Do Pranamat ECO acupressure mats work?

This year I had the opportunity to get my hands on a long coveted product - Pranamat ECO a set of acupressure products. I received the needle mat kit from the manufacturer in return for an honest review. Researching through experience Pranamat ECO products on your body, I decided to exercise my mind a little and see what is known about the science behind these products? The result is this article, in which I describe both my personal experiences and look at what they can be useful for Pranamat ECO mats.

What are acupressure products?

Acupressure pads, sometimes also called needle stimulation pads (needle stimulation pad (NSP)) are thin mattresses or pads made of fabric and soft filling, covered with plastic pinholes. These needle-like protrusions put pressure on parts of the body, stimulating certain points on the body. The manufacturers promise that their use helps to promote relaxation, alleviate various health problems and provide an extra burst of energy.

Pranamat ECO production

High-quality acupressure products manufactured in Latvia Pranamat ECO. Unlike what many foreign producers do, Pranamat ECO pay special attention to the quality and ecology of materials. The raw materials used are environmentally friendly and ethically sourced, such as natural cotton, coconut fibre, linen, environmentally friendly plastics (HIPS plastics, also used in the production of medical supplies and children's toys). The Pranamat ECO packaging and user manual are made from recycled materials. Each product is STANDARD 100 certified, independently awarded by OEKO-TEX®.

What am I saying?

Pranamat ECO The mat was one of those products that had been on my wish list for some time. I had tried and tested it several times in yoga classes, retreats and other various activities. So I was really happy to have the opportunity to work with the manufacturers. 

Now that I have the mat, I use it occasionally - I'm trying to get into the habit of lying on it for about 10-15 minutes before going to bed. The body automatically asks for the door therapy to be combined with deep breathing, because otherwise (at least in the first few minutes) the breath catches, the face slams together and it's hard to relax. However, the relaxed state arrives very soon - when the back gets used to the banging. I thoroughly enjoy the sharp sensations, and also the sensations after acupressure - the mind feels more powerful, the body more vital, more recharged. Perhaps it would be wiser to use this product in the morning rather than in the evening.

Long-term benefits have not yet been observed. This is probably because I have not yet got into systematic use and the time spent testing is still too short. However, I feel inspired by the scientific studies mentioned in this article and ready to give products a chance not only to improve my daily mood by laughing at the contrasts I experience, but also to see how it affects my health in the long term. Sleep quality might be the first thing on my list to watch.

What does the science say?

It should be said upfront that the number of scientific studies on the effectiveness of acupressure mattresses is very limited. In the available databases, I could find only five reliable studies that have been carried out specifically on acupressure mats and not on acupressure per se. However, the good news is that the results of these studies suggest that there might be potential, especially when it comes to alleviating pre-existing health problems (e.g. chronic pain).

What is acupressure?

Sleeping in a bed of nails has existed for centuries (both as a spiritual practice and as a magic trick). Acupressure, on the other hand, is a system of diagnosis and treatment from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that is more than 4000 years old - a modified form of acupuncture that does not involve sticking needles into the body. Acupuncture and acupressure only gained popularity in Western cultures after 1970, when editor James Reston (James Reston) returned from China with a personal life experience in which he was anaesthetised during an appendectomy using acupuncture. Acupressure mats are an invention of Western culture.

Acupressure involves non-invasive stimulation of points on the body (about 400 points spread over the whole body) using pressing movements. In Western medicine, it is seen as a complementary or additional form of health care.

Most of the studies on acupressure so far show that it can relieve fatigue, insomnia, nausea and vomiting, labour pains, back pain and other symptoms. However, the review articles so far point out that further research is needed to ascertain the effectiveness of acupressure.

What does the research show?

I have already mentioned that there are few reliable studies specifically on the use of acupressure mats. So I will briefly review each one I could find.

A 2011 study showed that combining the use of an acupressure mat with relaxing music and relaxation coaching (e.g. asking people to slow down their breathing) leads to increased sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system activity in healthy adults. Relaxation was observed, but in the present study it was concluded that this could not be attributed solely to the use of the acupressure mat, but also to slowed breathing (Olsson & Von Scheele, 2011).

Another 2011 study of people with muscle tension pain used acupressure mats for four weeks, 15 minutes a day. After about three weeks, participants reported a significant reduction in peak muscle pain, but the average pain experience remained unchanged. Participants also reported a positive effect on mood and sleep quality, but this was not actually reflected in the data as a statistically significant change (Kjellgren et al., 2011).

In 2012, researchers recruited participants with chronic neck and lower back pain. Participants were instructed to use acupressure mats for 14 days, applying it to the painful part of the body for about 30 minutes a day, before activating their arms (for neck pain) and legs (for back pain) with acupressure for 10 minutes. This resulted in a significant reduction of pain in both groups of patients. The effect was strong and stable even after a relatively short treatment period (daily treatment for two weeks) (Hohmann et al., 2012).

In a 2021 study, people with non-specific low back pain were asked to use acupressure mats for 60 minutes a day. The mats were used as part of a total six-month treatment plan that included exercise (one group used the mats, the other did not). This study found that using an acupressure mat as an additional tool enhanced participants' benefits from the overall treatment plan. Pain was reduced more effectively, participants' functionality and quality of life were improved more, especially in terms of medium- and long-term benefit (Frizziero et al., 2021).

The brand new 2023 study involved healthy, young adults who regularly tested acupuncture mats for three weeks. The findings show that acupressure mats have some beneficial effects on a subjective level - reducing stress levels and improving sleep quality. No evidence was found that they were more effective than other relaxation techniques. However, researchers suggest that for specific health problems (e.g. tension pain) the use of mats may be more effective (Kisker & Schöne, 2023).

For what purposes may be useful Pranamat ECO doormats?

Summarising all the above, it seems that Pranamat ECO products can have the greatest long-term benefits when used systematically, regularly and with the aim of alleviating an existing problem - chronic pain, stress-related bodily symptoms and tension. For healthy people, it can certainly be a pleasant and mood-enhancing preventive tool, especially when used in combination with other relaxation elements (e.g. music, breathing, guided visualisation, etc.).

Feini said the self-help technique is easily accessible, convenient to use and unlikely to cause any harm. Acupressure mats can be an auxiliary tool to enhance subjective well-being and an additional tool for a more successful recovery from certain health problems, of course in combination with a basic treatment programme.

This free content is produced in my spare time without pay. If you see value in what I do, I'd be happy to make you a coffee! It's like a spur to create new content! 🙂

Sources:

Frizziero, A. Masiero, S., Finotti. P., La Scala, C. Morone, G. , Piran, G. & Masiero, S. (2021). Efficacy of an Acupressure Mat in Association with Therapeutic Exercise in the Management of Chronic Low Back Pain: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Study. Applied Sciences, 11 (5211), 1-12.

Hohmann, C., Ullrich, I., Lauche, R., Choi, K. E., Lüdtke, R., Rolke, R., Cramer, H., Saha, F. J., Rampp, T., Michalsen, A., Langhorst, J., Dobos, G., & Musial, F. (2012). The benefit of a mechanical needle stimulation pad in patients with chronic neck and lower back pain: two randomized controlled pilot studies. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine: eCAM, 2012, 753583. 

Juarascio, A., Cuellar, N. G. & Gooneratne, N. S. (2012). Alternative Therapeutics for Sleep Disorders. Chapter 9 in Therapy in Sleep Medicine, 126-139.

Kisker, J. & Schöne, B. (2023). Regular use of acupressure mats reduces perceived stress at subjective but not psychophysiological levels: Insights from a three-week relaxation training. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, 1-18.

Kjellgren, A., Erdefelt, K., Werngren, L., & Norlander, T. (2011). Does relaxation on a bed of nails (spike mat) induce beneficial effects? A randomized controlled pilot study. Alternative Medicine Studies, 1(1), 5. 

Sharma, A. (2015). A Historical Exploration of the Acupressure Mat Patents. Scientific Research Journal of India, 4(3), 1-5.

Olsson, E. M. G., & Von Schéele, B. (2011). Relaxing on a bed of nails: An exploratory study of the effects on the autonomic, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems, and saliva cortisol. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 17(1), 5-12. 

Wilson, D. R. (July 7, 2020). Does an acupressure mat work? Medical News Today.