The Reality of Home Remedies

For those in pain, it is becoming more and more popular to delve into the vast array of home remedies. Many companies continue to promote and push specific “pain products” for at-home use such as massage guns, foam rollers, neck pillows, back braces, or portable electric stim units. With the growing popularity of these products, it is important to understand the validity and effectiveness of these remedies so as to not be scammed by the overwhelmingly positive narratives put out by manufacturers. 

First, I’ll let you in on a small industry secret; these at-home products really don’t achieve anything. Meaning, the products I mentioned above do not fix or cure pain conditions and the research regarding each is quite minimal. Some products such as portable electric stim units and massage guns have marginal positive evidence regarding their effectiveness in comparison to others such as foam rollers or neck pillows that have almost no supportive research. Each of these products is only good for mild temporary reductions in pain…end of story! These at-home remedies do not increase blood flow to an area, reduce muscle tension or tightness, increase mobility, or correct your posture. Therefore, it is crucial to understand what these products will do and what they won’t do because each manufacturer will market fabricated information or flat-out false narratives to sell you these remedies.

I’ll let you in on the analogy I usually give my patients.

Think of these products like a lozenge or cough drop for a sore throat. Does taking a cough drop cure your sore throat?

No. 

You’ll often need to take another and another before you see a provider who gives you an appropriate medication such as an antibiotic etc. The cough drop doesn’t cure your sore throat, but does make it feel better for a brief period before you need something stronger and more applicable. The same is true for these home pain products. They will not cure you of a condition or solve a longstanding issue, but can provide some temporary pain relief until you decide to pursue another avenue of care to fix your problem such as a rehab chiropractor, physical therapist, or sports medicine physician.

“Well, now what?”

As I’m sure some of you are thinking, what was the point of all that? To tell me not to buy these products or to throw all of mine away?

Not at all!

The purpose here is to understand the nature of what these products are meant to be used for (temporary pain relief) and further understand that what most of these products claim is not accurate. Regardless, I’m all for using these products; if they make you feel better and reduce your pain levels, then use them as often as you’d like! It’s not likely that they will hurt you or make your problem worse, so feel free to try them over your areas of pain. Most importantly, always buy cheap! The $50 massage gun is just as effective as the $400 one!

Mckeon Buffamonte, D.C.

Doctor of Chiropractic

Owner of PhysioDelta Chiropractic