Choose the Best Back Massager

Tips For Using A Back Massager
Things To Avoid When Using A Back Massager
Trigger Points And Misdiagnosed Pain

Thera Cane Massager Review
Body Back Buddy Massager Reviews
Backnobber Massager Reviews

TheraCane Back Massager + TheraCane DVD

This is the back massager that I use. It's great for relieving muscular pain and tension.

I love it. I can work the knots out of my back myself. It's easy on my hands and no contortions required to get to those difficult to reach spots.

It's a bit big for small luggage but fits fine in larger bags. Having a back massager like this on a long trip can be a real life saver.

The instructional DVD shows several different ways to use the TheraCane on your back and other areas of your body.

TheraCane Back Massager Features
*Measures 24 x 1 x 15 inches.
*Includes instructional DVD.
*Reviewer Comments:
*"...have made great progress working out a knot in my back that i've had for over 5 years."
*"This is the next best thing to a professional massage therapist."

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Try to find a position that allows the muscle you are working on to relax. If the muscle is relaxed, the knots will relax as they are worked out. If the entire muscle is contracted from applying leverage to your massage tool, it will be much more difficult get the knots to relax since along with the rest of the muscle, they are being told to contract.

If I am working on a knot in my left shoulder, I use my left hand to gently stabilize the bottom of the massage tool and place my right hand at the top of the tool near my left shoulder to provide the leverage.

Once you get the hang of using it, try moving it back & forth in a gentle shaking motion or rocking it back & forth slowly.

Try moving it a fraction of an inch at a time. It commonly takes a bit for a trigger point to relax. By moving the back massager about 1/8 or 1/4 inch at a time, I'm sure I don't miss an area and I feel like it's gentler on my back.

Try letting it slide slowly in a smooth motion across your back after your done as a nice relaxing finisher.

After you get a knot worked out, pay attention to what you are doing when it gets tight again. Before I started using my Thera Cane, my right shoulder was always in knots, and I wasn't really sure why. But after I got the knots worked out, I started noticing that my shoulder would tense up again whenever I was on the computer. Eventually I figured out that I tend to raise up my shoulder unnecessarily when I use a mouse. So now I try to limit the amount time my hand is on the mouse, and let my shoulder drop and relax while I use it.

This is a larger alternative to the Thera Cane with more therapy knobs (11) and a hook on both ends for reaching around your back.

The hooks are on the ends are two different sizes to offer more flexibility in treating hard to reach areas, and to allow for different size bodies. Some of the 11 knobs are rounded and some are pointier to provide more focused pressure.

The overall length is 25 inches, so this one doesn't travel as well as other back massagers, but it makes up for that in versatility.

Body Back Buddy Features
*Overall length 25 inches
*11 therapy knobs
*Comes with free 12 page instruction booklet
*4.6 out of 5 stars with 292 reviews! As of 1/21/12.
*Reviewer Comments:
*"...also own the standard S-Hook as well as the Theracane and from my experience with all three, this one is the winner by a long shot."
*"...you can use this for quite a while and not get tired."
*"The Cadillac of Massage Tools."

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Body Back Buddy - Back Massager

Body Back Buddy Instructional DVD

Body Back Buddy Instructional DVD

DVD Only
Gives instruction on how to use the Body Back Buddy back massager.
*

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Body Back Buddy Junior - Back Massager

Body Back Buddy Junior - Back Massager

With an overall length of 23 inches, this back massager is better for traveling and good for places where you don't have a big closet to store it out of the way.

Some people with smaller bodies prefer this size to larger ones.

Buddy Junior Back Massager Features
*Overall Length 23 inches
*Includes 12 page instruction booklet
*Reviewer Comments:
*"...this therapeautic massage cane is perfect for the smaller adult's anatomy."
*"I loved the original, so I got the junior to have at work."

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Body Back Buddy, Mini Back Massager

Body Back Buddy, Mini Back Massager

The small size of this back massager, 11 x 1 x 7 inches, makes it ideal for keeping with you wherever you go. It fits in a purse or briefcase easily and attracts less attention than a larger back massager.

I recommend this back massager strictly for its portability. If you intend to use your back massager a lot, get a larger version that is easier on your hands and arms when you are using it.

Take a look at the alternate images on the product page to get a good idea of how this tool is used and how much more reaching it requires to get to all the spots on your back.

Mini Back Massager Features
*11 x 1 x 7 inches
*Reviewer Comments:
*"I can easily take this little tool anywhere I go, and can use it while sitting at my desk, reading, etc."
*"i can use it in between classes!"

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Body Back Buddy Jr. and the BBB-Mini



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Body Back Buddy & Mini-BBB Self Massage Tool Duo: Trigger Point Relief



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Disclaimer: I am not a doctor! Speak with a medical professional before using a back massager.

Try to use no more pressure than is required to work out the knot. Be mindful of your body. Too much pressure can result in feeling bruised and sore afterwards.

If you have osteoporosis ask your doctor before using a back massager. You can apply alot of pressure with these tools and could harm yourself.

Don't use a back massager while you are on pain medication. Pain meds not only decrease your ability to feel pain, they decrease your ability to tell when you are using too much pressure, and you may inadvertently harm yourself. If you must take pain meds, then try to use the back massager when you have the least amount of pain meds in your system, and be careful about how much pressure you apply.

When I buy another back massager for travelling, this will be the one I choose. It has a simpler design, but is still large enough to make it easy to use, and it breaks down for easy packing.

It has a locking mechanism in the center so it comes apart into 2 pieces. The assembled dimensions are 12 x 13 x 1 inches, so dividing that into two pieces allows it to fit easily into a backpack or briefcase.

Backnobber II Back Massager Features
*Product dimension: 24 x 13 x 1 inches
*Includes 35 page instruction manual
*Available in several colors
*Reviewer Comments:
*"Great for traveling husband."
*"I bought 1 for my office an 1 for home!"

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The Original Backnobber II - Back Massager

The Original Backnobber Regular - Back Massager

by the Pressure Positive Company
This design has been around for a long time. It's a steel rod bent into an "s" shape with wooden balls permanently attached to the ends.

Durable, simple, and great if you just can't bring yourself to buy one made of plastic or composite materials.

Backnobber Regular Back Massager Features:
*Product dimensions: 19 x 1 x 9.5 inches
*Available in several colors.

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The Original Backnobber Regular - Back Massager

One of the key books on the subject of trigger points, Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual, states the following:

• Around 75% of pain clinic patients have a trigger point as the sole source of their pain.


• Arthritis is often cited as the cause for pain even though pain is not always concomitant with arthritis. The real culprit may be a trigger point, normally activated by a certain activity involving the muscles used in the motion, by chronically bad posture, bad mechanics, repetitive motion, structural deficiencies such as a lower limb length inequality or a small hemipelvis, or nutritional deficiencies.


• The following conditions are also frequently misdiagnosed as the cause of pain when trigger points are the true cause: carpal tunnel syndrome, bursitis, tendinitis, angina pectoris, and sciatic symptoms, along with many other pain problems.

An interesting side note, is that one of the authors, Janet G. Travell, MD, was asked to be US President John F. Kennedy's personal physician because of her success in treating his back pain.