Bodystance The Backpod - Premium Treatment for Neck, Upper Back and Headache Pain from Hunching over Smartphones and Computers. Great for Costochondritis, Thoracic Motion and Perfect Posture.

I bought the Backpod to help with upper back tightness and poor posture from spending long periods sitting at a computer, and it has been a worthwhile addition to my routine. The design is simple but effective, providing a focused stretch across the upper back and chest areas that are often neglected. After regular use, I noticed reduced stiffness and improved mobility, particularly after long periods of sitting. The build quality feels excellent, with a firm but comfortable shape that provides support without feeling unstable or flimsy. It does take some time to get used to, especially if you're particularly tight or inflexible, but following the instructions and using it consistently helps. The compact size makes it easy to store and use at home without taking up much space. A well-made and effective tool for improving thoracic mobility, relieving tension, and supporting better posture as part of a regular stretching routine.

At first sight the Backpod may seem a little expensive for what it is, but after trying out all sorts of cures for Costochondritis I decided that for less than the cost of two physio sessions I would give it a try. I'm extremely glad that I did as it has helped me enormously. A little bit of background ... I'm a 58 year old female. All my life I have kept myself fit and healthy. Before November 2016 I was a regular at the gym, where I did a variety of strength and aerobic based exercises, I was a keen hill walker and led an active lifestyle. In November I went to my GP complaining of pain below the left rib cage. Over the course of several months gastric or heart related sources of the pain were ruled out through various tests (ultrasound, chest X-ray, ECG) and various painkillers were prescribed, which didn't really get rid of the pain and some had unpleasant side effects. Finally in May 2017 I was diagnosed with Costochondritis. I was advised not to lift or stretch and to rest as much as possible. I hadn't heard of Costo before, and neither had family and friends, so I started researching on the internet. I tried various recommended lotions and potions and various things like anti-inflammatory diets, and exercises, which didn't seem to give much relief to my pain. Not wanting to aggrevate my condition, or have any setbacks, the Backpod appealed to me as I could take things at my own pace. I started using it daily in July and it has certainly helped to free-up my ribcage. You simply position it under your back then lie back on it, starting with three pillows under your head, and over the weeks progressing down to zero pillows. It's September now and I have reached zero pillows in nine places on my back for a minute at a time. This means that the maximum time spent is less than ten minutes a day, which anyone could easily fit into their daily routine. Over the weeks I've looked forward to using it for the relief it gives. Don't expect results if you don't persevere every day. After this week I'll be using it for weekly maintenance only. I'm not 100% back to normal but I feel that massive progress has been made and I feel very positive that things will continue to improve. For example, as pathetic as it sounds, a few months ago I couldn't slice bread, chop veg, lie on my side, reach up, carry even the smallest weight, walk with arms swinging or drive without instant pain; now all of these things are possible. I'm extremely grateful to the New Zealand inventor of the Backpod, Steve August, for his helpful advice and encouragement, both before and after I purchased it. He suggested that a combination of Sports Massage treatment with the Backpod would be a good combination. He was right. Steve has made YouTube videos about using the Backpod (it also comes with a useful instruction booklet too) and his explanation of Costo makes sense to me.

OK here is the data. I am a 67 year old man with disc, stenosys and also upper back problems. Probably down to a career of 40 years sitting badly in front of a TV screen. Tried almost everything and found things that do work or at least help significanty to reduce discomfort and pain. The backpod is one of those. It appears to be expensive for what it is but if it reduces my chiro visits in one year by 2, it has paid for itself. While managing long standing lower back issues which I have had for many years, I started to develop upper back issues just a couple of years ago. Probably again down to posture issues. Pain between shoulders and pain in ribs or intercostal muscles. Very stiff around arms and shoulders. If you try the backpod, use it regularly and monitor your pain. Give it a few weeks. Initially it was very painful and I could only anything for short bursts. Now it is much less painful and in fact seems to provide immediate relief if I get the previous aches. It really is just a sophisticated version of the tennis ball fix to apply pressure to muscles in spasm. However it is easier to place, and adjust and covers a greater area. One tip I can provide for a 'mini' version of a backpod session. If you have a high backed chair which reclines, position the backpod on the affected muscle and reach arms up and stretch backwards reclining the chair and increasing pressure of the backpod. My upper back pain has significantly reduced, directly attributable to regular use of the backpod over the last couple of months. If you have experienced relief from chiro putting pressure on muscles in spasm, this will probably work well for you and be solely within your own control and management. Thank you to the designers. It works well for me and is a permanent fixture in my batch against back problems.

I bought this a couple of weeks ago and have used it daily. I have a mild scoliosis and muscle tension along the left side of my back. I have used this every day now a couple of times a day and can lay on it for 10 minutes or so with my head on the floor, - no pillow needed. It seems to have stretched out my back and has relieved quite a lot of the tension that builds up over the day in my back and around the ribs. Sometimes, I use it after I have been sat at my desk for too long hunched over typing and when I lay on it I can feel the vertebrae moving around inside. When I get up I feel like I have had a treatment. It is good, it is a lot of money but it's good, it's the right sized and smooth to lay on.

I hardly ever write reviews but this one was very important & I wanted to personally thank Steve August for his great invention and advice. My situation was a bit unique as my intense rib pain started at 21 weeks pregnant and is now 80% gone at 35 weeks pregnant. Once gastritis, heartburn & other pregnancy ailments were ruled out I was diagnosed with costo. I have a physical job & was signed off from 22 weeks due to the daily intense pain on the left side of my ribs under my breast bone (burning, stabbing, bruised feeling) Everything aggravated the pain; walking, turning, bending, lifting. I became desperate as this was supposed to be such an exciting time in my life (my first pregnancy) but left me daily in tears. I was given strong painkillers and told there was nothing more that could be done. I tried everything, physio, massage, osteopath, chiropractor & the back pod. All costing a great deal of money. Prior to the costo I was an active & healthy person but this left me a couch potato and very miserable. Like many others I saw steve's YouTube videos & thought his advice on costo all made logical sense so bought the back pod. Steve & I engaged in several emails as despite using the back pod continually for 3 weeks the pain wasn't improving. Then my partner started to give me daily massages on my ribs & back using the specific techniques in Steve's YouTube video. I think the one where you gently prise the muscles of the ribs apart was particularly helpful as it allowed my ribs to expand more fully providing much needed relief & I can report now seven days since doing this I'm 80% pain free. It feels like a miracle & I can't thank Steve enough. I would recommend this to anyone & don't give up. Perseverance is key & Steve is unbelievably helpful in providing advice & tips. He genuinely cares. Now I can happily enjoy the last few weeks of my pregnancy with a smile on my face :)I'm still using the back pod & will continue to do so until my pain is completely gone but I'm so positive now as I know it will.

Don't bother for the price. Used once and it is so uncomfortable and difficult to use. Thrown into the back of the cupboard.

I was suffering with Costa for 7 months with night time pain when laying down, my ribs would be burning and inflamed, making it hard to breath. After being diagnosed with Costo from the doctors, they just advised anti-inflammatories and told me it'll get better within 6 weeks. Fast forward, 7 months and I'm still in pain. After youtubing about Costo at 5am (when the pain kept me up), I came across the Backpod. I was sceptical due to the price, but then soon after realised that there was no high price to pay for a remedy for such a disabling pain (that's after paying £100 to Acupuncture with no results). After the backpod arrived, to my COMPLETE SURPRISE - within three weeks of use - the pain has VANISHED! I still get some soreness but no inflammation, no pain waking me up at night and no breathing difficulties. I even messaged the founder on youtube who always quickly replies back too which I found amazing. I HIGHLY recommend the BackPod! 10/10 (Also would advise Tiger Balm when in pain too). EDIT: 2 YEARS LATER turned out it also became gallstones and needed gallbladder surgery, if your in severe pain go to A&E.

Very expensive for what it is, but it is very nicely designed and the perfect size / stiffness for the intended purpose. I always use it with a towel over the top if using centrally on the spine. Not sure about it being a magic bullet for costochondritis, but it does seem to be genuinely helpful in terms of adding a little extra Thoracic mobility when used as instructed. It also works much better than a lacrosse ball etc for working on trigger points adjacent to the Thoracic spine. No regrets a year or so after purchase, I use this for a week every few months or so to help my Thoracic extension on the overhead press.

So, the BackPod is basically a piece of hard plastic covered with a piece of softer silicone. On the surface, it is extremely expensive for 2 pieces of plastic. Due to an old but serious injury, I have a lot of tension in the middle of my back between my shoulder blades. My chiropractor can never adjust this part of my back given the tension that's built up over the years. I hesitated to buy the BackPod but decided it would be worth the price if it provided even a little bit of relief. And, wow, does it ever feel awesome. It is like receiving an acupressure treatment. My body relaxes and opens up. I get a zen-like feeling. It is extremely relaxing and pain relieving. After several weeks of use, I have been able even to adjust my own back, and when I go to the chiropractor, he's been able to get a lot more motion in that part of the spine. I use the BackPod whenever I start to feel the tension start to build. It provides an refreshing relief after prolonged computer use, so I reward myself for working hard by taking 15 minute breaks on the BackPod. It also really opens up the chest and has improved my posture. Combined with sessions on a Concept2 rowing machine at the gym, my posture is overall quite a bit better and I feel generally much better. So the price is quite expensive but the therapeutic benefits definitely make it worthwhile for me. The only negative I can say is that my wife, who has a problem around her scapula and shoulder, tried it several times, which resulted in dislocated some back ribs and causing quite a bit of pain. She had to go to the chiropractor to have those ribs set back in place. So my experience has been extremely positive but my wife won't go near it again. I really do think it comes down to the individual and their underlying condition. That said, I do recommend everyone with back pain to give it a try at the very least.

I've been suffering from extreme thoracic and cervical pain for 5 years. I got this 5 days ago and my pain is significantly decreased. Turns out my incredibly tight and stiff thoracic was the main cause of my neck pain (despite many bulges in my neck). Also the numbness in my hands that I wake to every morning has noticeably decreased too. It remains to be seen if the changes will continue, but it is certainly positive so far. I highly highly recommend this this if you're suffering from pain in the cervical and thoracic spinal areas

I’m really enjoying this. I have mild scoliosis and bulging discs in my neck and lower back. Sometimes my back just feels like someone needs to step on it to crack it or get rid of the pain. This product takes away that feeling. All I do is place it on the floor or a yoga mat and lie back on it. It’s so easy to use and has a comfortable shape to lie on. It’s small enough to pack with you on a trip. It can be used for different parts of your back as well.

I used this to solve chronic shoulder blade pain / costochondritis, after numerous manipulation adjustments by chiropractors and manual therapists failed to resolve my rib cage restrictions. (which by the way have cost me a lot of money.) I have used tennis balls, foam rollers and other tools prior to the Backpod but for me the tissue around the joints on my back really only started to loosen up once I started using this tool, although it took a while. This also meant that this tool was quite uniquely capable of heavily reducing accumulated kyphosis (rounded back) for my posture in general because of the effect it has on the tissue (which I think is fascia? I am not sure.) After lying on the backpod for extended periods I noticed a severely stretched mid-back which made me temporarily feel like a plank when I stood up, revealing a tightness I didn't even know was there. It feels like that stretch you do right after you wake up but then way more intense. I also feel like sharing after years of suffering from back pain that joint manipulation by practitioners is especially valuable when the injury is fresh, however, for a chronic issue manipulation alone is rarely enough. Nobody told me this until I dived a lot deeper trying to solve my thoracic problems mostly by myself, which unfortunately was necessary as the healthcare system (at least in Europe but I think everywhere) is far from perfect. Be wary of chronic manipulation plans. The Backpod is a valuable, unique tool and I am a big fan! Communication with Steve August (the creator of the Backpod) also did help me with some great advice and I thank him for his help. Thanks, Steve! Bless you

I'm truly disappointed that I didn't discover this incredible product sooner. For six long years, I struggled with costochondritis, attempting every medication available without any success. However, after just one day of using the backpod, all my pain vanished!. Highly recommend it to anyone battling with similar issues.