Back
off, pain!
You
might have a fancy phone and a drone that follows you to the shops to
remind you to buy organic milk, but how does technology really help
improve your life? If you suffer from chronic back pain (as many
people do) you probably couldn't give two stuffs about phones and
drones, too distracted as you are by pain. Well this gadget might
make you look at modern tech differently. We strap ourselves up to
the ActiPatch Back Pain Relief.
If this medical gadgets sounds familiar, its because we've already reviewed it. Back in 2014 we tested the knee pain relieving version of ActiPatch and were very satisfied with the results. The back pain version is essentially the exact same bit of tech, but packaged with a comfortable wrap especially designed to fit on your back. This one of our number was very happy to test, as he's 'gone and knackered his back' hoisting a very solid toddler into the air one day recently. Ah, parenthood.
If this medical gadgets sounds familiar, its because we've already reviewed it. Back in 2014 we tested the knee pain relieving version of ActiPatch and were very satisfied with the results. The back pain version is essentially the exact same bit of tech, but packaged with a comfortable wrap especially designed to fit on your back. This one of our number was very happy to test, as he's 'gone and knackered his back' hoisting a very solid toddler into the air one day recently. Ah, parenthood.
We
wrote about this in the review of the knee-fixing version, but in a
nutshell ActiPatch uses electromagnetic pulse therapy to reduce
inflammation around damaged tissue and therefore reduce pain. This
worked wonders on the knee upon which the last one was tested, with
the gadget encircling the effected area very well. But how does it
operate on a big ol' back?
The
ActiPatch Back Pain Relief uses a soft strap which you simply attach
around your stomach, tight enough only to hold the ActiPatch in
place. The ActiPatch itself then threads onto two loops in the fabric
and you slide the whole thing around until the hoop is centred on the
problem area. Then you get on with your day. There's no charging
required as the device has an onboard battery that is good for up 720
hours of controlled use. You simply flick the small switch to turn it
on, turning it off whenever you're done. It's comfortable, minuscule,
and safe to use for everyone but pregnant women. Which we are
definitely not.
After
wearing the ActiPatch for a whole week, how did our guinea pig feel?
Good; damn good in fact. The dull ache in the base of his spine has
reduced a lot, despite still having to pick up the offending toddler
several times each (albeit in a far more gentler, old-man way). He
reported that the most useful thing about it is the ability to slide
it around to focus on a different area of the back at a different
time of day, meaning the relative small size of the device is a real
advantage.
Obviously
we tested this for just a fraction of the ActiPatch's life, so it's
great to know that it can be switched off, put away in a drawer, and
pulled out to use the next time Daddy Dangerous wants to look cool in
front of a two year old.
£17.99