Disclosure: “I have been given a “Cosy Cushion” Pain Relief Cushion as part of a product review. Although the product was a gift, all opinions in this review remain my own and I was in no way influenced by the company.”

When we have pain the natural thing to do is reach for something to give us some comfort and hopefully in the process reduce the pain….or get rid of it!  This goes for a toddler falling and bumping a knee, to a broken bone, to labour and childbirth, to post operative pain.  Fortunately these pains are usually short lived (yes, I know that some labours go on for days, ladies) and will become a memory.  Not so chronic pain, which by definition is pain that has been regular and ongoing for over 6 months.

For most of us living with chronic pain, we have had to find our own methods to help to ease the symptoms in conjunction with drugs and medical intervention.  My back and leg pain is caused by nerve root damage, and I have always found heat to be one of the few things to offer me any relief.  So I was really pleased when Pain Relief Cushions gave me the opportunity to trial and review one of their wheat and lavender cushions.

Pain Relief Cushions state that their mission is to “provide freshly filled cushions at point of order” and that “the same cushion can be used hot or cold”.   The cushions can be heated in the microwave or will take heat from a radiator in order to “give a gentle, penetrating heat which goes deep into the muscles, eases and relieves pain”.  They can also be kept in the fridge and used for cold applications such as swellings and sprains.  The company is approved as a member of The Guild of Master Craftsmen.

I requested a long cushion to use across my lower back and down the length of my leg, but the cushions come in several different shapes and sizes to suit differing needs.  It arrived well packaged with a covering letter, a flier describing the product range and care instructions, and a separate insert with care instructions for the heating and freezing of the pillow.  The pillow is completely natural – the cover is luxurious cotton velvet, available in a selection of colours, and the filling is wheat and optional lavender.

I did opt for lavender and this was the first thing that I noticed on removing it from the packaging – a very pleasant change from some of the less sweet smelling similar products I have used before.  However, the teens in the house did not like the lavender smell, which initially becomes stronger upon heating – personal preference, I guess, as my husband and I both liked it.  The bag is well labelled with clear heating instructions and power settings for your microwave – an average time being 2 minutes.  The care instructions are easy to follow explaining the importance of bunching up the bag, that the microwave plate must be freely spinning and that a new bag might feel “damp” the first couple of times that it is heated.  Likewise the instructions for cooling/freezing are clear.

I have been using the Pain Relief Cushion daily for approx a month now and have been very happy.  When sitting I regularly use an electric heat pad but as this is plugged into the mains, it is not always convenient to use.  This is when a microwave heat bag really comes into its own, and whilst I have used similar products in the past I found this wheat bag to be superior in quality.  Before I have found that wheat bags have not stayed warm for as long as my trusty cherry stone heat bags, but the Pain Relief Cushion does stay warm for a similar time span and is well made.  Remember I use it daily and heat it several times a day, so it is very well used.  

I cannot claim that it gets rid of my nerve pain, but it certainly helps to ease it.  It has also been very helpful for the Ehlers Danlos join/soft tissue pain that I have all over my body – it was particularly good for my neck and regularly dislocating shoulders!  The pictures were taken on a “popped” hip joint day.  For those of us with monthly cramps, it is a great safe alternative to a hot water bottle!  I personally haven’t used the cushion as a cold compress.

The only piece of negative feedback came from my daughter with regards to the packaging.  She commented that in her opinion the flier would attract younger people to the product with a more contemporary, clean look – she is naturally artistic with an eye for graphic design.

From the time that I have used my Pain Relief Cushion, I would definitely recommend it as an aid to pain relief and will continue to use mine.

The products retail in the UK at  www.painreliefcushions.co.uk and in the US at www.ease-pain.com

The company can also be found on social media : Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest