Complicated issues frequently necessitate imaginative solutions, a fact that I often apply to methods for alleviating pain. Amidst preparing for a triathlon and spending long hours hunched over my computer, I’ve noticed a growing disruption of back pain. However, on most days, I find myself too occupied or fatigued to properly stretch. Instead of enduring it, I have begun exploring a surprisingly convenient approach that many nurses swear by to recover from their 12-hour shifts: Heated vests.

Consider the Pure Enrichment Back and Neck Heating Pad, for instance: With over 8,000 outstanding ratings on Amazon, it has garnered numerous fans who rely on it to alleviate muscle discomfort while on the move. Worn as a vest that fastens with an adjustable belt, this device relieves muscular pain through heated pads placed on the wearer’s neck, shoulders, back, sides, and abdomen. Four different heat settings enable the user to control the temperature of the garment using a remote. The design is luxurious, gentle, and can be worn while cooking in the kitchen, working at a desk, or, in the case of healthcare workers, unwinding after a long day of standing. (By the way, a nurse who stands for “12 plus hours” says this slip-on, now priced at $40, is the “sole” shoe that doesn’t leave them in pain.)

Purchase It: Pure Enrichment Back and Neck Heating Pad, $40 (previously $60), amazon.com

“I’m wearing it as I type; unquestionably worth the money,” wrote one nurse who utilizes the vest to “alleviate muscle tension” in their neck and shoulders and “ease headaches” after demanding shifts. Another healthcare worker referred to it as “a godsend.” “As a nurse, I carry my stress in my back and shoulders… the capability to wrap around my body without falling off allows me to just lean back and relax,” they explained. One shopper even hailed it as “ingenious,” while another person who experiences “frequent discomfort” after their 12-hour shift described the vest as “comforting and snug pain relief.” (Psst: Customers with chronic joint pain deem these patches, priced at $2 apiece, a “must-have” for up to 14 hours of relief.)

If stretching, massage, and other conventional methods of pain alleviation feel like additional tasks on a lengthy checklist, then multitasking-friendly tools like this heated vest can make all the difference.

Purchase this design that has been approved by nurses at a discounted rate of over 30 percent on Amazon. 

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