HoMedics STRETCH – Yoga Mat, Back Stretcher with Adjustable Back Body Stretching, Release Tension, Improve Flexibility, 4 Built-In Treatment Programs, Simple Foldaway Design for Easy Storage

Great product well worth the money easy to use helped ease my stiff backI would recommend to anyone suffering with back pain which is musculoskeletal

Excellent piece of equipment,I was sceptical to be honest but I’m pleasantly surprised,stretches every part of our bodies,we both have issues with neck ,back and lower back and has really helped us

Quite an odd sensation but it does what it says. Very useful after a session of the rowing machine. It could do with more information though, it describes how to operate the mat and briefly what the different programmes are, but not really how long you should stay on each level or if you should only use one programme or all of them.

Took a few goes to start to understand what setting worked for me and then getting body position placement better, not quite what I expected - but absolutely brilliant product, quite pricey yes but completely works

I was a wee bit sceptical about how useful a mat like this could be, but as I suffer from regular tension headaches and associated neck and shoulder pain, it was worth a try! I\'ve done one yoga class, but sitting in a room full of people chanting \'om\' just wasn\'t for me unfortunately. I\'ve also tried shiatsu sessions for my shoulder pain, which work but are too expensive to do regularly. I thought this stretch mat might just help, and it has surpassed my expectations.Incredibly easy to use from the start, you simply open it up, plug it in, and select the program you want from four choices; Twist, Flow, Energise and Stretch. You can also vary the intensity of these programs. The inflatable bladders work in different sequences to stretch and manipulate your muscles in yoga style stretches. I\'ve been using it every few days, and it really does help me to feel looser and more relaxed. Today was the first time I\'ve used it while in the grip of a tension headache, and I used the Twist program in the hope of undoing the tense muscles a bit. These headaches often progress to migraines, so I was absolutely delighted to find that the mat worked really well and my headache disappeared.It\'s an expensive initial outlay, but it\'s cheaper than regular yoga sessions or classes, and so will more than pay for itself in a fairly short period of time. The only wee niggle I have is that I\'d like the programs to last longer - they only seem to last ten mins at most, and given that a yoga session would usually be about an hour, to me it felt too short. There\'s no advice in the instructions as to whether you can repeat or use more than one program in a session, but I have used a couple of programs one after the other, and it feels more beneficial than just doing one program then putting the mat away again. Very pleased indeed with this clever mat!

I have fibromyalgia, a herniated disc in lower spine and arthritis in hips. /this gives me nice relief in back - can be quite painful in lower back, but helps later!

I suffer from a congenital deformity in my lower back. I also have a frozen shoulder. This mat has brought me pain relief and also ensured that my back and shoulder muscles are less tense. Worked as well as regular massages. I also sleep better.

I\'ve had low back pain for about 10 years after badly herniating the L4/5 disc (bottom of the back) twice. Having tried many things, and being a trainee Osteopath, I was curious about the possible effects this mat could have. My first thoughts would be, don\'t buy this if you\'re hoping to help with a chronic low back problem. From the names of the programs, I was expecting a full range of different exercises: twisting, stretching, relaxing, energising... However, on \'Twist\', for example, there is only one instance of it inflating the hip area bladders one at a time, to make your lower back rotate and, although there is a difference between the programs, I\'d be hard pressed to tell you which was which if someone else started it for me. I was also hoping there would be more flexion in the programs, to stretch my lower back, but all of the programs are very heavy on extension (understandable with sequentially inflating air bladders in the middle, but I\'d hoped the ends would create more flexion). Be careful if you have lower back problems, because depending on where you lie, the extension is strong to the point of painful, even on the lower of the three settings (certainly follow the guide to keep your knees raised). The same applies for the shoulder/neck area - if you\'re in the wrong place, I would say the amount of neck extension isn\'t anything I would be wanting to use on a patient. I\'m reasonably average height (5\'11\"), but could not find a position where the top and bottom areas felt like they were doing what I\'d like them to do. On a positive note, it does force me to take 10 minutes out and just focus on relaxing. Strangely, I find the \'energise\' program the most relaxing and have managed to find a position on the mat that mostly works. I\'ve only ever done three or four yoga classes, so I can\'t comment on whether the mat complements what you do in yoga. I would just stress that, if you buy this because you suffer from back stiffness (lower back in particular), be very careful not to create pivot points in your lower back.