Facts about chair massage:
Immediate Pain Relief
Real distractions from work include common ailments such as headaches, neck pain, arm, wrist, shoulder and back pain. In only 12 minutes, chair massage often provides immediate relief. In our survey at a local hospital, 88% of nurses reported that the chair massages reduced or relieved pain.
Cumulative Benefits
The effects of massage are cumulative, providing long-term benefits. A survey at Reebok showed that, for 83% of the participants, massage sufficiently addressed a problem so that medical attention, a health claim, was not necessary. At Corporate Touch, we frequently hear from clients how long-term painful conditions have been eliminated or significantly improved over time with regular chair massage.
Absenteeism
HR professionals provide testimonials about reduced absenteeism, particularly on the day of the chair massages. The pain relief and other therapeutic benefits of massage support employees to be able to come to work and be more effective.
Performance
Massage during a break is a proven method to reduce stress far more than the average work break. A study at the University of Miami School of Medicine showed that participants in chair massage had significantly increased speed on math computations with half as many errors as the control group.
Productivity
In the Reebok survey, 66% of the respondents stated that the relief that massage provided enabled them to stay at work where otherwise they would have gone home ill. Another study showed that chair massage reduced the incidence of colds and flu, decreased headaches, and increased concentration.
Work Comp Repetitive Stress Injury Claims
Massage is recognized by medical experts as a method to help prevent repetitive stress injuries (RSIs) such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. One innovative company studied, Wampler Foods, had a tremendous Work Comp problem. They implemented a rigorous program of massage, ergonomics and exercise and reduced their RSIs by 75%. Massage had a major impact in the reduction. RSIs are now the leading cause of non-trauma work injuries.
Job Stress
Workers Comp. claims for job stress in California are almost $1 billion annually. What does massage do for stress? 92% of the participants in our hospital survey reported reduced stress from chair massage. In a 3M Corp. study, 89% reported a reduction in stress and further that the stress reduction had a lasting effect.
Overall Health Benefits
A second study at 3M Corporation used four surveys and a control group to assess overall health benefits of chair massage.
The results:
- reduces stress immediately and has a lasting effect
- enhances overall well-being
- increases quality of sleep
- reduces the incidence of colds and flu
- decreases the number of depressed mood incidences
- increases concentration
- decreases the likelihood of being tired or lacking energy
- decreases the number of headaches
- makes one feel less nervous or tense