I鈥檝e been in pain since 2003, the year I went to college and became semipermanently fixed in front of a computer. It began as a dull ache in my left shoulder blade, where it sometimes flared听into the scalene muscles along the side听of my neck. By my senior year, I started to suffer migraines, for which my doctor prescribed muscle relaxants and sick days. The cause of my misery remained a mystery until almost a decade later, when I was finally diagnosed with mild scoliosis鈥攁 slight bend at my shoulder blades throws my neck out of alignment, which is exacerbated by the ergonomics of keyboards and monitors.
I soon began a regimen of chiropractic care, acupuncture, yoga, and physical therapy听that鈥檚 kept me blessedly migraine-free. Still, nothing could fully ease the damned ache in my shoulder blade. Targeted adjustments, elbows, needles, and electrotherapy abated the pain for a day or two at most. Then it was back, wearing away at me until my next appointment, which was sometimes weeks away. I needed an at-home solution, something I could turn to whenever the gnawing made me snap at my husband or lose patience with coworkers.
Last summer, while听helping my friend move, I noticed her pack a听tiny mattress and bolster pillow studded with spiky plastic medallions. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an acupressure mat,鈥 she explained as she jammed it between boxes in the back seat听of her car. 鈥淚t鈥檚 great for my neck.听You need one.鈥 I placed an order鈥攆or the ($20)鈥攖hat same day. Now听this torturous-looking device is my go-to tool for relieving pain and relaxing stubbornly tight muscles.
Acupressure is the same idea as acupuncture听but听without the needles: in traditional Chinese medicine, activating on the body (in this case with sharp pressure) is thought to fix pain and illness by unblocking the flow of energy.听Physiologically, this explanation focuses听on听the听, which delivers the electrical signals that control our muscles and physical functions. A trained acupuncture听practitioner will target to help relieve issues like back pain, headaches, and nausea.
With an acupressure mat, you get acupressure, sans precision.听Each听mat goes for a blitzkrieg-like concentration鈥攎y model has 7,992 spikes, each one-eighth inch long.听I鈥檓 not sure what points I鈥檓 hitting every time I recline on its stabby array, but with a few minutes of wiggling and microadjustments, I never fail to find something that feels good.
And it really does feel good鈥攐nce you get used to it. Immediately after lying down, the sensation is best described as fiery, with a smattering of yikes. I give it another half a minute as my听body settles in; what a great opportunity to practice breathing through the discomfort! Soon enough,听most of the fire听recedes into a gentle buzzing warmth as blood flow increases. A few agonized spots will remain, and you can choose to embrace them as needy for attention or politely maneuver into something more comfortable. (I inevitably choose the latter.) Around this time, I tend to notice that I鈥檓 craving a little more sensation in some places: the rotator cuff,听my lower back, and the scalenes听in the neck, all tight areas I find difficult to ease with self-massage and stretching. Then I settle in, sometimes to the point of falling into a Savasana-like snooze鈥攁nd I鈥檓 someone who never sleeps during Savasana.听The company recommends that beginners听stay on the mat for up to 20 minutes to avoid taxing the body, but I arise after ten. (Those with poor circulation or thin skin听should avoid using a mat before consulting with a doctor,听though.)
Has the mat cured my ache for good? No, but with one or two consecutive daily听uses, I feel more mobile and听free of discomfort for a few days鈥攕ometimes until my next marathon computer session. And that鈥檚 fine. Unlike a physical therapist, it鈥檚 available any time I鈥檓 hurting.