Heating pads?

[bunsen_h]

I've been comparison shopping for a heating pad. Almost every local store I've checked sells essentially the same items made by Sunbeam, in some cases house brands labelled as "made by Sunbeam". There are a few other models around. Canadian Tire's website seems to show that they've switched to units made by a different company but haven't properly updated the site to reflect the changes.

Every model I've seen has instructions which specify that one should not sit on or against the heating pad, and that one should place the pad on and not under the "affected body part".

This is bizarre. It seems to be very close to "any plausible use of this device will void its warranty", since most of the pads are definitely not designed to be wrapped around the body nor conveniently attached to it. I've got back pain -- am I supposed to lie on my stomach and try to keep the pad positioned on my back? I've been to physiotherapy sessions and massage sessions in which I was lying on a heating pad -- were those "professional" units?

Comments

[beable]

My dad sits against his all the time.

[dewline.livejournal.com]

It does seem counter-productive to have such a warranty for that sort of product.

[auriaephiala.livejournal.com]

That just makes no sense.

[shonokin.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I lie on mine all the time. I suspect all of their counter-use statements are also to avoid lawsuits for people who don't pay attention, turn them on high, and then get a burn if they have some kind of nerve damage or fall asleep.

Also, mine's a Sunbeam too. I guess they've cornered the market!

[utsi.livejournal.com]

i have laid on mine for many hours. just means the plastic is a tad scorched (don't ask the hours clocked in to ccomplish this)

the professional ones are different though. larger, heavier & are designed to attract or deal with moisture. last i asked about 150 a pop. but i would happily pay that. they are far superior to the household ones. and designed for long term and constant use.

*hugs*
i can try to track down where they are available if you like?

[bunsen-h.livejournal.com]

I asked the physiotherapist today about the "do not sit on or against", etc.; she seemed somewhat perplexed. "Well, you don't want to fall asleep on one..."

i can try to track down where they are available if you like?

At that price, I'll pass, thanks. I hope I won't need "long term and constant use". I went over to the Zellers this afternoon, since their prices for the common models were a bit lower than other local places, and found that they're offering a 30% sale this week on heating pads and humidifiers. So I bought the better-quality, more flexible, throw-the-entire-pad-in-the-washing-machine model for a slightly better price than what they usually charge for their bottom-end model. I'm still not supposed to sit on or against, etc. The physiotherapist said to ignore that.