Back Realignment Device – Thoracic and Lumbar Relief Back Stretcher – Spinal Alignment – Back Stretching Device – Chiropractic Alignment – Back Stretching Device – Back Support Product, Blue, 1 Count

DISCLAIMER: I want to preface this by saying I have Hypermobility Syndrome, which means my joints (and unfortunately back) are far more flexible than they are supposed to be. I searched for reviews mentioning hypermobility and couldn't find any, so I'm hoping my review might help someone in a similar situation as I am. ***This product says it is not supposed to be used with scoliosis, so don't take this review as a license to do so--talk to a doctor you trust first.*** But if you have a similar situation to mine, it might be worth a try. If you DON'T have a super-flexible spine, what I did will probably hurt you. If you have had scoliosis since you were young, your back is probably set as it is and it will need much more careful treatment. Please don't hurt yourself because of something I said.My stats:Height: 5'5"Weight: 150 lbsMy Experience:People think being super flexible is awesome, but it's not. It totally sucks (I would love to use stronger language here). About six weeks ago, my back decided to spasm and seize up and go crazy on me, leaving me mostly unable to walk, lie down, sit, get out of a chair, etc. on my own. I was in absolute torment, pain levels that made me almost black out. This device did NOT cure that--I went to the doctor and had to get steroids and muscle relaxants before I was well enough to go to physical therapy. If you have these problems, you really need to go to a doctor.After my back calmed down, my spine was curved into a lovely scoliosis side curve in my lower back, as well as a bit of a twist (according to my physical therapist). I have no idea if it occurred before or after the spasms, but I didn't have scoliosis when I was checked as an adolescent, so it's adult-onset. I also don't know the severity of the curve because I have not yet had x-rays.After the steroids reduced my nerve inflammation, the pain was mostly under control, but I still felt horribly uncomfortable and out of alignment. I couldn't stand up straight, and I just felt kinked. My back would get so tense and tight and knotted, I would spend fifteen minutes jamming a corner of the wall into my back as hard as I could to try to work into the kinks and ease the tension. I purchased the spineworx gizmo as a replacement for jamming wall corners into my spine.I was really nervous about using the spineworx because so many people said it was challenging to use and easy to hurt yourself. When the spineworx arrived, I took it very easy. First, I held the it up to my back while I was standing to get an idea of roughly where it best fit my back. I took mental note of where my butt was in relation to the bottom of the plastic device, and then sat down on the floor, still holding the device against my back. I set the spineworx on the floor behind me, trying to keep it so that when I lay down, my back would already be close to where it should be on the device. Heeding others' advice, I *very, very slowly* lowered myself down onto the spineworx, adjusting myself as I went such that the groove corresponded to where my upper, still-aligned, spine was. The curved part of my spine didn't fit the groove super well, but it also didn't hurt when I lay down. The curve is just above my butt, so there's probably more fat there to cushion it or something.For as paranoid as I was, the whole process was very easy and painless for me. I found it very easy to align and relax. Just lying there for a while, maybe fifteen minutes, my back felt much less tense. It felt like getting deep fingers right into those knots I couldn't reach before, and the muscles relaxed for the first time in weeks. I didn't have any discomfort and I didn't have to cut the time short. The tenseness did eventually come back, but maybe only after a 2-3 hours. The relief did last for a little while for me, which is saying something because my spine likes to move around. Now, any time I feel tweaked, I lie down on this for about 20 minutes and my back feels much better. I use it 2-3 times a day, in addition to physical therapy, in ongoing treatment of my hypermobile spine.Now for the gross hypermobility stuff.It's worth noting, my spine is so pliant that I can literally use my knuckles to press hard on one side and move it. Unfortunately, my spine is also very, very unstable, and it moves around throughout the day (this is why I'm in physical therapy). Sometimes the curve gets really bad, sometimes it's better. It's never gone altogether.Yesterday, my back felt very uncomfortable, and I reached back to rub it where it felt tense and unhappy. My spine had curved into such a disgustingly bad curve! It was so wrong, like watching your own finger break. I could feel a *very* clear curve right at my lower back. Fortunately, I was at home, so I immediately went to my spineworx and lay down. I lifted my butt and aligned the left ridge of the groove such that it pressed against the outside of the C curve on my spine. Using my weight, I gently but firmly pressed against the curve, pushing it back toward the middle of my back, where it is supposed to be. My spine slowly slid back into place and I felt SO much better. It's a gross feeling to feel your vertebrae move, but it didn't hurt. I did feel some pinch in my ribs as they pulled around, but it wasn't that bad. And afterward, I felt almost back to normal.I have had my spineworx for about two weeks now, and I use it multiple times every day. It helps me manage my hypermobile spine, and I am grateful enough that I felt I needed to write a review. This obviously isn't for everyone, but if it can help you, it might *really* help you. Also, I do still have some curvature to my spine, even using this, and physical therapy will be necessary to rehabilitate it all the way and to prevent relapse.

Like you, I went through and read a lot of reviews before purchasing this. I got it, and I find it pretty easy to use, and it does work pretty well. Like others said, follow the directions, and you should be a o k.For me, I sleep on my stomache/side (not good, but I can't stop it). Every once in a while, I wake up, and my back is out of alignment. Until I got this device, I would have to suffer for several weeks, or go to a chiropractor. Eventually, my back would pop back in, and it would be okay for a while.I would try to lay upside down on the stairs. Tried to use tennis balls under my spine while laying on the floor. I tried every conceivable way to crack my back. None of this was helpful. Either chiropractor, or wait.Well, 5 weeks ago I woke up again, and my back was locked up. I suffered for three weeks, unable to even stand up straight. Came on Amazon, did a search, found this. Within 2 days of using this, my back popped back in. I actually felt it. It's been a week now, and my back feels pretty good. Still a little sore, but 95% there.Criticisms:Should be adjustable for height. I am 5'9/160. Seems a little too long for my frame. Why can't they make it so that you can add/subtract length?Should be more sculpted so that when you lay on it, you *know* that you're on it correctly. I have to feel and mentally mark the small of my back, and make sure the arch goes where it's supposed to.No head support. Really? Can't spend an extra 1.00 more when producing this to give us basic head support?But, it has my solid endorsement.

This tool is very specific. If you understand it, have reasonable expectations and use it correctly, it will greatly benefit you... Please indulge me a moment...Background: I am a 5'4" woman of 120lbs. I have seen chiropractors for more than ten years. I have scoliosis in my upper back and stage 3 degeneration in my neck and spine. My primary location of discomfort is at the thoraco-cervical junction (where the neck vertebrae meet the thoracic vertebrae)and mid-back. I tend to be high-strung and physiologically tense as a lifestyle.Like most people, when I have pain in my neck or back, or even just stress or an unusual workload, I tend to tense my back, neck and core muscles, which exacerbates the problem and can pull everything else out of alignment in fairly short order.This tool is indispensable to me. It has saved me hundreds of dollars in the few months I've owned it in copays and time off, so I don't feel like I have to wait to schedule a chiropractor visit until I cannot stand the pain. I just consider it to be maintenance. It also saves me the hassle of scheduling appointments with work, and I am simply more comfortable and relaxed in general because it keeps my chronic pain under control.This is perfect for maintaining an adjustment from your chiropractor and for preventing simple daily stresses from sending you to the chiropractor. The curves of this unit do not allow for adjusting the neck, but because the spine connects so many structures, maintenance with Spine-Worx will prevent an imbalance in the lower back from causing additional stress on the areas this unit cannot address. Having said that, because the curve in my neck is so degraded, using this unit without a pillow and/or across my bed with my head hanging over the edge (I've padded the edge of the base with some foam pipe insulation), I can usually achieve a very satisfying stretch in my neck.What to Expect: This is a hard plastic structure with a hollow core. The Yellow material that contacts the body is rubber-like and very firm. It does not flex. The unit weighs very little.It does require a little discipline to will your body to relax and allow the alignment to work. The "fins" are relatively narrow, which allows them to concentrate pressure in exactly the regions requiring adjustment. I, personally, find it very relaxing, as the sensation is similar to receiving deep tissue massage.The unit is taller than I visualized. When I lie on it, my shoulders fall back, stretching the "hunch" muscles, which are primary to my habitual spinal self-destruction. I work with my hands in front of me all the time.Placing your arms in different positions, ie.: overhead, crossed on your chest, down to your sides; will affect the adjustment and level of comfort. I will usually change it up while on the unit. Depending on your condition and your ability relax and to surrender to the process, you might be there for 5 minutes, and you might be there for 20. I find it relaxing enough that I will frequently use it in my bed and have often fallen asleep on it.If you are currently in significant pain, this will be very unpleasant for you to use, as it does require a little patience to get aligned on it, though it is not difficult. See your chiropractor first, THEN save a fortune by reducing the frequency of your subsequent visits.