Massagers

More and more people these days are flocking to the stores to buy a massager whether it is an electric, manual or personal one.  These gadgets allow you to become your very own massage therapist in the comfort of your home.  It is widely known that getting massages – especially on a regular basis – has great health benefits.  Massages reduce stress, are conducive to relaxation and faster healing from injuries, improve circulation and so much more.

There are a few different types of massagers: electric massagers, manual massagers, and personal massagers.

Electric massagers are named so for obvious reasons.  Typically they get plugged in or run on batteries.  They range in size from large floor mat massagers to small hand held massagers.  There is a vast array of products out there for virtually every body part – and we do mean every part.

Manual massagers are the opposite of electric ones.  They don’t run on electricity at all.  They require some manual labor.  Many of these massagers are hand held, but some you can lie on or against to reach those places your arms can’t get to. Professional masseurs at spas use these quite a bit. They’re also popular gift items, because they’re good for home use or during travel, to tend to stiffened muscles after a flight or drive.

Personal massagers are uncomfortable for some to even speak about and for others it’s a wonderful toy to own.  Personal massagers, commonly referred to as vibrators, are used to aid individuals with heightening their sexual pleasure.  Many of these massagers have extra attachments available to add a little variety to the experience of using a personal massager.  If that’s not enough, some electric massagers can double as something you use on your muscles or something that brings you a little extra pleasure.

The best thing about owning one of these massagers is that you don’t have to wait for an appointment with a massage therapist.  Having one of these in your home allows you to get therapy whenever you need it.

Find The Best Neck And Shoulder Massager

A neck-and-shoulder massager is one of the most-purchased items in the category. The neck and shoulder area is liable to all manner of painful stress, sending people to seek therapeutic appliances for relief. The wonderful thing is there are lots of them for sale online. It’s difficult to figure out what some of these models are and how to use them, so I’ve selected some of the most popular ones found on Amazon in order to discuss their features and provide a general overview. Anyone experiencing a painful neck or shoulders understands that these must be of high quality and do what they are supposed to. I hope I can steer you to the types that may be the most useful to you.

When trying to choose the type to buy, you should ask yourself, What kind of massage action do I prefer, or what has worked best on me in the past? Remember that we’re looking at devices that generally can be operated by the average person, without needing anyone to help. However, some people with physical limitations/injuries may require assistance as some of these are either heavy (5-8 pounds) or must be positioned in a way that some might not be able to manage.

What are neck and shoulder massagers? For this article, I am not including wands or handheld massagers in this category, although wand vibrators or thumpers can be used on the area too. Right now we’re describing items that vibrate or rub the neck, or neck & shoulders, all at once, not a little spot at a time. Lift one out of the package, and you may feel a hard box inside it, where the electronics are, and you also may be surprised at the weight. They’re heavy. But they do a lot of work and make it possible for a person to get an excellent, pain-relieving massage without needing another person’s assistance. These can seem like answers to prayers!

 

 

A. Tapping or Percussion Massager

Many people swear by this type, the percussive kind. Also called thumper massagers. Some look like big padded horse collars, while others are thick leather or vinyl things you lay over your shoulders like a shawl and let the ends drape over your chest. These usually have an electronic box unit in the back of the neck that produces a percussion massage, and usually has a heat feature too. These are heavy, might weigh from 5-8 pounds or even a bit more. They may have one or more programs of changing rhythms and speeds of tapping which can feel better than a constant, unvarying percussion. The percussion can feel like tapping fingers, or stronger, like a hard rubber knob knocking on you. Think of the movies in which a masseur would do a karate-chop kind of thumping all over someone’s back. But electronic massagers replace the karate chop with tapping that is adjustable, from light taps to intense thumping and vibration.

Examples:
The iNeed Neck and Shoulder Pro Massager with Heat — $99 from Brookstone, found also on the Amazon website. Free shipping. Offers 3 different intensities of thumper massage – low, medium and high; heat on or off; and programmed vibration routines of soothe, pulse, or energize. Because I couldn’t figure out how to use those programmed routines (and it seems to be already in one) I always just clicked it on and then clicked the Heat button, and it starts off in Low massage. It goes through a variable percussion routine which starts off slowly. Then after a few minutes I’d click it to Medium, then sit as long as I can that way. It got rid of my headaches, which come from a sore neck. Sometimes I’d let it go too long, and it would shut itself off due to internal overheating. But that was only after something like 45 minutes or an hour. I admit, this one’s addictive.

Iliving’s Neck and Shoulder Tapping Massager with Heat is another drape-around-the-shoulders device, and it seems very close to the iNeed model, but its control buttons should be looked at carefully. Sometimes you need to be able to turn off something really fast if the percussion hurts or is simply too much. Iliving’s controls don’t have that central power button that the iNeed does, so you might have to frantically search if you want to lower the power while using it. Costs $66.99.

There are others of this category to check out, such as the Zyllion Neck and Shoulder Massager with Heat, Prosepra Neck and Shoulder Massager, Ninja Neck and Shoulder Massager.

B. Shiatsu Massager

These appliances might be smaller and are intended mostly for the neck. They are stiff, U-shaped curved items with padding on the inside, and have small nodes that massage by moving in small circular motions on the sides and back of the neck. Some have handles on the front to hang on to. More expensive models are box-shaped, designed so you can lie down and place your head and neck on it. These are also shown being used in a chair, held behind the person’s head/neck and the chair’s back.

Examples:
Brookstone iNeed Shiatsu Neck & Shoulder Massager is designed to be used easily if you’re sitting up. It has two leather straps in front you can use to pull the massaging nodes closer for a deeper massage. Choose Low or High intensity, and you can add Heat too. Price is high: $169.99, and it’s available from very few sellers.

HoMedics NMS-350 Shiatsu Neck Massager with Vibration and Heat combines some nice features for a good massage. This is a horse-collar type device with the shiatsu nodes placed to reach the back of your neck. Its price is very reasonable, around $39.99 ($35.99 on Amazon). It might not be as intense as some other models but the addition of heat is soothing. Some people complain that the nodes are in the wrong place; they don’t reach the sides of your neck, only the back.

Dr-Ho’s Shiatsu Neck & Shoulder Massager with Heat has a firmer shape if you want one you can lean back with and get massaged. Price is $94.97, down from $99.

The Kneading Shiatsu Massager Model AAHN 2012 is a unit shaped like a flat box with a couple of rotating ball-like prongs that rub in circles. You can lie down and put your neck into the embrace of the rounded parts and let it rub in circles on the sides and back of your neck, or follow directions to use it on other parts of your body. While it seems that some people swear by this, it’s unclear to me how anyone in pain could lie down on a hard plastic box even for a massage. (I think I’d be putting thin pillows all over the box itself so it didn’t hurt me.) Also unclear is how to secure it to a chair. Once it’s on, how do you turn it off? You have to bring it around you or get up out of it to turn it off; there is no remote control. But it seems to have stronger massage than many other shiatsu units. Its price falls around $228.00 — and has a 1-year warranty.

C. For The Upper Back or Base of Neck

Some of the appliances above — the percussives — can easily be used on other parts of the body, particularly the back, just by moving it. The shiatsu ones, not so easily. Since massaging your back is good for what’s above it, that’s why I’d like to include a couple of additional massagers in this section which aren’t specifically for the neck.

The Comfort Products Swing Shiatsu Massager with Heat: It’s an electronic pillow you put behind your back. Not a soft pillow, though! Remember that it has electronics and shiatsu nodes inside. It looks like it fits best at the upper back where the rolling shiatsu arms can really do you good. Heat too, it’s a very easy to use item. Just lean back on it. You can use it on your legs as well. $49.98

The Quality Life’s Kneading Massage Car Cushion Shiatsu Pillow: This one, unlike all the above, has a car adapter as well as a house charger, so you can take it with you. Not advised to be used while you are driving. This has most of the usual shiatsu rolling/kneading action you’ll usually find, and different settings for the type of kneading. Has heat too, and an automatic shut-off if it starts to overheat. $39.99 at Amazon.

Neck Massagers — Like Getting A Spa Treatment At Home

Neck messagers can quickly give some of the most relaxing moments you’ve had all day. Looking like a big soft collar, the electric neck massager may be one of the best thoughts that those health and personal care companies ever had. Whether you work at a computer, at a lectern, over a vehicle engine or factory machine, or at a surgical table, you’ll know that your neck and shoulders is about the first place on your body that you experience tiredness or stress. A good rubdown exactly there is something we all could use after a day’s work. Massagers make it possible to provide that therapeutic rub for yourself at home.
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Body Back Buddy For Trigger Point Therapy

We all have trigger points on our bodies that can cause pain.  Some earned these points by overexerting themselves and other by getting injured somehow.  Sometimes they are referred to as “knots”.  Massaging these same points can help to alleviate a lot of aches and pains.  Trigger point therapy techniques can be done by a professional massage therapist or even by yourself.  You can do it by hand, but there are some points that might be hard to reach on your own like your back.  In that case you’ll either need another person to help massage those hard to reach places or you can purchase something like the Body Back Buddy.
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Rejuvenate Your Tired Feet With A Foot Massager

Many people own foot massagers because foot pain is a common ailment.  According to foot-pain-explained.com, it is estimated that each step an adult takes places around 900lbs per square inch of pressure on their feet.  That’s a lot of pressure.  No wonder why my feet throb after spending a few hours on them.
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