The stiffness detection sensor is based on lie detection technology. This sensor detects stress points throughout your whole back. The stiffness detection gauges fatigue by monitoring changes in your perspiration and pulse rate. This information is then fed into the computer and the software will adjust the massage programs to target areas of stiffness or tight muscles. The GK Rollers are specially designed rollers that have the capability to perform a grip or grasping massage. The GK roller technology ?reaches out? and grabs you. This is especially effective for the neck and shoulder area. These rollers squeeze your shoulders and neck area to emulate the grasping and kneading of a professional masseuse. Our rating in this category is 18.

Massage Therapy: The SA 5000 comes with automatic programs, 4 programs stored in the Memory Program, 4 manual massage techniques and 4 massage courses for the back. The automatic programs are Stiffness, Relax, Recovery and Fine. There are 5 adjustments for both the massage speeds and roller width adjustments. There is the Grip massage which effectively targets the neck and shoulders. For the lower body, this recliner comes with 24 airbags to provide relief for the feet, calves and thighs. There are specially designed airbags that provides a multi-point shiatsu massage. This provides a penetrating and soothing massage. We give the SA-5000 an 18 in this category.

How does the Sanyo SA-5000 stack up? We give this massage chair an 84/100 in our overall rating. There is some innovative technology contained in this mid range model. We are impressed with the GK roller system which is also in the high end Sanyo model.

This provides superior coverage of the neck and shoulder regions. The warranty coverage is a bit light on the parts side and you may want to consider an extended warranty. The memory program is another nice feature enabling the chair to memorize a particular massage and its settings for repeat use. If you are looking at a mid range massage chair, this one is definitely worth a serious look.