After a number of years with chronic back problems, I began physical therapy with a PT who had a background in shiatsu, acupressure, and Reiki. I continued to work with her on and off for seven years, until she moved to California.

Shiatsu is a traditional form of Japanese massage therapy. Comparable to acupressure, shiatsu implements pressure on the finger and thumbs to promote the flow of energy to the body. Shiatsu has developed through the years in concert with various Western principles of anatomy and physiology.

Shiatsu massage chairs provide a sample of Shiatsu therapy. They’re most appropriate for those who have chronic back pain and muscle discomfort. You can find massage chairs for sale in larger pharmacies, or online.

Shiatsu massaging chairs allow a person to experience the many benefits of the therapy at the comforts of their home. Most Shiatsu massage chairs are leather upholstered, normally the most expensive covering. There is also synthetic leather upholstering which is proven to be more durable, or vinyl upholstering which is not the most stylish but is a lot easier to maintain.

The next step of my program was to begin to practice some kind of systematic movement discipline such as tai chi.I was able to discover an excellent tai chi instructor in my town, and formulate a basic daily regime.

Despite the progress I had made, I still had the basic problem of an activity ceiling limiting me to roughly 20 minutes of ambulatory exercise at a time.  For a number of years I accepted this as a basic limitation.

Two years ago, I suffered a shoulder injury incurred from scraping ice off the windshield of my car.Once again, I found conventional doctors not able to heal.  Through a series of coincidences, I was referred to a Feldenkrais instructor who lived nearby.Although he was reluctant to accept new patients, he agreed when he heard of the severity and long continuance of my condition.

With less than a few minutes of manipulation and massage, he was able to undo the muscle spasm in my shoulder which had endured an full year.  Carefully analyzing the imbalances in my movement, he provided a series of exercises tailored to my unique needs.Within six weeks of our first appointment, I was able to resume using the subway and walk about town.  Today I took a half-hour walk in the local arboretum, an accomplishment I would have considered impossible just a few years ago.

Picking up a prescription on the way home from my walk, I tried the Homedics massage pad for sale at my local pharmacy. The moving heated balls inside the shiatsu back pad felt like a real human touch, offering a much-needed massage to my wore out muscles.

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