The Backlife your own physio therapist 24/7 Review

Nope its not some alien mushroom growing in my garden its called

The Backlife!

How many of you wake up every morning with lower back pain, or come home from work after standing or lifting all day and grab for the painkillers?

I have suffered with excruciating Backpain for over 20 years, plus a few other annoying health problems. So I was so excited to have the opportunity to share the Backlife with you all.

The Backlife is THE WORLD'S ONLY device CLINICALLY proven to relieve Lower back pain, so I just cant wait to show you guys this and try it myself.

You have your very own therapist right there when you need it 24/7. Without having to leave the comfort of your own home!

Check after the jump for my full review and video of how I get on and whether its worked for me.

What can you guys do in 12 minutes in your busy schedules,

Wash your hair...maybe,
Wash the car,
Make a sandwich,
Race the dog round the block.

Okay I'm sure you guys can think of a lot more, but do you have back pain that slows you down, making you feel low, feel agitated even gloopy (come on spell checker get with the times) .
Well now there's something you can do to make those 12 minutes count. Make a massive difference to your life in ONLY 12 minutes and feel relaxed at the same-time.

Packaging
My Backlife arrived the very next day and was well packaged. The box is white with clinical diagrams showing you how it works.

Inside you get your Backlife machine, the power adapter and a thorough glossy manual explaining everything you would want to know. See this in more detail in my video.

Front and back of the Backlife

Description
The Backlife is an electronic back care device that works on a therapy called Continuous Passive Movement CPM. This is normally done manually by Chiropractors, Physiotherapists, at a Drs or Osteopaths.
NOTE: Active movement is you moving your hand, Passive movement is me moving your hand for you....not that I want to touch your hand that would be creepy wouldn't it...but you know what I mean!
So this machine does all the work a Physiotherapist would do at any time day or night, you have your very own therapist in your own home 24/7.

The Backlife is made of ABS plastic and cleverly designed to fit our bodies comfortably while lying down.

The top part that you lay your legs over is slightly textured for better grip so your not sliding everywhere as it moves....clever!

The very slight angle it sits at supports the weight of our legs and feet as they are draped over it.

When you position yourself you slide your bum down to touch the recess especially made so you know your in the right position.

The blue button is the on/off button easily accessible when lying down, its as easy as that!

The blue corrugated softer rubber is covering the motor-mechanism so everything is perfectly safe. The actual base design doubles as feet and hand holes if you wish to hold onto it while its working.

The base has 1 small rubber foot to stop it slipping on a shiny floor and 4 embossed rings to help prevent it slipping on a carpet, these 2 ideas work well together.

Its easier for me to show you the measurements than tell you.

The video above shows you in detail how it works anatomically.

How does it work - The Science Bit?
The Backlife rotates your knees in a circular motion, known as the "Anterior-posterior Pelvic tilt".
This forward movement gently releases the vertebra, increasing metabolism to the area, enhancing blood flow which brings oxygen and nutrition for the muscles in the area at the same time removing waste products. This also GENTLY relaxes the muscles around the lower spine relieving the pain...are you with me so far...phew!

Lower back pain is caused by the lower spinal muscles contracting around the spine which in turn can trap the sciatic nerve causing yet more pain.

Measure your Height?
Before you jump on and fall asleep a very important part to getting it right for you is to know your height measurement in cm's.

The stem underneath the leg rest has height indicators embossed onto it; where you simply twist the knob up or down to your height. This is in cm's and ranges from 145cm-200cm and is numbered in 5cm increments.

Obviously we are all different and some of us may have longer legs or torso so its a rough guide and you just need to adjust this when you have a friend around to see if your in the right position.

Next plug the power cord into the back of the Backlife and then plug it into your available socket. I have to say this is one of the longest cords of any electrical device I own. So dont worry if you want to run the cord from another room it's over 396 cm long, approx 13 foot long.

Your ready to roll.

Getting Started!
Give yourself approximately 20 minutes to enjoy your Backlife. Find a quiet, relaxing spot in the house away from your phone, the kids etc. Wear some loose clothing so your legs can move freely. Remove any belts or items in your pockets as these could rub.
Find a comfortable mat, rug or even a yoga mat or just your carpet and get a comfortable pillow for your head. Carefully sit on the floor and elevate your knees over the top with the Backlife close up to you.
Get someone to help you if needed as believe me I know how sore your back can be just getting on the floor.

Lie on your back as in the diagram above...(with a pillow) in a 90-90 positioning; hips to back at 90 degrees and thighs to knees 90 degrees thats all you need to know. Just remember 90-90!

Press the blue on button and your away, just close your eyes and relax, the machine will gently rotate your legs for approximately 12 minutes and then it automatically stops so no worries if you doze off.

Its then best to just lay there for a couple of minutes before getting up and then to roll off slowly onto your side and stand from there.

Who CANT use the Backlife?

If you cant get on and off the floor easily by yourself it's not advised unless you have someone with you. Even I struggle as my pain is so bad sometimes but believe me you want to try anything that may take that pain away.

I would always check with your Dr if you have more complicated back problems, crumbling spine etc just to make sure its ok.

Storing the Backlife

Just to say yes its quite a bulky piece of kit, but it has to be to take our weight on the leg supports. So they have designed the support to flap down to slide into a cupboard or wardrobe while not in use.
But to be honest I leave mine out so I can quickly grab a few 12 minutes a day of relief and relaxation!

Okay when I first saw this in storage position I immediately thought of the mutated plants in World of Warcraft...or is that just me...what do you think. Maybe I should spray it pink and purple...how cool would that be!

See my full video on the box opening, look round and how it works!

So how did I get on?

We have stone floor in our cottage so I actually went out to buy a new rug just for this and a few cushions...hey I wanted to be comfy.

Backlife's all plugged in and ready to go!

I cannot stress to you guys how excited I was to try this as Ive had absolutely years of excruciating back pain which has left me bedbound on many occasions for days or weeks. My only choice was to reach for more painkillers or travel to Physio's; so if this works for me it will be my miracle personal therapist.

I also want to point out I have seen Dr's and Consultants and one conman who charged me £70 for 10 minutes while he tapped my back with a little metal spoon, but the best place for me was a sports clinic where the Therapist actually did the same movement that the Backlife does manually and it was one of the very few things that ever gave me relief. But of course that only lasted either a day or two, often less before having to go back again, costing time and money.

Those of you that have Physio the worst thing is to have to get back in the car after treatment and go home when your at your most relaxed....do you guys/gals feel this too?

Now with the backlife you have your personal therapist on hand day and night, no more having to turn out on rainy, cold days...woohoo!

One thing to remember before you start is to pull the Backlife towards you using the finger holes again, to get that 90-90, I measured my height and adjusted the height indicator before so Im almost ready.
I love the on/off button so accessible to your hand if you need to stop in a hurry.

I couldn't help but be a bit nervous after years of back-pain as I was so worried it may hurt more, its trusting something new isn't it?

When you turn it on I was so surprised at just how slow and gentle the rotations were and its extremely quiet too; if you wanna doze you can as its whisper quiet...Ive made a video too to show you.

I found it felt odd at first and it took me a few minutes to get the feel of the rotation, but once I relaxed into it it felt good.

For me though I felt pushing the base a few inches away from my bum rather than right up close was more comfortable as my lower spine is extremely stiff and inflexible with years of restricted movement.

The actual movement is not at all uncomfortable, its soothing and I didnt get any pain from using the Backlife.

My only niggle was the base kept walking away from my bum...no seriously dont laugh. Im not sure if I was doing something wrong, I was at exactly 90-90 at the start although that wasn't as comfy for me personally, I feel the base needs to be slightly longer to prevent this.

Maybe extending the base so your actually lying on a joined mat, which means your own weight keeps it still from walking and you have built in comfort too.

I realize this would make it more expensive though.

How loud is it?

One of my favorite gadgets to test my gadgets is my sound meter and I wanted to show you guys just how quiet the Backlife is. I always measure 12 inches away from a item as its average distance you would be from it.

"Ambient" sound 12 inches away measured 31.2 db.

The Backlife measurement is 50.1 db.

To help you understand about decibels Ive added this easy to read chart.

So you can see Ive tested this fairly and I have scientific proof of it being "whisper" quiet.

Opinion

I have to say Im impressed I was nervous at the very start as it doesn't take much to exacerbate my disc problems and sciatica too. But its so extremely gentle and after a few minutes the quiet hum of the motor lulls you off into the land of nod. I would suggest not to do this with a house full of kids or with people around. Grab some time to yourself, pop on some favorite music, light a scented candle and you have your own mini spa!

You wont believe how good 12 minutes can make you feel, even someone who hasn't got back problems will find this soothing and relaxing. Everyone gets backache at some-point so the whole family would benefit from a Backlife.

I cant even exercise properly so this now allows me to get some movement around my lower spine, its genius. I also found once I relaxed it was alot easier to let the machine do the rest. I cant say if its working on the long term pain for me yet, but if you suffer with tension this is AMAZING! My minor aches and pains certainly have reduced slightly and thats a huge thing when you've had that for years; hopefully my major pains will diminish with more use too.

I will keep this post updated to let you guys know.

Pro's

Simple and easy to use.
Any age can use this.
Easy height adjuster for best positioning.
Whisper quiet.
Super long cable for the plug.
Comfortable leg plates.

Con's

Footprint needs to be a bit deeper to stop gradual walking.

The Backlife

£199

They are so confident about the incredible results of this backlife they offer a Lifetime moneyback guarantee; so that if it doesn't work for you, you get your money back; so you just cant go wrong!

All my thanks goes to JD Harris for kindly sending me one to try out...no really thank you....!
All my views and opinions are my own.

Oh and incase you eagle-eyed readers spotted my Bird & Butterfly Trunk in the background of my video and photos here was my review I did earlier this year from the Basket Company.