In fact, this device has been specifically designed to undo the damage being done to my body by all my other devices.
You could say, it's an anti-device...
The Backpod was designed by a New Zealand physiotherapist to address the issue of back pain and tension between the shoulder blades, commonly caused by prolonged use of computer keyboards, tablets and other devices.
Apparently the more time we spend hunched over these things, the more likely our spine is to seize itself into that position and that's where the pain and posture problems start.
As someone who's suffered from consistent and prolonged back pain for as long as I can remember, I figured this thing was definitely worth a crack. (That's a totally brilliant pun, by the way. Although it may not become obvious until a little bit later)
Not only do I spend hours a day curled over a keyboard, I also subject my torso to the regular torture imposed by a fairly large sound desk. That's a lot of repetitive reaching in rather un-ergonomic directions and by the end of the week, I usually have a lot more in common with Quasimodo than just an annoying ringing in my ears.
This condition is colloquially known as "i-Hunch," something I'm sure many of you would find all too familiar.
That's where the Backpod comes in.
But first I had to figure out how to turn it on.
Or at least where the batteries go.
As it turns out... that's not the idea here.
I eventually discovered, the Backpod is just a lump for lying on.
The trick is, it's exactly the right kind of lump.
As anyone who puts up with a bad back will tell you, there's nothing more satisfying than the crackity-crack-crack of your spine being manipulated by a trained professional. It's so annoying most of us don't have a trained professional on hand 24 hours a day.
Amazingly, by lying on the Backpod and putting my hands behind my head as per the enclosed instructions, I immediately found myself in crackity-crack-crack heaven. By working the Backpod up and down your spine for a few minutes every day, the theory is you can rehabilitate the frozen bits between your shoulder blades to their former flexible selves.
I've been using the Backpod for a couple of weeks now, and while I'm not yet about to tour my contortionist act with Cirque du Soleil, I'm definitely feeling more freed up. The Backpod's instruction booklet depicts a host other helpful exercises and massage techniques which are all demonstrated on Backpod's YouTube channel.
The best thing about it though, is the instant relief I feel each time I use it. This isn't any kind of medical testimonial, it's just my personal experience after a hard Saturday's waterblasting. To be able to go from seized up old man, to happy-go-lucky slightly-less-old man in minutes is a godsend and I owe it all to my trusty green lump.
Pity they don't come in red though. Green really isn't my colour.
Click here for more information on the Backpod
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