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Magic?
Saturday morning, I completed the WOD (which included deadlifts), and felt a little "tweak" in my upper back (nothing major). I went on with my day and didn't think much more about it. On Sunday morning (yesterday), I was dancing around the living room with my 3-yr-old, and all of a sudden, zoink - my back went into total spasm. I could hardly move or breathe. I spent time both icing and heating as well as stretching, but nothing really helped. Though I wasn't laid up on my back, and was able to move around, though slowly, I was miserable - shooting pain could come at any moment, from almost anything.
Cut to a bit earlier in the day, I had given Julia her Valentine's Day gift - an acupressure mat called a Yantra Mat. It contains 210 "flowers" on it and each one has 42 little "spikes" on it, for a total of 8,820 points that stick into your body when you lay on it. According to reviews and the website, it is a lot like lying on a bed of nails, and they claim that it brings stress relief, relaxation, and healing to anyone that uses it. When I bought it, I though it would be great for Julia for some stress relief, but as far as any real specific health or pain relief benefits, doubtful.
Well, by mid-afternoon on Valentines Day, I was desperate... decided that I'd try anything to feel better - including laying on a bed of nails - what a coincidence, I just happened to have one, Julia's Yantra Mat. I broke it out and laid down, gingerly. The first two minutes were intense and painful, but as I continued to lie on it (on my bare skin), I the pain from the spikes in my back subsided (some), enough that I could endure. I stayed on it for 20 minutes, and much to my surprise, when I got up, I was about 80% better! I was shocked, as was Julia. I did it again later in the evening and again, noticed improvement.
I can't say necessarily that it will help you if you have back, neck or shoulder pain, but for $70, it's worth a shot. I'm going to get another one to keep at the gym, so if you're interested in trying it out, let me know.
Katie - looking surprised at getting this overhead!
Today's Workout
3 Rounds, each for time and distance
10 Hang Squat Cleans (155/105)
2 minutes of Rowing (meters)
- Rest exactly 2 minutes between rounds.
- Score - both time and distance in meters for each round
it looks like a stupid overpriced gimmick. since i just bought one, i will see if it is!
This is also known as "Kuznetsov Ipplicator". This was a huge craze in Russia, which started around 20 years ago. Many still swear by it, including my dad, who has a bad back, and cannot function without this thing. Apparently it works for other stuff like insomnia and more.
You can also buy it for a bit less from one of Russian pharmacies in WeHo or online here: http://www.homeapteka.com/productdetail.asp?ProductID=6323
There's some history behind this: http://reflexo-therapy.com/Kuznetsov.html
Anything with needles is okay in ATrain's book! I'd love to try it out!
Will my new mat help for the agony known as "After-Murph Syndrome"?
Hi Andy! Thanks so much for writing about the Yantra Mat! I'm their PR rep and would love to answer any questions you or any of your readers may have (you can reach me at press(at)yantraway.com).
We're glad that our mat has helped you feel better! I hope it continues to do so!
Laying on a bed of nails...hmmm....sounds like fun. Glad you are feeling better and I'm interested to see this.
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Funny that they still call it "accupressure." Where's the accuracy in jabbing eight thousand tiny little spikes into your back? Accurate like a shotgun.