Back Hero
Relieve back pain in two minutes a day
- stretch with ease
- effective against pain in the upper and lower back
- adjustable to your personal needs thanks to three bases and two attachments
- developed by Germany’s Nr.1 pain specialist Roland Liebscher-Bracht
How does the Back Hero help with back pain?
We have found most back pain is due to excessive tension in the muscles and fasciae. Our habitual daily movement is to blame for this: we sit a lot in a hunched position, constantly overextend the neck, and usually have our arms in front of our body.
The muscles and fasciae in the chest, stomach, and hip area, i.e., at the front of the body, are usually in their shortened position and are hardly stretched. The hip flexor, for example, shortens drastically over the years, not only because of a constant sitting posture but also through walking. And in your back region, the back extensors and gluteus muscles have to gradually increase their pull against such forces to keep your body upright. This creates excessive tension, and the resultant muscle overload causes pain.
When this occurs, the increasingly harmful pressure on the joints and intervertebral discs can eventually lead to lumbago (lower back pain). Your body warns of this by sending signal pains.
This is where our Back Hero can help: It expands the shortened tissue at the front of your body, making it flexible again. Used regularly, this can reduce the tension at the front of your body, and thus in your back and gluteus muscle regions. And once this excessive strain is normalized, your body no longer feels challenged, which means your pain is alleviated or may even disappear.
At the same time, rather like a massage, the Back Hero exerts a soothing pressure on the muscles, fasciae, and bones in your back region, allowing your body to relax more and more gradually. This can help your body combat undesirable conditions such as hyperlordosis (hollow back), kyphosis (hunched back), and slipping vertebrae with regular use. If these have developed because of excessive muscle tension or have been aggravated by it, using the Back Hero can optimize your efforts to get yourself back to as normal a state as possible.
How do I use the Back Hero?
Your Back Hero consists of five parts that can be used in different configurations.
There are a total of three different base units, each offering a different height. Two attachments (a 360° attachment for stretching in all directions and a 2D attachment for two-dimensional spine correction) complete the tool.
Application for pain in the upper back or for the regression of the round back
For lower back pain, lie down with the Back Hero placed against your sacrum, which lies below the spine. For pain in the upper back or a hunched back, try to find the spot where you can feel the greatest stretch. In the back region, this is usually level with the lower half of the sternum (breastbone).
Step 1: Choose your attachment
First of all, lie down on the two attachments one after the other, and compare the feeling of pressure they create. Then start practicing with the attachment that feels the best. If it hurts too much, put a folded towel or a suitably sized pillow on the attachment for the first time. We consider the pain pressure too much – which we designate as a level 10 pain – if you can't remain completely calm and relaxed while you take deep breaths.
Step 2: Choose your base height
If your upper back curvature is more pronounced, you may find the attachment height alone may be enough to generate sufficient stretching intensity. Your neck mustn’t be uncomfortably stretched when your head is on the floor. And neither should this hyperextension go all the way up to 10. Try always to position your head so your chin is as close to the larynx as possible and lie with your arms straight out on the floor at shoulder height.
If you feel less than an 8 stretch in the shoulders and chest region, that's when you need some further support under the attachment. It is best to start with the smallest base before carefully making any further adjustments to reach the perfect intensity. To achieve maximum intensity, you can combine all the bases by simply stacking them on top of each other. The table above shows you how to increase the height in small increments. Place the pedestal base unit on a flat surface (such as an exercise mat).
As well as making base height adjustments, you can also increase the intensity of the stretches by switching from the 360° attachment to the 2D attachment. We recommend beginners should start with the 360° attachment.
Use the same strategy for your lower back. The difference here is that you would normally choose a significantly higher exercise height for the lower back. With the lower back, you will usually feel the stretch in the groin or in the back itself, which will feel the same as the pain you are suffering. This is a sign you are doing precisely the right thing for your back. Find the level of intensity (below 10) you need to remain comfortable. You can usually increase the stretch’s intensity by bending your knees at an angle of 90 °, putting your feet together, and letting your knees sink outwards and downwards.
Application for pain in the upper back or for the regression of the round back
For lower back pain, lie down with the Back Hero placed against your sacrum, which lies below the spine. For pain in the upper back or a hunched back, try to find the spot where you can feel the greatest stretch. In the back region, this is usually level with the lower half of the sternum (breastbone).
Step 1: Choose your attachment
First of all, lie down on the two attachments one after the other, and compare the feeling of pressure they create. Then start practicing with the attachment that feels the best. If it hurts too much, put a folded towel or a suitably sized pillow on the attachment for the first time. We consider the pain pressure too much – which we designate as a level 10 pain – if you can't remain completely calm and relaxed while you take deep breaths.
Step 2: Choose your base height
If the stretching pain in the lower back drops below 8 when exercising without a base, you can increase the intensity.
To do this, place the bases under the attachment. The bases are marked on the bottom with the numbers 1 (small), 2 (medium) and 3 (large). The higher the base, the more intense the stretch. The bases can also be combined with each other. This allows you to increase the stretching intensity in small steps.
Training stretching
You will feel the stretch mainly in your groin and thighs, but it can also affect your back and abdomen.
See if you can increase the stretch by opening your legs more and more and/or turning them inwards or outwards.
Stay in the stretch for at least 2.5 minutes, but at best 3-4 minutes, breathing as deeply and evenly as possible.
Stay at intensity 9.5 during the stretch and release slowly without any fast or jerky movements.
Make sure that your stretching pain always stays just below 10. You will feel a 10 when you can no longer breathe freely and relax and begin to mentally or physically counter-tension to withstand the pain.
Step 1: Choose your attachment
First of all, lie down on the two attachments one after the other, and compare the feeling of pressure they create. Then start practicing with the attachment that feels the best. If it hurts too much, put a folded towel or a suitably sized pillow on the attachment for the first time. We consider the pain pressure too much – which we designate as a level 10 pain – if you can't remain completely calm and relaxed while you take deep breaths.
If your upper back curvature is more pronounced, you may find the attachment height alone may be enough to generate sufficient stretching intensity. Your neck mustn’t be uncomfortably stretched when your head is on the floor. And neither should this hyperextension go all the way up to 10. Try always to position your head so your chin is as close to the larynx as possible and lie with your arms straight out on the floor at shoulder height.
If you feel less than an 8 stretch in the shoulders and chest region, that's when you need some further support under the attachment. It is best to start with the smallest base before carefully making any further adjustments to reach the perfect intensity. To achieve maximum intensity, you can combine all the bases by simply stacking them on top of each other. The table above shows you how to increase the height in small increments. Place the pedestal base unit on a flat surface (such as an exercise mat).
As well as making base height adjustments, you can also increase the intensity of the stretches by switching from the 360° attachment to the 2D attachment. We recommend beginners should start with the 360° attachment.
Use the same strategy for your lower back. The difference here is that you would normally choose a significantly higher exercise height for the lower back. With the lower back, you will usually feel the stretch in the groin or in the back itself, which will feel the same as the pain you are suffering. This is a sign you are doing precisely the right thing for your back. Find the level of intensity (below 10) you need to remain comfortable. You can usually increase the stretch’s intensity by bending your knees at an angle of 90 °, putting your feet together, and letting your knees sink outwards and downwards.
Step 1: Choose your attachment
First of all, lie down on the two attachments one after the other, and compare the feeling of pressure they create. Then start practicing with the attachment that feels the best. If it hurts too much, put a folded towel or a suitably sized pillow on the attachment for the first time. We consider the pain pressure too much – which we designate as a level 10 pain – if you can't remain completely calm and relaxed while you take deep breaths.
Step 2: Choose your base height
If your upper back curvature is more pronounced, you may find the attachment height alone may be enough to generate sufficient stretching intensity. Your neck mustn’t be uncomfortably stretched when your head is on the floor. And neither should this hyperextension go all the way up to 10. Try always to position your head so your chin is as close to the larynx as possible and lie with your arms straight out on the floor at shoulder height.
If you feel less than an 8 stretch in the shoulders and chest region, that's when you need some further support under the attachment. It is best to start with the smallest base before carefully making any further adjustments to reach the perfect intensity. To achieve maximum intensity, you can combine all the bases by simply stacking them on top of each other. The table above shows you how to increase the height in small increments. Place the pedestal base unit on a flat surface (such as an exercise mat).
Step 1: Choose your attachment
First of all, lie down on the two attachments one after the other, and compare the feeling of pressure they create. Then start practicing with the attachment that feels the best. If it hurts too much, put a folded towel or a suitably sized pillow on the attachment for the first time. We consider the pain pressure too much – which we designate as a level 10 pain – if you can't remain completely calm and relaxed while you take deep breaths.
Step 2: Choose your base height
If the stretching pain in the lower back drops below 8 when exercising without a base, you can increase the intensity.
To do this, place the bases under the attachment. The bases are marked on the bottom with the numbers 1 (small), 2 (medium) and 3 (large). The higher the base, the more intense the stretch. The bases can also be combined with each other. This allows you to increase the stretching intensity in small steps.
Training stretching
You will feel the stretch mainly in your groin and thighs, but it can also affect your back and abdomen.
See if you can increase the stretch by opening your legs more and more and/or turning them inwards or outwards.
Stay in the stretch for at least 2.5 minutes, but at best 3-4 minutes, breathing as deeply and evenly as possible.
Stay at intensity 9.5 during the stretch and release slowly without any fast or jerky movements.
Make sure that your stretching pain always stays just below 10. You will feel a 10 when you can no longer breathe freely and relax and begin to mentally or physically counter-tension to withstand the pain.