Massager

Massagers are lightweight devices designed to simulate the effects of massage therapy. As in person-to-person massage, massagers rely on the application of rhythmic force to the soft tissues of the muscles and joints in order to alleviate aches, pains, tightness, and tension. Massagers also assist to keep blood flowing smoothly. Many proponents of massage maintain that massagers can yield positive psychological or spiritual effects as well, relieving stress and helping to circulate internal energy.

Electric Massagers

Electric massagers work by rotating small thumb-sized heads at a rapid pace of up to several thousand revolutions per minute, and applying this movement to the tissue to be treated. Very often infrared heat is channeled as well to permeate deep into the muscles and provide extra relief. Massagers usually weigh only a few pounds and come in a variety of special casings; these provide ease of handling in order to easily reach various regions of the body. Many electric massagers also possess multiple heads which can be adjusted to alter the quality of the massage, often with a circular ribbed surface to work over particularly aggrieved spots, a flat ribbed surface for a more general area massage, and a rolling surface for full-body application. Such heads can usually be adjusted to change the angle and focus of the massage. Many massagers can be set to varying levels of power, allowing one to select whether one desires a massage session to be gentle or relatively intense.

Unpowered Massagers

Not all massagers are electrically operated. Some work simply by means of circular pressure, using adjustable tubes to work over the afflicted parts of the body in much the same manner as a rolling pin kneads dough. Such rollers are frequently made flexible via spring-loaded parts to help them easily yield to the contours of the body. They are commonly used to relieve foot pain. Other massagers take advantage of the natural therapeutic movement of gel to help ease strained muscles. Gel soles, also used to relieve foot pain, are a subtle form of massager that work invisibly throughout the day to provide much the same effect as their hand-operated counterparts.

Professional Grade Massagers

Massaging devices can range from thirty dollars to upwards of several hundred, and in the case of professional massaging machines can even exceed two thousand. Such heavy-duty machines, usually operated only by trained masseuses, are powered by small motors and possess a variety of specialized attachments to cater to a client's specific health needs.

By Matthew Ingalls