Like 39% of the US population, I have back pain. It was my cat’s fault: while reaching down to pick up some cat fluff, one of the discs in my spine slipped, leaking something infernal made of fire and agony. The cure, my doc advised me, was to lie down while my body replaces the infernal fluid with the normal squishy stuff.
That’s all very well for her to say, but she doesn’t have a busy job chasing cats and testing things: how can I review products when moving is painful? Review the best gadgets for back pain, clearly. I’ll leave the medical stuff to the doctors, but these products have made my recovery more tolerable and productive, and you don’t need a slipped disc to appreciate their back-saving benefits.
Grab sticks
EZ Pik
36-inch Pro Grabber
$27.95
EZ Pik 36-inch Pro Grabber
Bending over to pick up something got me into this mess, so a grabber that lets me pick things up without reaching is a must. I love the EZ Pik (available in 36, 40 and 43-inch lengths) because it has enough grip strength to pick up everything from dropped socks to empty cat-food bowls. I was able to pick up things that weighed up to about 5lbs. Magnets on the side of the grabbers snap up metal like screws, and the grabbing hooks can be moved to horizontal or vertical. You can even use it to help pull on your socks. Plus, it folds up into three so you can throw it in a bag and take it with you.
EZ Pik
36-inch Pro Grabber
$27.95
Lap desks
Being idle gets boring quickly, but straining to work in bed with a laptop balanced on your chest can make things worse. Lap desks with adjustable legs can hold your laptop or tablet at a comfortable angle, without putting pressure on your hips and thighs like a conventional lap desk.
I found the $49 Saiji Laptop Bed Tray and the $67.99 Revo Flex to be supremely comfortable, as they are both easy to adjust, changing the height of the laptop and tilt the laptop tray so you don’t have to strain your neck to see and use them in different positions. The Saiji is easier to adjust and has a wider platform for the laptop, plus there are options to add lights and a spot for your phone. If you can get comfortable in a sitting position, the Saiji Adjustable offers arm rests on a wrap-around design that is more comfortable for extended work (or gaming!).
Saiji
Laptop Bed Tray
$49.99
Saiji
Adjustable
$134.99
Revo
Flex
$67.99
Carts
Clax
Cart
$289
Clax Cart
You never realize how many day-to-day tasks involve moving things from one place to another until it hurts to lift things or bend over. A cart is the easiest way to minimize those motions. Look, I know what you are thinking: “$289 for a glorified shopping cart?” Hear me out, though: the Clax is the SUV of the cart world. It is tough, easy to roll around and folds down into a small space for storage. The crates (it can hold two) fold down as well, and the higher position of the cart means I don’t have to bend down to put things in or take them out.
I use it for tasks such as unloading the dishwasher: put the dishes into the cart, roll it across the kitchen, then load the dishes onto the shelves. It saves a lot of bending, moving and lifting. A foot-activated brake holds it in place, and soft rubber wheels don’t scrape my nice wood floors. The larger independent back wheels make it easier to move up stairs, too.
If the Clax is a bit expensive, the $71 dBest Stair Climber is a more affordable laundry cart with a triple wheel system that is much easier to drag up or down stairs. Just remember not to overload it so you can still get it upstairs without strain.
Clax
Cart
$289
dBest
Stair Climber
from $89.99
Ceiling video projectors
Benq
GV32 Ceiling Projector
from $499
Benq GV32 Ceiling Projector
I tested two: the $549 Benq GV32 and the $250 XGIMI Vibe One. Both have wifi and Google Android TV, so they can access streaming services such as Netflix with nothing more than a power cable. Just plonk them on your bedside table, point them at the ceiling (you’ll need a white one) and they automatically focus and tweak the image so it looks like a big TV.
These projectors are relatively weak compared with a home-theater projector, but they produce a decent enough image for binging Netflix or banging out your latest Facebook post on how miserable your life is. It was nowhere near as attractive as my TV, though: dark parts of the image on my ceiling looked muddy, and my ceiling’s sand swirl texture made everything look slightly, well, swirly.
Benq
GV32 Ceiling Projector
from $499
XGMI
Vibe One
from $219
XGMI Vibe One
Both projectors can also project onto floors, walls and other surfaces, so they can amuse the kids while you are busy lying down and groaning. They also have decent sound quality, although the Benq has louder, fuller sound with more bass and presence.
I prefer the Benq GV32 for its brighter image, better sound and ease of adjustment, but it’s hard to argue with the $250 price of the XGIMI Vibe One, which is also more portable and doubles as a night light when you fold it down.
One thing to note here: don’t try to repurpose a normal video projector by putting it on its back. Many of the cooling mechanisms will not work in that position, and you could wreck your projector.
XGMI
Vibe One
from $219
Slip-on shoes
Kizik
Lima 2
from $119.95
Kizik Lima 2
When you are deep into a bout of back pain, every movement can be painful. Slip-on shoes reduce the amount of bending over you have to do. I love the $119 Kizik Lima 2 step-in shoes: the easy slip-on motion doesn’t require much force, the fit is loose and comfortable and the non-slip soles provide plenty of grip. They also sport a clean, smart design that looks like a normal pair of laced shoes. That helps me feel more like a normal member of the human race, but without the agony required to tie shoelaces.
Kizik
Lima 2
from $119.95
Walking aids
Many people hate using a walking stick because it tends to attract awkward questions. I say that if it helps, use it, and tell your interrogators that you hurt your back beating up people who ask too many questions. I use a simple $30 Rehand walking stick that is comfortable to hold, light, adjustable and has a nice wide foot with plenty of grip.
If you want to be a bit stealthier, or just need something to support you around the house, consider a hiking pole like the $70 Black Diamond Explorer with the $20 soft rubber tips, or the $70 LL Bean Rambler, which has a more comfortable handle for walking and which comes with rubber tips. You can argue that you are in training for some hiking, rather than hobbling around the house.
Rehand
Adjustable Walking Stick
from $17.79
Black Diamond
Explorer 2 Trekking Poles
from $69.95
Black Diamond
Rubber Tech Tips
from $14.95
LL Bean
Rambler Compact PowerLock Hiking Staff
$79.95
Heat therapy and support belts
I’m not a doctor, but I found heat therapy to be quite effective at minimizing my pain. My doc says that it increases the blood flow and helps calm some of the inflammation that causes the pain.
The $296 Therabody Thermback uses a combination of heat, vibration and IR light that helped release some of the tension in my lower spine. The Thermback is expensive and doesn’t provide much in the way of support, though, so I also use a $30 Hongjing decompression belt, which uses air pressure to support my back.
On the advice of my doctors, I only use this for a couple of hours at most and in conjunction with physical therapy, because the best long-term solution for my back issues is to build up more support from my muscles, not from a support belt.
Therabody
Thermback LED
from $329.99
Hongjing
Decompression Belt
from $39.88
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