I tried this $30 item from Amazon — and it relieved my back and neck pain, instantly!

January 11, 2022 at 6:05 AM·8 min read

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Feeling knotty? The Thera Cane massage tool provides instant relief with minimal effort. And it's on sale for $30 on Amazon. (Photo: Amazon) — Feeling knotty? The Thera Cane massage tool provides instant relief with minimal effort. And it's on sale for $30 at Amazon. (Photo: Amazon)

I hold a lot of tension in my body. When I'm at the computer, it crops up in my neck and right shoulder. After a long walk or dance class, I get huge knots in my low back and left hip. Sometimes the pain leads to a full-blown limp.

Whether the root cause is instability, weakness, overuse or a glorious combo, I always need relief before I can move forward, and a bodywork sesh isn't always in the cards (or the budget). Luckily, I now have an in-house therapist: The Thera Cane Massager! It relieves my acute pain by releasing trigger points in hard-to-reach areas with minimal effort. Truly, this goofy-looking thing helps — and I thought the whole world should know that it's on sale for $30 at Amazon.

Shipping is already free on the Thera Cane whether you have Amazon Prime or not, but Prime members score two-day shipping and loads of other perks. You can sign up for a free 30-day trial here.

$30 ~~$35~~ at Amazon

Caption The ergonomic Thera Cane self-massager uses gentle counterpressure so you never have to strain to massage a knot. (Photo: Amazon) — Never strain to reach a knot: The ergonomic Thera Cane self-massager uses gentle counterpressure. (Photo: Amazon)

I was introduced to this magic wand by a friend who worked in the physical therapy field. At her home one day, I was complaining about my pain du jour. In one swift stretch, she pulled a wondrous, knobby cane-like object from beneath her TV console. I'm not certain whether it sparkled or sang, but it definitely spoke to me. She showed me a few quick tricks and I was in heaven. Very generously, she loaned it to me, and before I knew it, I'd had it for several months. Whoops! After a gentle reminder to return it, I placed my order on Amazon.

The design is simply brilliant. Hook it around yourself and gently pull to apply counterpressure. You maintain complete control over the position, intensity and duration with minimal effort. No cords, batteries, chargers or acrobatics required. It does come with a 12-page manual with basic illustrations showing you cool ways to massage commonly tight areas.

Apparently, I'm not the only one in the Thera Cane Massager fan club. Read on for what some of the 9,600 five-star fans on Amazon are saying.

$30 ~~$35~~ at Amazon

Don't wait for someone else to massage your pain away. (Photos: Amazon)

DIY relief

I've pestered my husband too many times over the years about massaging my trouble spots (he's really good at it). I've often mentioned getting little star tattoos marking all my trigger points (joking, not joking). My requests for deep thumb pressure are getting tiresome, I know. With Thera Cane Massager, I don't have to wait for a good moment to ask or give directions. I can do it my damn self.

One five-star user said: "I never know how terrible everyone I know is at giving massages until I found this thing. I didn’t know that in just ten minutes you can find relief from a knot thats been bothering you for days...Just get it."

Another promised: "This can save you $$$ for all the massages, acupuncture, cupping, chiropractor and physical therapy visits. I live with chronic pain and this has been a lifesaver."

A pharmacist even said it can be better than meds! "Ingenious product to avoid pain medications," wrote the fan. "As a pharmacist, I've see first-hand how pain medications affect a person and therefore when I had back and sciatic problems, I turned to natural means...I picked up a book called Trigger Point Therapy, and it mentioned the Thera Cane . ...What an ingenious device! ...For me the Thera Cane worked fantastically giving me about six hours of relief. I've been using it for a few days now and can see the difference. A definite buy! REMEMBER, read up on trigger points first and DON'T overdo it."

$30 ~~$35~~ at Amazon

A few simple ways to use, from the free guide. (Image: Amazon) — A few simple ways to use the gizmo, courtesy of the free guide. (Image: Amazon)

Great from head to toe

I've used this massager on my feet, my neck and everywhere in between. The Thera Cane has become my fave office supply, as it does wonders for "tech neck" and "dead butt." It's also my go-to recovery tool after exercise. Even my pets want to use it.

As one happy reviewer explained: "Versatility is amazing — the more you use, the more you discover...I use it everyday to improve my flexibility and range of motion...The instruction manual shows 15 or so basic ways of using Thera Cane, for neck, upper/mid/lower back, hamstrings and calf etc, and that's the most typical and effective ways of using it, I guess, but if you keep using it, you will discover much much more creative ways of using it on your own."

He went on to give his own tips: "While working at my desk, I sometimes sit on the stick in a way that it gives nice pressure to adductor muscles, to shin muscles, or to the attachment of quad muscles. You can also massage pect muscles, shoulders, back of the arm pit areas, etc. by simply propping on it in a certain way. And this morning, I again discovered a great way of massaging/stretching subscapularis, teres major and pect major at the same time without any efforts. This is really an amazing tool....I carry around everywhere."

True blue fans

I hadn't actually noticed the different versions of the Thera Cane, until I read the reviews, but the third-gen blue model that I own seems to be the model of choice among Amazon shoppers — and it's on sale for $30 (was $35).

"Blue gen 3 Thera Cane is more rigid than the gen 2 green model. Excellent!!" wrote one shopper. "...I'm very happy with the blue model."

$30 ~~$35~~ at Amazon

The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.