Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsReturning it: well-made, but worsened my neck & back spinal neurosis and left-leg sciatica pains
Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2023
I think this ComfiLife Anti Fatigue Floor Mat might work well for someone who places it directly on a hard-wood floor or other flat & hard surface AND does not suffer from medical conditions that might be adversely affected by not having a completely firm mat to stand on. In my case, I have a number of medical concerns (left-leg sciatica/neuropathy, left and right toes' numbness, spinal neurorsis in my C1-C7 neck, thorax and lumbar spine issues, and right-hand tingling that is confirmed NOT to be carpal tunnel but is probably due to spine neurosis) that requires that my feet and back not be shifting around, so I would might have benefitted from a firmer mat than the ComfiLife Anti Fatigue Floor Mat.
Others have described this ComfiLife Anti Fatigue Floor Mat as "squishy" and that is exactly correct. Though this mat may work for someone who does not have medical problems, I found that I actually felt MORE tired/fatigued using this mat than not using this mat, and I am pretty sure it's because this ComfiLife Mat is so soft that one's foot shifts a bit to the left, right, back, and front, depending on how one adjust one's weight. I do not think this is a unique fault of THIS specific "anti-fatigue mat" but perhaps of all of these spongy mats.
In my case, the mat was also, in hindsight, unnecessary, because I have a soft rug flooring (not a hard wood floor) AND I wear cushiony firm indoor slippers (no shoes worn in the house due to hygiene "best practices", Asian-style) with medically-prescribed Orthotics inserted into these slippers to avoid overpronation of my feet. In short, I'm already getting sufficient "anti-fatigue" cushioning by other means. For me (i.e. in my personal experience), the "added" squishiness of the ComfiLife Anti Fatigue Floor Mat only ended up producing greater instability to my standing, hence, producing greater physical discomfort and fatigue/tiredness. I practiced alternating between using the ComfiLife Anti Fatigue Floor Mat and NOT using this mat, and it became clear that I never felt comfortable using this mat, and today, when I tried using this mat all day long, all of my distinct body pains increased dramatically. This led me to decide to return this product this week.
Can this ComfiLife Anti Fatigue Floor Mat work well for you? Perhaps. My guess is that you would have more success if you place the mat on a hard firm surface (not a rug or already cushioned surface, which would lead to over-cushioning and instability) and if you also wear harder shoes (either indoor-only shoes if you don't want to bring dirt and germs into your home, or any shoe, if you do not mind wearing outdoor shoes in your home). My recommendation is to go ahead and order this ComfiLife Anti Fatigue Floor Mat -- it is a very well-made and attractive product -- and test it yourself. If it feels great for at least 2-3 days of many hours of standing and working at your standing desk/computer, then more than likely it might work well for you. The good news is that the seller and Amazon have a great free return policy (i.e. I think it's 30 days from the date you receive the product), so if the product ends up causing you pain, it won't be a pain to return the mat for a refund. Since I personally experienced so much pain after using this mat, I decided to return it after only two days. Hope you have better luck with this mat than I did. Because I understand that this mat may work for some people, I gave it a "3" instead of a "1". I also gave it a "3" because it was clearly well-manufactured. I just don't think it's a great match for someone like myself with a similar set of some or all of my symptoms described above.
