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6 affordable products that have helped me deal with back pain and muscle tension
6 affordable products that have helped me deal with back pain and muscle tension
Sally KaplanFeb 6, 2019, 20:10 IST
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Chronic back and neck pain is not something I thought I'd be dealing with at the age of 27.
It's an awful feeling, but one that I've been determined to mitigate. Almost every day, I find myself not just lamenting my own discomfort, but actively seeking ways to manage it. This can be a stressful and emotional process, fraught with panic and uncertainty (Is this a waste of money? Will this really help my pain?). If you also deal with chronic pain, or even just muscle tension or soreness in your back, I'm sure you've experienced these feelings too - at least to some degree.
Though there's no one-size-fits-all solution for dealing with pain since it varies so widely from person to person, I thought it might still be helpful to share a list of some of the products that have really helped me and others in dealing with discomfort, be it chronic or acute. Hopefully they'll help you find some relief like they've done for me.
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I am a huge fan of the BetterBack, which I discovered while watching "Shark Tank" at home. Though it looks a little silly to have on (almost like a rock climbing harness), it's actually incredibly effective at correcting posture and removing back pain while you're seated.
There's a soft pad that rests behind your back and a connects to a set of straps that are placed over your knees. It uses the tension from the straps to correct your posture and relieve pressure from improper spinal alignment, effectively eliminating discomfort.
I use mine almost every day while sitting at my desk, and it has kept me from having near meltdowns from back pain at work.
Back pain comes in all different forms, but for me personally, it's exacerbated and amplified by the intense muscle tension in my shoulders. Tension can affect posture and alignment, and can make injuries like slipped discs feel more excruciating. Even if you don't have any sort of spinal issues, it's likely that you've experienced the discomfort of shoulder tension simply from to sitting at a computer all day or working a stressful job. If that's the case, you should keep reading.
Since I can't afford to spend $200 on massage therapy every week, I decided instead to spend $40 on this at-home shiatsu massager, which was maybe one of my best purchases ever. With two heated notes per side that continually rotate, changing directions every few minutes, you'll feel like you're getting a deep tissue massage right in the comfort of your own home. It melts away the stress and tension, and leaves me feeling so much more relaxed. Just keep in mind that if you use it for too long, it can cause bruising — so start with just one cycle at a time.
You can read about the science of how and why these mats work in my review below, but I'll just say that the mat really does help with my tension — it just may be for a different reason than advertised. After speaking with a doctor, it seems that this mat, which is covered in shallow plastic spikes, can help with pain by essentially distracting your brain from other types of discomfort.
Personally, I've found that after laying on it either bare-back or with a thin shirt on, I end up experiencing a wave of relaxation that makes me feel like I just woke up from a nap. If you can imagine that blissful feeling when you sink into a hot bath and feel your stress melt away gently — that's sort of what it's like to sit up after 30 minutes of lying on this mat.
Though I've never used it personally, this massage tool — which is also from "Shark Tank" — is supposedly really great for practicing acupressure on yourself and reaching those difficult spots on the back that need massaging. Its ergonomic shape prevents your wrist from experiencing discomfort and keeps your arms at a lower position so they won't tire as easily.
It has nearly 1,000 reviews on Amazon with a rating of 4.2 stars, with some shoppers making claims that it has changed their lives and that they wished they'd bought it sooner.
I've heard great things about this type of neck pillow from friends who suffer from TMJ/TMD, which is a disorder that leads you to clench your teeth, causing pain and soreness in the jaw and neck. Apparently, this pillow can work wonders for relieving that deeply held neck, jaw, and back-of-the-head tension (even if the source of your pain isn't related to TMJ).
The ergonomic shape allows you to lay flat with virtually perfect spinal alignment so you can experience immediate relief from intense soreness. I haven't tried it myself, but as someone who deals with TMJ, I have every intention to order it immediately.
Like the massager I mentioned before, this version contains heated nodes for rolling away shoulder tension. The difference is that this one comes with straps that make it slightly easier to adjust and reposition it, or increase pressure in certain spots.
I really like the one I have, but I'll be honest — if it ever breaks, this is the one I'd buy next because of how much easier it is to adjust.
