IMPORTANT NOTE: If your body is fragile or you are extremely sensitive, this may not be the product for you. The knobs are NOT gentle. In your situation, I would try one of the smaller Shiatsu products before getting one of these chair pads.
Heating pads tend to be small and lightweight, something that is important to those who can’t lift. They are extremely flexible, come in a variety of sizes, and are often available in designs that can be used wet or dry. I like the ability to wrap it around a thigh or arm when needed, or to just roll it up and take with me when traveling. Mine has become my constant companion.
Vibrating chair pads are much larger, because they’re intended to cover the seat and back of a chair. How well they work depends entirely on how much money you spent and how much vibration you like. They can also be used when laying down. I’ve learned over the years that I have a limited tolerance for it, and sometimes it only makes my discomfort worse. Vibrating chair pads are literally just a series of vibrations in certain areas. With my MS, I can’t use them.
Now for the Shiatsu massager: This is my first experience with any kind of massage, outside of family providing the occasional shoulder or foot rub. I have seen reviews by people who claim they fall asleep while using one of these, and honestly, I have no idea how. It’s like leaning against a rough rock wall. It doesn’t hurt, but it’s certainly not all fluffy and cuddly.
The one I got weighs a bit under 17 pounds. I’ve found it very hard to lift and move around, because it’s an awkward design and has no flexibility. I recommend finding the perfect spot for it and then just leaving it there. I tried it first on my desk chair. I use an old wooden library chair, and the seat wasn’t large enough. It worked well enough for a one-time use, but this massager isn’t something that I would use as a full-time chair pad. I currently have it on my armchair. This worked better in general because my back was slightly tilted and I was able to prop my feet up on a stool, but the massager isn’t reaching my lower back as well as it had on the desk chair.
The heat on this one is barely noticeable. I generally like using the highest heat on my heating pads, so someone else might find the heat on this quite acceptable. There are 3 settings for the back: full, upper, and lumbar. On “full”, the knobs start at the top, massage a bit, and then slowly move down your back before slowly going back up. It is not at all what I’d call relaxing, but it does the job. I’ve had problems with my hip for many decades, and the lumbar massage hits the perfect spot to ease that chronic pain.
The neck massager reaches the base of my head. The instructions advise sitting on a pillow if it’s not on your neck, but I’ve learned that the height difference can be an advantage. I just let it massage the base of my head last night, and it was quite soothing. I’d say that the ideal height for someone using this particular massager would be 5’ 7”. Any taller or shorter, and you’re going to have to do some wiggling to get the right fit.
I did try the vibration, and it was too much for me. I have not used the compression pillows yet. I don’t like the fact that it automatically shuts off after 15 minutes, but they advise you to let it cool down in between uses. The cable on the remote could also be a foot or two longer. Assuming that this lasts for a while, it was definitely worth the money for me. I have a tendency to wake up after a couple hours’ sleep and be achy and twitchy. Last night, I used it for most of 45 minutes, and I was limber and loose when I crawled back in bed for a wonderful night’s sleep.
(I bought the Snailax brand, available through both Amazon and Walmart with wildly different prices.)
POST #2 I WAS HAVING A BETTER DAY UNTIL I FELL:(
Getting back motivation!?
Pain: testing if MS related or not...
I am going on holiday for two weeks or so
