Back Massager Reviews – The Top Back Massagers Analyzed

Many of us have hectic office jobs that involves a lot of sitting. Software engineers are particularly susceptible to this as their job involves many hours of continuous sitting. Keeping the body stationary in a sitting stance can give neck and back pain apart from overall health issues.

A massage parlor or spa is a great choice for sure, but very few of us have the time to visit spas and massage parlors. Not just that, visiting a massage therapist or spas can burn a hole in your pocket.

A good electric back massager can not only give you good massage and improve blood circulation but also gives you the flexibility of getting a good massage at your convenient time and place. We have experience with dozens of massagers, initially this website was supposed to be an extensive review on every massager we could lay hands on, but then found that the visitors are most interested to find the best ones and did not seem to like reading about massagers that didn’t meet our quality test. Given below are some of the top massagers that we feel will do justice to the money spent.


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The Thumper mini pro 2 is a quality professional grade massager that is part of the famed thumper series massagers that uses the patented percussive thumper action. The massager weighs close to 3 pounds and measures 16 x 8 x 8 inches. So it is portable and relatively light in weight. This helps it to be maneuvered easily. What would strike you immediately is the fact that the massager is relatively light but does feel wonderfully heavy and substantial on the massaged area.

There are 3 power settings that enable it to work well on both the thick and thin muscle groups. the 3 settings are devised to deliver 20, 30 and 40 thumps per second respectively. the massager has a percussive action, that means the heads of the thumper massager bounce or thump back and forth in the same manner as a massage therapists hand would. The anatomically designed massage spheres on the thumper massager are designed to pivot vertically and can send deep penetrating waves in the massaged area which can disperse knots in the body.

How to use the Thumper Mini Pro 2 Massager
Its best to start at speed 2 and place it on the sore muscle groups and park it there for about 20 seconds. Resting it on sore areas for short intervals will help relax the sore muscle groups, so its important not to simply glide over them. If you would like to massage your back you can hold the handle and massage your back over your shoulder. You could also use it lying sideways and using you opposite hand to use it on your back. Ofcourse you can use it on your thighs, hands and legs too.

Conclusion
The thumper mini pro 2 is an outstanding portable massager that is perhaps the best massager within its price segment. This is the massager that is used and recommended by many chiropractors and massage therapists including yours truly. What we liked about this massager is that while it is reasonably light to hold it also has the wonderfully gritty and substantial feel on the muscle groups. On the negative side you might feel some strain in your hands if you try to use it on your back for longer periods of time. So for that reason while this can be used effectively to self massage, it is still best used as a back massager if you have another person to use it on you. The thumper mini pro2 is a strong therapeutic massager that goes well on the body contours. The massager is absolutely brilliant in releasing knots along the thighs, buttocks and back and I have no reservations in recommending this product wholeheartedly.

Unlike the Thumper massager described above, the Jeanie Rub Massager has an oscillating movement rather than a thumping action. We found the Jeanie massager to be particularly good at alleviating deep seated muscular pains and improving circulation with its soothing oscillations and vibrations.

The massager itself is built solidly with quality die cast aluminum and sports premium grade vinyl pads. It has a variable speed motor that operated from 1,400 to 4600 rpm.

The Jeanie rub massager can be used on sensitive areas and also on the bony surfaces. We found that the Jeanie massager is better preferred by thin people with less muscle mass compared to a percussive massager like the Thumper massager. This massager has a more gentler kneading and oscillating type action where as the thumper has a knocking, thumping and vibrating action.

We interviewed Dr Lavonne Hill from the National College of Naprapathic medicine and she swears by the Jeanie rub massager which she claims is her favorite massager and the one that she uses in her practise every single day. This is another one of the massagers that you will find in the arsenal of many chiropractors.

Conclusion
The massager is very good in relieving pains due to pinched nerve or knots and is particularly good for the back, especially if you have someone to use it on you. If you intend to use it on the back yourself, you can just place it behind on the couch and lean against it. Both the Thumper massager and the Jeanie Rub Massager are brilliant massagers. The thumper massager is preferred by people who want a more invasive and strong massage experience whilst the Jeanie Rub massager is liked by people who like to be kneaded. The Jeanie Rub massager is quite a bit heavier than the Thumper massager and perhaps less portable. You will not go wrong with either of the two top massagers and we recommend both equally.

Homedics has come a long way from being just a one dimensional company manufacturing just handheld massager products to growing to become an authority in the electric and shiatsu massager category. The QRM-400H Therapist Select Quad-Roller Massaging Cushion is a top grade shiatsu cushion based massager with heat capabilities.

We have had some bad experiences with massage cushions in the past and most have design problems but this cushion pleasantly surprised us. The cushion has two separate mechanisms for the back and shoulders and this we feel is a must for any good massage cushion. It is also height adjustable, so should fit most backs. The QRM-400H Shiatsu Massaging cushion can provide circular and kneading shiatsu massage and/or up and down roller massage. This is the latest model and a big upgrade from the older SBM 400H model in that this massaging cushion has 4 rollers with 2 rollers on each arm whereas the previous model had just two massaging heads. What’s more, this massager is currently priced at a much discounted deal at 39% off, no kidding. So I suggest you buy it today while that offer still stands. You can visit the product page at Quad Roller Massaging Cushion.

The cushion can work in 6 modes and can be controlled with a remote control. At its max setting this cushion is simply outstanding and the level of pressure and heat combine to give a wonderful shiatsu massage. The experience is almost as good as a professional massage at a massage parlor, not quite but pretty close.

Conclusion
Probably the best massaging cushion and definitely worth the price. Highly recommended.

iNeed Lumbar Massage Pillow is a portable Shiatsu massager that is based on the principles of acupressure. The massage pillow has 4 dual rotating nodes that can alleviate and relax knots, stress, aches and muscle and tissue tensions. The massage pillow is ergonomically designed to fit the curve of your back and comes with adjustable straps that allows it to be strapped firmly to the back of chairs.

The massage pillow is very portable and adaptable. You can place it on the floor to get a good leg massage or you can place it on your lap and get your palms and fingers massaged. This works very well for people who are suffering from arthritis.The massage pillow might be little uncomfortable on the bony areas as there isn’t adequate padding on the pillow but ofcourse that perhaps applies to thin bony people only.

Conclusion
The iNeed Lumbar massage pillow is one capable shiatsu massager that is great for the upper back and shoulders but you might have to wriggle and adjust your body a bit for this to work well on the lower back. The motor shuts off after 20min of continuous use and you will have to wait another 20 min before you use it again, but 20min should be more than enough for most people.We don’t normally recommend massage pillows because most of them are crappy but this is by far the best massage pillow we have come across and whats more, it is incredible value for money. Recommended!

Let me be honest, I had no intention of recommending a massage chair in a website designed to reviews on back massager because I figured that people looking for back massagers are looking for budget tools and not some thousand dollar massage chair, but all that changed when I came across the Aosom I3128 TV Recliner. At just $149 this has to be the most value for money massage chair ever.

Don’t be fooled by the price, this massage chair has some great features, replete with ten massage nodes and 9 programmed massage modes and if that wasn’t enough it also has heat therapy capabilities. The upholstery is elegant and comfortable and has adequate padding. It has a 360 degree swivel and there is also a manual brake to set your preferred reclining position.

The massage function of this chair works very well and has a gentler kneading type action and combine that with the optimal heat therapy this is a winner. Goes very well in the living room and you can enjoy a calming massage and heat therapy watching your favorite tv program.

The chair has to be assembled by you but it is pretty simple to do and shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes. I noticed only one bad review for this product on amazon and I am pretty sure the concerned person did the assembling wrong. If you want the best massage chair go get the very expensive Forever Rest Premium Massage Chair, but if you want a great “value for money massage chair” you cannot go wrong with Aosom I3128 TV Recliner. I wholeheartedly recommended this for anyone who always wanted a good massage chair but kept away due to budget constraints.

Mechanism of Vibrating Massagers

Many of the vibrating massagers work using the principle of centripetal force. An unbalanced weight is rotated around an axis that is not inline with the center of axis thus creating a significant centripetal force. Now this force follows the weight around as it makes fast 360 degree rotations causing repeated directional cycles of centripetal force hich feels like high frequency vibrations. The frequency of vibrations is directly proportional to the number of times the weight is slung around the axis within the massager. Modern electrical back massagers build on this principle and take it fuirther. For ex the thumper massager has a thunping action apart from the usual vibrations to give extra impact and relief.

How Vibrating Massagers Relieve Back Strains

In the relaxed state muscle cells are long and narrow and under stressful situations they contract and become shorter and thicker. Once the strainful period is over they are expected to go back to their relaxed state but sometimes quite a few of these muscle cells only relax partially which results in thicker loosened cells that can cause pain as they press against nerves. This my friends causes back strains and knots resulting in discomfort and pain. A vibrating or percussion massager exerts force on the muscle tissues that creates what we call ‘microscopic pulling’ that helps the constricted muscle cells to return to relaxed state which in turn relieves pressure on the neighboring nerves thereby providing pain relief.

Back Massager Benefits

In my opinion every family must have a good massager, some of the benefits are too obvious to pass up, it can promote the general well-being of the family. It has been scientifically proved that a good massage begets involuntary mechanical and relaxation responses from the body that can produce both emotional and physical benefits.

Relaxation Response
Relaxation response is brought about caring safe touches or gentle vibrations that has a calming effect on the brain and body. This causes the blood pressure to stabilize at optimum levels that slows down the breathing rate which in turn reduces the stress hormones to truly bring about muscle and tissue relaxation.
All this causes alleviation of the hormone seotonin that is responsible for positive thoughts and emotions.

Mechanical Response
The vibrations and physical pressure involved in a good massage causes and increase in the lymph and blood circulation. This also causes normalization of muscles, tendons, ligaments and tissues that causes relief from pain and soreness and offers positive energy and general well being.

Immediate Benefits

• The obvious benefit is ofcourse pain relief. The endorphin release irons out knots and tensions in the body and alleviates and reduces pain caused by various muscle strains and musculoskeletal injuries.
• Massage is known to reduce anxiety in patients and the transient anxiety levels before and after massage has been clinically documented.
• A good massage can immediately reduce blood pressure and hypertension patients can benefit greatly.
• This is a freak one but true. A good massage is also shown to improve the computational capabilities and alertness of the brain.Electroencephalography tests have attributed this curious effect to the decreased stress hormones during a massage and right after it.
• Better blood circulation.
• Reduces cramps and spasms.
• Reduces PMS symptoms in women. Helps in reducing menstrual cramps and water retention.

Long Term Benefits Of Repeated Therapy

• Regular back massage can give long term relief from chronic back pain. Chronic body pains and restlessness are side effects of some chronic ailments like diabetes. Massagers can help the patients lead better quality of life. Some studies claim that quality of life and disease progression of HIV patients improves with good regular massage therapy, however this treatment is not scientifically supported.
• Reduces depression and susceptibility to anxiety and panic attacks.
• Improves mobility and stamina. Shown to reduce stiffness in chronic arthritis.
• Better pulmonary function is noticed in some asthmatic patients.
• Tissue regeneration in some cases. This is why even patients suffering from paralysis and muscular dystrophy are put on a strict massage regimen.
• Reduces stretch marks and scar tissue.
• Aromatherapy massage is shown to increase the PBL or the peripheral blood lymphocytes that results in the stimulation of the human immune system. The same effect can be achieved by using a good back massager after applying lavender or almond oil on the body.

How to use back massager to heal back pain

A good back massager can help reduce back pains, whether its due to posture problems, ligament strain, scar tissue or from a sports injury. Let me show you how you can use a percussive massager like the Thumper Massager to lessen back pain naturally.

• Use your right hand(or stronger hand) to hold the massager and sling it over your left shoulder to reach your back. Allow the massager to vibrate over the sore areas and gently glide over it. When you find a particularly sore area let the massager rest for about 5-10 minutes. The vibrations will relieve knots by improving blood circulation. Nest spread out the vibrations on the body by using it on the base of the neck and on the shoulders. You may experience some numbness after the massage but when it wears away you will find that your back pains have eased away.
• You can also get someone else use the massager on you, this way you can get maximum reach all over your back. You can also have sesame oil applied on your back before using the percussive back massager which could improve the massage experience.

Back Massager and Kidney Stones

Low frequency vibrations have shown to loosen and break up kidney stones. Hence a good back massager or handheld percussive massager can help in doing the same. Hold the back massager over the kidney area and let the vibrations flow through the area. After resting it for about 10 minutes glide around the area for a bit. The massager has to be be placed gently on the skin without applying too much pressure. This can be done 5 to 6 times a day.

This advice is not intended to replace the physicians advice, but only mentioned for educational purposes. It is imperative to get the physicians advice before proceeding to try this.

Back Pain Causes

Back pain and in particular lower back pain is perhaps the most common of medical problems. On the good side, many episodes of back pains will subside and resolve within a few weeks but sometimes back pains can linger for long causing frustration to both the patient and even the doctor as it can get difficult to treat. Understanding the root cause of a chronic back pain will effectively determine the course of treatment and cure. So if that famed massager isn't giving you relief as it will in most cases then you should indeed look further. some of the common back pain causes are laid out … [Read More...]

Back Pain Symptoms

Almost all of us have experienced back pain at some point of time in our lives, some more than others. Infact it is estimated that 4 out of 5 adults experience considerable episodes of back pain in their lives. Back pain may occur due to various causes - some due to bad lifestyle while others could be due to muscle strains, degenerative spinal conditions, accidents or sports injuries. Laying down back pain symptoms can be tricky as sometimes more serious conditions like a large herniated disc can be painless whereas a simple muscle strain that only needs some massage and rest could give acute … [Read More...]