The Casada can fix up my pinched nerve but it takes time and you need to be careful.
Update:  Infrared heat therapy is much faster and easier than massage. Downside: reliable units for infrared therapy cost much more than massage. If you have ferocious cramps then it's good to do massage AND infrared therapy (here is an example: https://www.amazon.com/Far-Infrared-Amethyst-Mat-Midsize/dp/B018Q7SZVO?ref=pf_ov_at_pdctrvw_dp&th=1<br /><br />I purchased this Casada at Costco for a much less than the MSRP.<br /><br />This is my second &#34;massaging&#34; cushion-style machine. The first unit was worthless.  I'll compare to a real live human masseuse instead.<br /><br />Don't put your full body weight on the unit. You'll hurt yourself and possibly break the unit too.<br /><br />The cushion style limits the ease of use. If you sit in a chair or sofa - you can only do part of your back with relative ease (from your waistline to the base of your neck). If you use it in your bed and build a tower of pillows and a buttrest, you can get your whole back and more. Wiggling around to get to a new spot is awkward.  You can also get your legs and arms while in bed without the infrastructure.<br /><br />Humans know anatomy. This machine doesn't. Do not rest on the machine if that spot hurts. You're probably hitting bone/cartilage and it will hurt for days if you keep going. Shift around until it stops hurting.<br /><br />Massages take time. Even a masseuse needs 2-3  two hours sessions to massage away cramping muscles. If you can commit to that many sessions  in a 3-5 day time frame, you can massage away cramps. A nurse at a hospital (who was also a trained masseuse) informed me about this deadline. If you adhere, you *can* eliminate cramping.<br /><br />I have a pinched nerve in the C5, C6 and C7 vertebrae. I've pinched that nerve many times but always thought it was shoulder cramps until I was in the hospital. If you can't or don't want massage, then ice packs are the way to go. I lay on a giant pack for six hours and by golly it was very effective until the ice melted in the middle of the night. Ice is the hospital recommended way to control pain.<br /><br />After I got out of the hospital, that nerve got pinched *again* BIG TIME. The only reason why I wasn't screaming out loud was because I stuffed a towel in my mouth. This time it was prednisone and lots of painkillers plus ice. I took damage in that nerve all the way to the tips of my thumb, forefinger and index finger which went numb (nerves do heal). My doctor has the same condition and informed me massage, acupuncture could all be helpful but it would keep happening over and over again for the rest of my life.<br /><br />Then I picked up the Casada at Costco wondering if I was grasping at straws (no reviewers at Costco - bummer). The next time the nerve acted up, I started the massages. I found it was better to get the whole back rather than concentrate on just the shoulder in order to get all the muscles to relax. The heat was extremely helpful but the vibration seemed to irritate the nerve. After three sessions in 3 days, the cramping/pinched nerve was gone and it stayed away for several months when it happened again. I also had bruises from &#34;resting&#34; on the wrong spots. Given the agony from the pinched nerve, bruises were A-OK.  I've used the machine 3-4 times whenever that nerve acts up and it's been effective every time. Also, fewer bruises as I got better about avoiding trouble and building studier infrastructure.  None of the pinching incidents have ever gotten as bad as the big one.<br /><br />I've been very happy with the Casada but the cramping would start the pinching and wondered why all that salt & bananas wasn't doing it. I found I had all the symptoms of magnesium deficiency - high levels of stress, anxiety WITH cramping (must have both), restless legs and twitching (apparently both are forms of tics). I started supplementing with magnesium and yes, I was deficient because all those symptoms are much improved.<br /><br />Finally, I tried alpha lipoic acid because it's a great antioxidant but it also started healing the nerve damage from the big one. Plus some nerve damage in my back and foot too. I took a break from supplements and the nerve damage in my foot/back returned eventually (ongoing damage) but the damage in my fingers stayed healed.<br /><br />Although it is by no means perfect, I have no regrets about buying the machine. I do wish I could afford one of those massage chairs, but I don't have the space for it.
Rating: 4 stars