Have you ever seen one of those Shiatsu massage chair accessories? They fit over certain chair backs and allow you to comfortably sit down while receiving a deep massage. Gadgets like these are growing in popularity, and with steep price stickers, it makes you wonder if they're really effective.

A professor at Duke University states that when you sit down on that chair, or stick your feet in a mechanical masseuse, or don the head spa, it will definitely start to make things feel better. However, those people with chronic pain are mostly getting the placebo effect.

There's nothing wrong with that either, of course. As this article asserts, feeling better is all the same! But before you drop all that money on an expensive gadget, check out their list of technological pain relievers to see how a clinical professor of neurology reviewed them. In the long term, the price paid for such gizmo's could definitely be cheaper than paying a professional to give you a massage. But if they go unused, it may be a waste of money.