Buying Guide: How to choose the best electric neck, back and shoulders massagers tools for pain relief? List 2024 (UK)

Massage therapy is one of the best natural ways to relieve pain and even recover from soft tissue injuries. In the past, it was necessary to visit a physiotherapist to receive a relaxing massage to relieve muscle tension and pain, but nowadays it is no longer expressly necessary to do so.

Today we have electric neck, back and shoulder massagers that can perfectly recreate the sedative effect of a good massage therapy session. Here's what you need to know to choose the ideal automatic massager for neck pain and other areas of the body.

How can massage therapy improve my health according to science?

The idea of healing through manual stimulation of soft tissue is as old as life itself. In fact the simple reflex of rubbing ourselves after receiving a blow is perfectly considerable as a healing instinct in our DNA, which in itself should be proof enough of the effectiveness of this therapy.

Moreover, all the ancient cultures of the world, from the Chinese, Persians and Egyptians to the pre-Columbian peoples of ancient America, have records of the effectiveness of massage in relieving pain and healing injuries. But nowadays, studies have also been carried out that confirm all of the above.

In this sense, modern science supports the following benefits of massage:

• Release of Substance P: when we start stimulating an area of the body, the skin in that area starts to secrete a neurotransmitter called Substance P, which generates metabolic effects such as vasodilatation, but above all an interesting increase in temperature in the treated area of between 2°C and 3°C (35°F and 37.4°F). This is very useful in the treatment of muscle and joint injuries as the heat improves blood flow and activates cell regeneration for faster recovery from injuries.
• Blood circulation: massage increases blood flow in up to 3 ways. The first is through the aforementioned Substance P which, by generating an increase in temperature and vasodilation, generates an increase in blood circulation. But the most interesting is the fact that the massaging action generates histamine and substances derived from this that enter the bloodstream and are dispersed throughout the body causing blood vessels to strengthen and dilate throughout the body which generates an increase in circulation throughout the body. And the third is due to the release of capillaries in the skin as a result of the friction exerted by the massage.
• Muscle strengthening: one of the most important characteristics of massage is undoubtedly its role in the nourishment of muscle tissue. This occurs due to an increase in acetylcholine which occurs during the massage and creates a beneficial chain reaction in which histamine also comes into play, which together generate a dilation of the muscular vessels, thus allowing them to better assimilate the nutrients necessary for correct neuromuscular functioning.
• Joint strengthening: the aforementioned substances such as Substance P, histamine or acetylcholine generate a general improvement of blood circulation in joint tissues, which in turn generates an improvement in the quality of the synovial fluid that is housed in the bursae of joints such as hips, knees or shoulders. This will make ligaments, tendons and cartilage much more elastic and resistant to traumatic or wear and tear injuries such as sprains, tendonitis or bursitis that are common in older people and high-impact athletes.
• Nerve transmission: the other benefit proven by science is undoubtedly a considerable improvement in the speed of transmission of stimuli in the nervous system, which occurs due to an increase in the threshold of excitation that occurs in the body when receiving regular massage therapy. This will not only be beneficial for the muscles, which will see a considerable increase in reaction and muscle memory, but also for the whole organism where an improvement in the basic functioning of the vital organs is noted, as well as in the basic motor responses.

These benefits make massage therapy extremely useful to achieve goals such as improving muscular endurance, increasing anaerobic capacity to make them more resistant to fatigue, or to accelerate recovery from injuries to muscles and joints very effectively.

What are the most important benefits of using an electric neck, back and shoulder massager?

All the changes and reactions that massage therapy generates in our body make it bring a lot of health benefits that are especially useful for elderly people or demanding sportsmen and women.

Among the most outstanding ones we can mention:

• Improves blood circulation by stimulating the generation of histamine and Substance P.
• Activates cell regeneration through the aforementioned increase in blood flow.
• Maintains body temperature, a very important factor in preventing the formation of post-traumatic and post-operative oedema.
• It strengthens the muscles as the increased blood flow in them dilates their vessels and they better assimilate the nutrients from a good diet and hydration.
• Eliminates muscle tension as the constant friction and kneading of the muscle fibres causes them to stretch and relax.
• Reduces stress as during the massage a high dose of endorphins is generated as a result of the pleasure and the feeling of tension release, which can be maintained for several days making you feel happier and more pleasant.

What are the most important features when choosing an electric neck massager?

Now that you know all the benefits of a good neck, back and shoulder massager, it is time for you to learn what are the most important factors to take into account when choosing a good automatic massage machine that will allow you to take advantage of all the benefits of massage therapy for your health.

Size

Size is one of the most important factors to take into account when choosing a massager of this type, as it will largely define the radius of action of the massage you will receive. Although this will also vary depending on how you intend to use the product.

To treat specific pains and tensions, it would be best to use a massager dedicated exclusively to this area, with small dimensions that can be perfectly adjusted to any part of your shoulder, neck, cervical or other areas of the back in an exclusive way. However, if you are looking for a device that gives you a feeling of global relaxation throughout your body, it is better to use a larger machine that has a wider range of action in a single use, such as a massage chair.

Materials

Materials are key to ensuring the durability of the product, but in this case it will depend on what type of massager you choose. If it is a neck and shoulder massager, it is ideal to choose a waterproof material, as resting it on your skin for several minutes can generate sweat that ends up affecting its internal circuits.

On the other hand, if it is a larger massager that will cover you from your back to your lower back, make sure it is a material that is breathable for your skin, otherwise its continued use could generate counterproductive skin rashes.

Vibration power

The vibration power is important as it will reflect the quality of the massage you will receive. However, common sense should be maintained as high vibration power is not always ideal, especially when used on a delicate area such as the neck or back, where there are a lot of nerves.

That is why there is a threshold that marks a limit on the revolutions or vibratory frequency that a massager should have. Specialists place this threshold at 6500 RPM or 100Hz, and any neck, shoulder and back massage machine above this power is considered harmful to health, especially in the cervical area.

As for the minimum acceptable power, a minimum range of vibrations has also been established for the massage to have a beneficial effect. In this case, it is recommended to always use vibration frequencies above 16Hz or 1000 RPM.

Speeds

The most useful quality of any electric massager is undoubtedly its ability to adjust the speeds so that it can be used on different parts of the body as, for example, the neck cannot be treated with the same power as the back. So in this case it is ideal if you have a wide variety of speeds to choose from when buying your neck and back massager.

User experience

This is a tricky one to assess as you probably won't be able to try the product before you buy it, but you can always look at the comments and reviews of users who have already bought it. The most important thing is that you feel relaxed and comfortable, and that when you need it, it is able to relieve muscle pain effectively.

Battery life

Battery life is the most important thing when choosing an electric massager. Even if we are not going to use it for more than 20 minutes at a time, it will still be useful if it can stay functional for at least 3 hours without needing to be recharged, so that you can save more electricity by avoiding constant charging.

Warranty

It will always be important to buy a product that gives you a money back guarantee in case it has a manufacturing defect or simply does not meet your expectations as a user. So before you buy, make sure that you can ask for a refund if you are not satisfied with the massager. Our products are guaranteed for a minimum of 2 years from the date of purchase.

Price

Price is what we are most interested in, but what we should really be concerned about are the aspects mentioned above. The quality-price ratio is important, but many times we look for cheap things that end up being expensive because we save some features of the product to lower its price.

How to use an electric massager to relieve shoulder and neck pain?

Below you will learn in detail how to use your shoulder, neck and back massager in the best possible way to relieve muscle aches and pains.

Just follow the instructions below:

• How to use: An automatic massage machine is easy to use because you basically don't have to do anything while it is working. All you have to do is position it correctly. On the neck, it should be held on the sternocleidomastoid and with the central part on the cervical. On the back, care should be taken that the vibrating centre of the massager is not placed directly on the spine. Generally speaking, the vibration should be positioned on muscular tissue and never on the bones.
• Time of use: everything will depend on what you are looking for, but in general it is recommended to use the massager for at least 20 minutes continuously, and to avoid using it for more than 45 minutes, as doing so will start to generate stress in the muscle and exhaustion, because although it may not seem like it, the vibrations generate nerve impulses that cause the muscles to contract slightly.
• Regularity of use: as it is a machine that you can use without stopping your work or domestic activities, you can use it at least 3 times a week until your pains and tensions have disappeared. But you should not overuse it, because as with everything that gives you pleasure in life, over time you build up tolerance and if you use the machine continuously, your body may no longer feel stimulated by the vibration of your massager and it may lose its relaxing effect.

F.A.Q: Frequently Asked Questions