Over the last four years, the number of reports of physical harm to the Consumer Agency has increased significantly by 2.6 times.
Infants aged 0 to 6 years have the highest incidence of entrapments and falls, even with fatal outcomes.
For patients with disc, stenosis and osteoporosis, consultation with a specialist is required before use.
There is also a document on side effects… Urgent priority for manufacturers to compensate for safety incidents
▲ As the number of users increases due to the spread of massage chairs, the number of safety-related accidents also increases, so special attention should be paid to prevent physical harm to the elderly and young children. The photo shows a customer receiving a service using a massage chair in a public facility in Seoul (the massage chair product in the photo is not related to the specific content of the article). Photo = Reporter Park Hyo-soon
[사례1] A 1-year-old boy was saved from cardiac arrest after his chest and abdomen got caught in the leg-length adjuster of a massage chair at home, but unfortunately he died. Another 2-year-old boy was hospitalized with a broken right knee after becoming trapped in a massage chair in the living room. In the case of a 5-year-old girl, she fell from a massage chair, hit her right arm on the floor, and received emergency medical attention due to the deformity and pain.
[사례2] An 84-year-old woman fractured her spine after receiving strong stimulation from a massage chair and receiving specialist treatment. An 84-year-old man also suffered a broken leg when he fell to the ground while getting out of a massage chair and had to undergo extensive physical therapy.
The above cases are some of the various cases of massage chair accidents reported to the Korea Consumer Agency. In recent years, massage chairs have become very popular due to word of mouth that they are useful for relieving fatigue and managing the health of the musculoskeletal system, and sales are increasing as gifts for parents and as an essential healthcare appliance when there moves to a new city. home. In proportion to the expansion of the distribution of massage chairs, the number of complaints from consumers who have suffered physical threats or injuries while using the product also increases significantly. As seen in accident cases, there are many cases of physical injuries such as fractures and there are also unfortunate cases of death from being caught.
Therefore, as they are used not only in ordinary homes but also in various places such as senior centers, study rooms, businesses, theaters, saunas and billiard halls, and exclusive massage establishments (massage cafes) using massage chairs have also emerged , product safety awareness of massage chairs and the level of technical safety management there are indications that they should be increased.
According to the Consumer Harm Surveillance System (CISS) of the Korean Consumer Agency (Director Soo-hyun Yoon), a total of 1,629 cases of harm information related to massage chairs were received in the past four years from 2020 to last year . The CISS is a system that collects, analyzes and evaluates risk information through 79 risk information reporting agencies, including 58 hospitals and 18 fire stations nationwide, and the “1372 Consumer Advisory Center ” in accordance with the Basic Consumer Act.
By year, there are 396 cases in 2020, 536 cases in 2021, 362 cases in 2022 and 335 cases in 2023, for an annual average of 407 cases. Compared to the total of 631 cases and the annual average of 157 cases over the past four years from 2017 to 2020, this figure represents a significant increase of approximately 2.6 times overall and approximately 2.6 times on average.
◇There are many cases of being caught, crushed, fallen, etc. ‘Failure’ after enduring pain and severe pressure
In particular, infants and children were analyzed as the most vulnerable to the risk of accidents in the massage chair.
As a result of the Consumer Agency’s investigation, the leg length adjustment part (hereinafter referred to as the control part) of the massage chair is driven by an electric motor and has a structure that opens and contracts automatically regardless of the user operation while the product is running. It has been found that accidents involving the bodies of infants and children can occur in products that open wide enough to cause entrapment.
In most products, when you measure your body shape before receiving a massage or activate a specific massage mode, the adjustment part opens and contracts. During the process, the child’s body may become trapped, and if the adjustment part is not detected, the adjustment part contracted as it is, may cause harm to the human body. It puts a lot of pressure on you. The Korean Consumer Agency warned that if an accident occurs and the brace turns off the product or unplugs the power plug, the product may freeze or return to its original position and contract further, which could lead to a serious accident .
According to the Consumer Agency’s analysis of 178 cases of physical injury between 2017 and 2020, by age, infants and children aged 0 to 6 were the most injured (46 cases, 26%) and the cause was mainly △ pressured or caught (24 cases, 52%) △It was found that the injuries occurred due to slips and falls (19 cases, 41%). The body parts involved in crushing or entanglement in infants and young children aged 0 to 6 years (24 cases) were in the order of △ feet and legs in 16 cases (67%) △ chest and stomach in 3 cases ( 13%) △ hands and arms in 3 cases (13%).
People in their 30s and 50s mostly reported injuries from strong stimulation, and among people 60 or older, the rate of slips and falls was as high as 45%.
Adults suffer from various diseases and especially the elderly with weakened bones due to osteoporosis need more attention. Analyzing 72 cases in which side effects or injuries occurred while using the massage chair, the main side effects and injuries were pain in 29%, muscle, bone and ligament damage in 26% and fractures in 13%. Among them, 57% of fractures occurred in people 60 years of age or older.
The Korea Consumer Agency urges consumers who use massage chairs to take the following precautions:
It is essential to know the precautions in the user manual before using the product. △Guardians must adequately supervise infants and children to prevent them from using the massage chair. △If an accident occurs, do not turn off the product or unplug the plug △When turning off the massage chair, be sure to check that there are no babies, children, pets, etc. in it. nearby. △The Consumer Agency asks you to follow the following rules: Always unplug the power plug when the massage chair is not in use.
▲ Information panels on use and precautions posted in establishments where massage chairs are used exclusively. (The photo above is not related to the specific content of the article.)
◇Concerns such as fractures in spine surgery patients and osteoporosis patients: “Consult a specialist.”
Since the massage chair massages the entire body, it is effective in improving blood circulation and relieving joint pain, including the neck and back. Reduces mental stress and helps improve fatigue.
However, experts emphasize that special caution is needed when using it in patients with back pain, disc disease, stenosis, etc., in the process of treating fractures, with bone diseases such as osteoporosis, and especially in patients who have had neck surgery or back surgery.
Lee Geun-ho (orthopedic specialist), director of the Spine Center at Barunsesang Hospital, said: “Patients diagnosed with severe herniated disc or stenotic layer in the lower back, osteoporosis, infectious spondylitis or metastatic cancer spine should consult a spine specialist when using a massage chair. “There is a need,” he advised.
According to Director Lee, documents continue to appear that address the side effects that can occur with increased use of massage chairs.
In particular, there have been reported cases of spinal fractures occurring during the use of massage chairs in patients with structural bone problems, such as patients diagnosed with osteoporosis, metastatic cancer of the spine, or infectious spondylitis.
In the case of spinal disc or stenosis, if it is accompanied by an instability such as spondylolisthesis, excessive physical pressure can intensify the pain and there is a high risk of causing neurological abnormalities such as muscle weakness. The explanation is that patients who have undergone spinal surgery and show instability or failure of fixation should be more careful when using a massage chair because physical pressure can intensify pain or even lead to reoperation.
Director Lee Geun-ho said: “Since the massage chair applies strong pressure with the power of the machine, it is advisable to select an intensity level that does not cause pain,” adding: “If you tolerate pain caused by high pressure intensity of the massage, muscle tension will increase. “In severe cases, it can cause fractures or back pain, so you have to be careful,” he stressed.
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