A back massager is no longer a luxury but a necessity after a long, hectic day at work. Unfortunately, working more than 40 hours a week doesn't allow you to spend even a couple of hours in a relaxing spa.
That's why one has to resort to quick back pain relief alternatives, and one of them is a cordless back massager.
However, is a cordless back massager as powerful as a plug-in?
In this post, we'll not only discuss the top cordless back massagers, but you'll also find a detailed buyer's guide and comparison between cordless and plug-in massagers.
What Is a Massage Gun and Why Should You Use One?
Massage guns are also popularly called percussive massage treatment equipment for vibration therapy. These are handheld, portable devices that look like drilling machines.
The cordless massage guns are wireless; thus, they use rechargeable batteries. In addition, these massage guns come with interchangeable attachments.
When you place the massage guns on the muscles and activate the massager, the attachments of the massage gun vibrate at a very high frequency with low amplitude movements.
This advocates recovery from a workout and also improves your muscle performance by reducing muscle soreness.
You can use a massage gun for a deep tissue massage to relieve muscle tension. Therefore, a massage gun is exceptionally beneficial for people.
Types of Back Massagers for a Deep Tissue Massage
There are various types of massagers for a deep tissue massage. For example, some massagers are designed for a deep neck massage, while others are better suited for a thorough back massage.
The choice of a massager depends on your budget and specific needs. Here are various types of massagers.
Massage Chairs
Massage chairs are primarily designed for a deep tissue massage for your back. These massage chairs are similar to recliners. In addition, they have heat therapy, kneading massage, and vibration therapy.
Chair Pads
A back massager chair pad has numerous features like heat therapy and shiatsu massage, which gives you a similar experience to a back massage chair but does not cost much.
On the other hand, a deep tissue massage pad is more economical and doesn't occupy as much space as a chair.
Massage Guns
Massage guns are handheld devices that look similar to a power drill. These apply percussive therapy, which is rapid pressure on various body parts.
Massage guns feature attachments for different types of tissues. For example, for a neck massage, you can change the attachments. Massage guns are effective for increasing muscle flexibility and motion.
Handheld Massagers
There are hundreds of handheld massagers. Some of them have a power cord, while others are cordless.
You can plug in the handheld power cord massagers. The cordless massagers use batteries. These devices have a manual roller attached to a small wooden handle.
You can carefully use the tool to massage the desired area. These massage tools are ideal for physiotherapists to reduce muscle tension and soreness.
Massage Canes
Massage Canes are J-shaped canes that can release soreness from painful areas out of reach. These massage canes apply pressure to targeted areas to trigger point massage therapy.
But you must keep moving your limbs when using a massage cane to help it work into the deeper muscles.
Massage Balls
A massage ball is powerful massaging equipment that can target hard-to-reach muscles. For example, these massage balls can help release your hip tightness and massage the knots in your back.
Best Cordless Massagers Reviews
Go through our top five cordless massagers, one of which will definitely suit your budget and other requirements.
Exogun Handheld Percussion Massager
The Exogun is a handheld percussion massager with a versatile and lightweight design. It features an angular handle to ensure comfortable holding without tiring your arms.
This handheld massager comes with an added layer of soft frictional material for enhanced traction to prevent accidental slip. In addition, the shock-absorption material of the grip absorbs the excessive vibrations so that you can operate it for hours without feeling any discomfort.
The brushless motor and an internal power delivery mechanism ensure low noise while delivering powerful vibrations. This way, the Exogun can reach the deeper body tissues to reduce muscle pains.
One of the most significant advantages of using the Exogun is its four types of heads to cater to different massaging requirements.
- Type 1 - Looks like a ball with soft foam lining with a larger surface area. It's ideal for larger muscles, significantly lower hip muscles, wings, and chest.
- Type 2 - This bullet head has a tapered edge to massage joints, elbow section, and inner knees. It's a perfect choice to deliver precise power to small muscle groups.
- Type 3 - It's a U-shaped twin-edged known as fork attachment, designed for spinal areas to reduce nerve pressure.
- Type 4 - This is a flathead attachment for universal massaging of different body parts, including the shoulder, chest, and calves.
The Exogun comes with six intensity modes allowing you to select the required massaging power. In addition, you can use the touch buttons to increase or decrease the speed.
Moreover, you can see the speed on the screen above the switch to adjust the speed accordingly. The Shocksmart sensitivity makes the Exogun more responsive by balancing the blow from the massaging fun.
In addition, it guarantees accurate blow energy by allowing each stroke to reach according to your body's needs. Lastly, the Exogun has a battery backup of more than four hours of continuous massage..
RENPHO Rechargeable Hand Held Deep Tissue Massager
The RENPHO Rechargeable Hand Held Deep Tissue Massager is an affordable, all-rounder massager using percussion technology to relax muscles.
It's a cordless massager with five interchangeable head attachments to massage different body areas such as the neck, back, legs, feet, arms, and shoulders.
You can use the round-ball and one-point heads if you require a deep tissue firm massage to break up knots and improve muscle recovery. On the other hand, you can use the curved head for a fitting massage on your legs and arms.
Additionally, you can use the three-point rubber-coated head for a softer massage to reduce muscle and joint pain. At the same time, a three-intensive rubber-coated massager head offers a gentle massage on a bigger area to reduce muscle fatigue.
The ergonomics design of the RENPHO massager allows you to massage any part of the body, including the calf, legs, arms, and neck. It works by reaching the in-depth muscle tissues and relaxing them from tension. This handheld massager is made of premium quality ABS plastic.
The RENPHO massager comes with three intensity and four percussion modes, which you can adjust for each massager attachment. Furthermore, the powerful motor offers an output of 3600 pulses per minute, offering a comprehensive pain-relieving massage.
This energy-saving massager automatically stops after 20 minutes to prevent overheating. This cordless massager offers 140 minutes of massages with a fully charged battery. It comes with a 2600 mAh Lithium-ion battery with a wall charger.
However, it's recommended not to use the massager while charging as it may damage the massager.
This reliable massager has a 12-month warranty to ensure a long-term, safe investment.
Theragun Pro Massager
The Theragun Pro massager is the 4th generation massager, designed by Therabody, offering precise massaging with its QX150 motor and QueitForce technology.
Moreover, it offers a stroke length of 20mm and stalls force of 30 pounds with a noise ranging from 60 to 75 dB. The stall force and stroke length are responsible for the percussion intensity and therapy level. The noise cancellation feature of Theragun ensures quite massaging.
The Theragun Pro massager comes in an elegant box containing all the necessary accessories such as two batteries, a user manual, and head attachments.
You can find an elevated power button underneath the QLED display. Moreover, the buttons above and below the power button allow you to adjust the speed and insensitivity more conveniently.
The Theragun Pro massager has five options ranging from 1700 to 2400 PPM. In addition, you can adjust the settings accordingly to your muscle tissues.
This versatile massager comes with six sturdy attachments - wedge, cone, thumb, standard ball, damper, and super soft. In addition to that, you can also adjust the arm in four different positions.
The Theragun Pro massager comes with two 16V, Lithium-ion batteries, which can last for six to 6.5 hours.
This advanced massager comes with the latest Bluetooth technology allowing you to control the speed and intensity wirelessly. Not only that, but you can also save some customized presents in the app. This way, you can have three built-in app-guided present massage routines.
iReliev Percussion Massage Gun
The iReliev Percussion Massage Gun offers an affordable and portable massaging solution to relieve your muscles from pain. It provides a 10 mm percussive stroke length at a 150 Hz frequency with a noise ranging from 45 to 60 dB.
Covered with an all-black soft-touch plastic, the iReliev Percussion massage gun offers a comfortable yet firm grip.
You can turn on this massager by holding the power button for two to three seconds, and it starts producing a low-pitched whirring sound. The mechanical percussive motor is smooth and powerful, offering three speeds ranging from 1800 to 3200 RPM.
This multi-functional massager comes with four unique and comfortable massage heads, including large, fork, bullet, and flathead. For example, you can use the large head to massage larger muscle groups while a forkhead reaches sensitive areas around the spin.
Additionally, you can use the bullet head for accurate massaging of hands, feet, and wrists. Finally, the flat head offers an all-rounder massage to almost all body parts.
The 2000 mAH battery allows you to use this massager gun for about seven hours. However, using a massager gun for 20 minutes daily is recommended, meaning you can go for a week or two without charging it. Moreover, it takes three to four hours to charge the battery fully.
Sonic X Personal Percussion Massage Gun
The Sonic X Personal Percussion Massage Gun offers enhanced Pulse FX's percussion power, thus offering deep muscle tissue therapy. Furthermore, the arm can rotate to provide percussion massage at three angles.
This durable massage gun offers an ergonomic design to massage hard-to-reach spots of your lower back.
It comes with an easy curved grip adjustable handle. The powerful motor provides steady motion at all angles.
The Sonic X massage gun offers a stall force of 66 pounds at a higher speed of 3200 RPM and 16 mm amplitude. Moreover, you can select three-speed settings up to 3200 RPM. It means you can choose a higher speed for denser muscle or to treat severe muscle tissues.
The battery lasts between three to seven hours, depending upon the speed settings. This massage gun lasts for three hours at the highest speed while seven hours at the lowest settings. Therefore, this massage gun is recommended for about ten minutes per session.
The Sonic X massage gun has four head attachments - round, spinal, flat, and bullet. You can use the round head to gently impact the muscles to reduce soreness before and after the workout.
Moreover, you can use the spinal to treat your back muscles around the spinal area. The flat head is ideal for massaging different body parts, while a bullet head releases muscle knots.
This featureful massage gun comes with a free charging stand, so you don't have to spend extra money to buy one.
This durable massage gun has a lifetime warranty to ensure a safe investment. Not only that, but it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Hyperice Hypervolt Cordless Vibration Massager
The Hyperice Hyper Volt Cordless Vibration Massager is a percussive massage gun for professional physiotherapists. It is a highly portable neck massager.
You can efficiently use it at home, the gym, or anywhere else. This lightweight cordless massager helps reach your glutes and hard-to-target muscles.
You can also increase the level of intensity of vibration in this neck massager. Moreover, you can add several attachments to the massager for a deep tissue massage.
Different attachments help massage different targeted areas. For example, you can use a flat, round, or prong attachment for various shapes of musculature.
The Hypervolt Cordless Massager is excellent for loosening muscle tension and reducing soreness. You can also carry this compact massager on a plane. Therefore, it's highly portable. Moreover, it doesn't make noise as the vibrations are very subtle.
It's more economical than its competitors. The percussive massage is also more intense than Shiatsu. You can adjust its settings accordingly.
For example, you can use the lowest setting for more caution around sensitive areas. If you want a neck massage, you should use the lowest settings, while for back massages, you can increase the frequency of vibration.
Mighty Bliss Deep Tissue Back and Body Massager
If you're looking for an affordable handheld back and body massager, the Mighty Bliss Deep Tissue Massager is a perfect choice. This cordless massager helps relax your muscles by smooth pulsating movements that relieve muscle tension and soreness.
The Mighty Bliss Deep Tissue Massager is a piece of versatile massage equipment with six massage heads to target different areas. In addition, the ergonomic design makes it convenient to use however you want.
You can also increase or decrease the intensity of pulsating movements by moving the dialer. It helps relieve knotted muscles and spasms and gets rid of back pain.
The Mighty Bliss Deep Tissue Massager is super powerful, but it is extremely quiet. It features a 3700 RPM percussion motor.
Moreover, it has a lightweight and slim design that makes it highly portable. Therefore, the mighty Bliss Back Massager is a perfect choice if you want to buy an economical yet efficient massager.
However, it does not have a touchscreen or a range of programs like Theragun PRO. But if you want a powerful and versatile massager, the Mighty Bliss Deep Tissue Back Massager is a great purchase.
Many physiotherapists prefer it due to its lightweight design as you can use it for an extended time without having an arm ache.
Do's and Don'ts of Using a Cordless Back Massager
Using a cordless massager may seem convenient, but targeting specific muscles in your back is quite challenging to relieve pain and muscle soreness. Therefore, you must use a massager with caution.
According to research, massagers are excellent at reducing back pain and soreness. But there isn't much evidence as to which massager works the best.
But you must know the do's and don'ts of a massager before you use it.
- Consult a healthcare professional to know if your muscle soreness requires surgery or professional care.
- Consult a doctor to know the root cause of the muscle tension.
- Consider a multifaceted treatment approach for your muscle soreness.
- Do not use a massager if it causes more pain.
- Do not ignore the pain if it becomes more severe over time.
- See a chiropractor if the pain becomes unbearable.
- Never use a massager ball if you have difficulty flexing the muscle or moving.
- Slowly increase the massager's intensity to know what pulsating movement frequency works best.
- Never use a high frequency of vibration immediately on muscles as it may cause more pain.
How to Select a Best Cordless Massager?
Before you choose the best cordless massager for yourself, you must consider a few factors. The first thing you should consider is the style of massage it provides. There are two styles of cordless massagers. These include vibration and Shiatsu.
Shiatsu massagers are more suitable for deep tissue massage as the kneading movements help relieve soreness from hard-to-target areas.
These massagers have rotating nodes, which are excellent for treating post-workout muscle soreness and knots caused by muscle injury. In contrast, vibration muscles are less intense.
They are designed to soothe muscle soreness caused by exhaustion. These massagers do not feature nodes. Instead, they have an all-over pulsating movement.
Due to these factors, you may find yourself at the crossroads while deciding on a suitable cordless massager that meets your requirements.
That's why we have compiled a list of features you should look for while buying a cordless back massager.
Massage Technique
All the messengers come with their unique massage techniques. However, the most common massaging techniques are Shiatsu, kneading, tapping, and knocking.
You must thoroughly research the techniques and select the most suitable massager accordingly.
- Shiatsu - Referred to as the Japanese method, involves rolling the thumb, palm, and fingers in acupressure points to relax muscles.
- Kneading - Presses the body's soft tissues to treat muscle tension and promote blood circulation. It's an ideal technique for people with muscle and joint pain.
- Vibration - This is the most advanced technology to stimulate muscles and relieve them of pain. It also helps in increasing blood circulation.
By the way, the Shiatsu method is top-rated among the rest of the techniques. However, it doesn't necessarily mean that the other methods are less effective.
Type of Massagers
Another important factor is the type of massager you prefer. For example, handheld massagers require more effort as you have to manage to massage yourself, while massaging chairs is an effortless way to get a deep tissue massage.
When picking the best massager, you must consider this factor. Handheld massagers deliver a deep tissue massage as they make it easier to target areas. They also give you more control over the massaging techniques.
But you have to lift them for minutes. Therefore, you must purchase lightweight cordless massagers.
In contrast, pillow massagers are more specifically placed at the back to relieve back pain. Such massagers are excellent for relieving lower back pain or neck pain. They are also more convenient when you work at the office or at home for extended periods.
Speed Adjustment
The speed adjustment serves as the deciding factor while selecting a cordless back massager. It means the massager should give you three options: slow, medium, and high speed to fulfill your massage requirements.
The speed adjustment coupled with different massaging modes allows you to personalize your massaging experience.
Attachment Heads
You can find cordless massagers with multiple attachment heads to target different back points accordingly. That’s why each attachment serves its functionality so that you can enjoy a complete spa-in-a-box experience. Some of these attachments include a kneading head, scraper head, and a broad massage head, etc.
Portability
What’s the point of buying a cordless back massager if you can't’ carry it with you while traveling. That’s why portability serves as one of the most important selection criteria of a back massager.
Ideally, a cordless back massager should be lightweight and easy to carry.
Another aspect of portability is that a back massager should reach all the areas of the back. It means that lightweight construction should help you reach those areas while holding it for a longer time.
Comparison Between Cordless and Plug-in Massagers
Power Source
You can generally find a battery-operated back massager or an electric-powered massager in the market. The cordless model offers you more flexibility and portability. However, it requires charging after three hours of usage.
Conversely, you don't need to charge electric massagers. All you need to do is plug them into the electric outlet and use it.
Furthermore, there are many disadvantages of using a plug-in massager, such as unexpected power failure can stop the massager in the middle of a session. Not only that, but the sudden power fluctuations can cause the speed or intensity variation.
Cordless massagers are safe since they aren't connected to an electric power source. An electric gadget connected to an electric source is harmful to your body.
Movement
A cordless back massager offers more freedom and movement, allowing you to massage your back while walking. Furthermore, it can conveniently massage unreachable areas of your back.
On the other hand, the cord restricts your movement, and you may get entangled if not careful while using it.
How Much Do Back Massagers Cost?
Back massagers have a variable price. The price depends on the quality and size of the massager.
Smaller handheld massagers cost less than $20, while higher quality large massagers cost more than $8000. In addition, some top-of-the-line back massaging chairs cost more than $8000.
However, different massagers have different prices, so you can purchase a massager that suits you best. For example, most massage chairs cost anywhere between $900 to $5000.
Multi-mode massage pads cost around $50 to $200, while massage guns may cost around $150.
You can get a good small handheld massager for $15, while battery-operated models cost more than $200 as they are cordless and have multiple massaging modes. The cheapest back massager is a massage cane that costs about $20 to $30.
Various types of massagers have different prices. Therefore you can easily find a massager that suits your budget and helps provide relief from muscle pain and soreness.
Final Words
It's a fast-paced world, and it's vital to prioritize your health to stay fit and active.
A portable cordless back massager is the best alternative to extensive massage therapy.
You can use the back massager daily as a part of regular exercise. In addition, you can select any of the high-performing cordless back massagers reviewed above to relieve your muscles from daily stress.
Consider buying a back massager as a one-time investment and stop paying for your weekly spa appointments.