How to roll away all your sore back blues
<p>We all know that working a 9-5 and sitting all day leads to various health problems. For me personally, it manifests itself through chronic back pain and tight hip flexors. </p>
<p>Fortunately, there's a way for me to soothe these aches and pains from home. I've been using <a href="https://www.therabody.com/anz/en-au/wave-roller-anz.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Therabody's Wave Roller</a> for the past week, and my back pain has significantly reduced. </p>
<p>The Wave Roller is a Bluetooth-enabled vibrating foam roller that proposes benefits like increasing blood flow, enhancing mobility, and releasing tension. You can connect the roller to a free Therabody App, where you can find personalised recovery routines targeting all parts of your body, along with instructions and how-tos. </p>
<p>Here are some of my initial thoughts. </p>
<p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/03/03_RizWaveroller01.jpg" alt="Therabody Wave Roller in use" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>My personal favourites are the mid back and upper back routines, which take up to 5 minutes to complete. Since most of the tension is in my upper body, which causes my lower back to overcompensate, I've decided to focus on these areas. </p>
<p>The foam roller comes with a bag and charger and is reasonably lightweight, so you could easily carry it around. The foam itself is a high-density foam, and I like that you can customise the intensity and frequency of the vibrations. </p>
<p>There are five customised vibration settings, with 5 being the highest and most intense. I could only handle up to the third setting or the medium-intensity.</p>
<p>But, the higher the intensity, the more noise it produces, although I didn't mind it so much for the other benefits it provided. </p>
<p>The routines are easy to follow, with pictures demonstrating each move and seamless transitions from one exercise to the next. I also liked that the intensity of the vibrations automatically changes according to what's best for that particular movement. </p>
<p>I would have loved seeing a video demonstration before each routine, as I wasn't sure if I was doing some of the exercises quite correctly. </p>
<p>I also found that the Wave Roller can be slippery to use in some movements, like when I tried it on my rotator cuffs. </p>
<p>Despite this, the Wave Roller is a pleasure to use after a long day, when my muscles are the most tense. I find it a helpful tool in managing pain, soreness, and releasing tension. </p>
<p>Although it is on the higher end of the price range compared to other foam rollers, I think it's worth the investment. The technology is advanced, and you can personalise the areas you want to work on using the step-by-step programs in their app. </p>
<p>It also feels like you're getting a massage, but it's more personalised and customisable. </p>
<p>If using the app seems intimidating or too complicated, you can use the Wave Roller by itself and adjust the intensity using the + and - buttons. </p>
<p><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/03/02_RizWaveroller.jpg" alt="Therabody Wave Roller" width="1280" height="720" /></p>
<p>In summary, here are the pros and cons to consider if you're thinking of purchasing one for yourself. </p>
<p><strong>Pros: </strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Relieves soreness and muscle tension</li>
<li>Variety of settings for the vibrations</li>
<li>App integration </li>
<li>Personalised programs that are quick and easy to follow</li>
<li>3-hour battery life and it doesn’t take too long to charge</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Cons: </strong></p>
<ul>
<li>The cost (RRP $249), but worth every penny! </li>
<li>Medium to High setting intense and pretty noisy </li>
<li>Depending on the exercise you do it can be quite slippery</li>
<li>Video demonstrations before each exercise would be even better </li>
</ul>
<p>The Wave Roller series is available via the <a href="https://www.therabody.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Theragun-ANZ-Site/en_AU/Default-Start" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Therabody website</a>. </p>
<p>Images: Rizna Mutmainah & Therabody</p>
