Benefits of Office Chair Massage at Work

Studies show that office workers who are massaged regularly are more alert,

perform better, and are less stressed than those who are not massaged

Did you know....

Stress accounts for $26 billion in medical and disability payments and $95 billion in lost productivity per year

Over 50% of lost work days are stress related, which keeps about 1 million people per day from attending work

40% of job turnover is due to stress
80% of industrial accidents are due to stress

Research Shows...

Massage at work has been shown to significantly relieve stress as well as helping to prevent work related disorders, such as repetitive stress injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome

Research indicates that a 15-minute office chair massage results in increased alertness and increased speed and accuracy on math computations

Massage therapy has been shown to strengthen the immune system, according to research published in the Journal of Neuroscience, 1996

Benefits of Chair Massage
Improve Productivity

Improve Morale

Improve Retention

Reduce Stress

Become Employer of Choice

Enhance Employee Rewards Programs

Prevent and Manage Repetitive Stress Injuries

Massage gets results
The Touch Research Institute, University of Miami School of Medicine, has shown that office massage therapy:
lowered job stress scores
heightened alertness; raised speed and accuracy at math calculations
lowered migraine headache pain, distress, and sleep disturbances
decreased depression, anxiety, stress, pain and insomnia in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome patients
increased immune function in women diagnosed with breast cancer
In a two month study of low back pain at University of Guelph, Ontario, 63% of subjects reported no pain after six massage therapy treatments.

Sources:
1. Field, Ironson, Pickens et al. (1996). International Journal of Neuroscience 86, 197-205 2.Occupational Health and Safety news and the National Council on compensation Insurance (U.S.A.) 3..Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 4. American Institute of Stress

Related Articles

Massage Therapy And Repetitive Strain Injuries

By Jeff P. Anliker, LMT

http://www.rsi-relief.com/rsi-articles/MassageTherapyAndRSI.html

Stress Impact on Business

By The American Institite of Stress

http://www.stress.org/job.htm

St. Paul Printer Makes Massage Part of Successful Work Culture

By Todd Nelson 12/25/11

Ideal Printers in St. Paul, Minn., is a small, family-run company that makes wellness a part of a work culture that has led to low turnover and financial success. Employees do daily stretching, have access to on-site massages once a year and receive $200 to pay for personal or professional development activities.

http://www.startribune.com

Top Companies Find Massage Perks are Good Business

By Susanne Gargiulo, Special to CNN
Companies on Fortune's "100 Best Companies to Work For" list consistently outperform others in the stock market and experts say one reason may be happy, more productive employees. Google, No. 4 on the list, offers free food, on-site fitness facilities and physicians, massage rooms and hair stylists, while privately held software company SAS is at the top, offering its staff such perks as a fitness center, day care, summer camp for children and a library.

http://edition.cnn.com

Related Studies

Massage Confirmed to be Effective Treatment for Neck and Back Pain

Group Health Center for Health Studies, Seattle, WA 98101, USA. (2009) sherman.k@ghc.org

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=DetailsSearch&Term=19333174[uid]

Lower Back Pain is Reduced and Range of Motion Increased After Massage Therapy
International Journal of Neuroscience, 106, 131-145, 2001
Massage therapy was compared to relaxation for chronic low back pain. By the end of the study, the massage therapy group, as compared to the relaxation group, reported less pain, depression and anxiety and improved sleep. They also showed improved trunk flexibility, and their serotonin and dopamine levels were higher.

Massage Therapy is Associated with Enhancement of the Immune System's Cytotoxic Capacity
International Journal of Neuroscience, 84, 205-217 1996
Twenty nine men with HIV received massage for 1 month. Major immune findings for the effects of the month of massage included an increase in Natural Killer Cell number. Major neuroendocrine findings included a decrease in cortisol. Anxiety also decreased.

Massage Therapy Reduces Job Stress
Alternative Therapies, 3, 54-56, 1997
The immediate effects of brief massage therapy, music relaxation with visual imagery, muscle relaxation, and social support group sessions were assessed in 100 hospital employees at a major public hospital. The effects of the therapies were assessed using a within-subjects pre-post test design and by comparisons across groups. The groups reported decreased anxiety, depression, fatigue, and confusion, as well as increased vigor following the session.

Migraine Headaches are Reduced by Massage Therapy
International Journal of Neuroscience, 96, 1-11, 1998
Twenty-six adults with migraine headaches were randomly assigned to a wait-list control group or to a massage therapy group, who received two 30-minute massages per week for five consecutive weeks. The massage therapy subjects reporte3d fewer distress symptoms, less pain, more headache free days, fewer sleep disturbances, and they showed an increase in serotonin levels.