I just bought this and it works very well after I adjusted it for my height. I too am petite, 5'2" ( mostly legs with a short torso). I had to sit on a pillow to get it at the correct spot but my husband who is 6'2" didn't have any issues. As far as the motor going out, I'm not sure about this since I just bought it but the manual does say not to use it for more than 20min at a time. previous reviewer mentioned using it for 1-2 hours at a time. maybe that had something to do with it. Yes, it has deep pressure but you can alleviate that if you don't like it by placing a towel on the massager as it says in the manual. so, read the manual even if you think it is a no brainer. also vibrate mode is annoying to me especially near shoulders since it is loud. i just turn that off.

-happyneck

8/1/10

good strong massger with heat. best one i've tried ever. Finally something for short people. I'm 5.1' and no problems with reaching shoulder/neck and full back. Strong percussion deep muscle massger with heat. Awesome power with great use. Did stop working after 2weeks, I think it was a malfunction. Was going to exchange it but decided to return it. I will purchase another one to give homedics one more try. It absolutely worked for my arthritis and didn't hafto have someone else hold the handheld massager. Loved it, but malfunctioned after 2weeks.

-livefree

6/23/10

This is one of the Best Massagers I tried. It heats up and penetrates deep into the Muscles. It is very Strong and Hurts but at the same time feels Great. I guess you want it to hurt & work strong to alleviate your sore muscles. I also liked the adjustable feature to move neck massagers up and down to adjust to your height. I am short 5.1" and it reached my neck/shoulders Perfect. So it worked great for back and neck/shoulders. Finally something for short people. Overall I loved the heat feauture. I used this product at home for 2weeks maybe everyother day for 1-2 hrs at a time. After using it for 2weeks it started making a funny sound in the motor and wasn't working as strong as it did before. I did return it back to the store with plans to exchange it for a new one, thinking mine was broken or malfunctione, but just decided to hold off thinking it wasn't worth the price, since it stopped working the same after 2 weeks. I will go back to Bed Bath & Beyond and Purchase a new one and give another one a try.

-FeelGod

6/23/10