Back in October after meeting the fab guys from Back In Action, a shop with design as well as comfort at the forefront of their offerings, I was sent a Mobiliser to test for a few months and review on the blog.

The Mobiliser is, as they say at Back In Action, a powerful spinal join mobilisation system and is something you can have and use at home to give the benefits of a physiotherapy session to poorly backs. It’s used by famous athletes and even the Ministry of Defence so comes highly recommended and when I spoke to David, the owner of the shop, he told me it might help with my bad knee too.

So if my back is correctly looked after this can travel down the body and assist with other problems so I’m told and I was absolutely prepared to give it a go. It’s all about getting the spine how it should be and frankly, after a year or so of knee pain which is sometimes unbearable (I don’t use that term lightly and have given birth with no pain relief twice) I would do anything to see if it could be relieved.

The Mobiliser is, essentially, a fold out mat which comes with pads to attach or detach at necessary in order to lift your neck and spine where they should be. There is a diary system which allows users to have constant contact with the team at Back In Action and from there they advise what you should be doing to increase or decrease the use. It’s not exactly a subtle size but does fit neatly under a bed which is fine if this is the room you will most use it in. It’s a heavy old thing to carry about so finding the right home for it, especially with a bad back, is definitely paramount.

Back In Action will deliver the kit (at cost) along with the instructions and the idea is that you hire it for as long as you need. If you can collect it and deliver it back to store then a month’s package costs £199. This might sound fairly pricey but factor in the cost a physio session would set you back and I think it’s fairly reasonable. I live in Norfolk, rather a distance from Marylebone where the shop lives so the Mobiliser was delivered to my door with a view to me using it for four months. They say the use comes in 5 stages and then, a lot of their users end up becoming owners they are so impressed. The stages they suggest are:

Stage 1
Read about the Mobiliser™ System, visit us for a test drive, or use one at a local practitioner.

Stage 2
Book a 1-month package. We deliver the Mobiliser™ (or you can collect) and set up our consultancy.

Stage 3
You use the Mobiliser™ at home and we chat about your history and how you are progressing.

Stage 4
After a few days most users feel more flexible and have less pain. We discuss increasing the intensity.

Stage 5
After a few weeks most users are convinced they’ve found their answer.

Now I was initially very excited to try the Mobiliser and used it regularly although I found the filling in of the diary quite annoying. I suspect this is because I don’t have a perpetually bad back and instead know exactly what is wrong with my knee and just want it to feel better. I didn’t find, for my needs. that I needed the constant contact with the team but I can totally see how this would benefit someone who is desperately trying to relieve back pain. My husband has suffered with back ache in the past and I think discussing it with experts as he uses the mobiliser would be just the ticket for someone like him whereas I felt I just wanted to be left alone to get on with it and use it at my leisure.

I found that I did this quite effectively and noticed within a week or so that my knee pain had indeed become a lot less and I’m sure it has something to do with aligning my back properly from using the Mobiliser. I have to admit that I am rather a fair weather user of such things and was not religious about my use, mainly opting to do it as and when I had time or fancied a massage for it certainly feels very soothing (if a little painful to begin with) and I even fell asleep on it a few times (as did my husband).

Although it helped my knee initially and I have definitely seen benefits I’m afraid I have slipped somewhat in the use. As my knee gets better (which is does do periodically anyway) I would leave it and then go back to it when it started hurting again. Again, if I suffered with a bad back on a frequent basis I’m sure I would have used it far more religiously and often. It’s a case of when in pain do something about it and all other times ignore for me but that’s life and being busy.

Saying that I’m very impressed with the effectiveness the Mobiliser has had on my knee and how quickly it can get me back on track when it flares up. It’s not something I had considered before and perhaps something which is better than waiting, waiting, waiting for NHS physiotherapy sessions. I went for massively extensive and expensive tests when I was living in London and had just been referred to the Olympic Sports clinic when I moved and my notes, although promised to be sent on and picked up in my new home of Norfolk are still to see the light of day nearly one year on. The Mobiliser has been a great thing to have because of that alone.

I think the Mobiliser and indeed a lot of the products sold at Back In Action, are worth investigating with any kind of muscular or joint pain. The guys are very knowledgeable and helpful and as they ask you to come in for a free test drive it’s definitely worth going into store to do just that. If you are prepared to part with the money a physiotherapy session would cost then this is a no brainer as far as I can see. It’s helpful, easy to use and offers a lot of support from Customer Services if you so wish, in fact they highly encourage it.

Going forwards I won’t be keeping the Mobiliser because my knee probably doesn’t warrant the cost however if my back ever got in a state then I would absolutely turn to this as I know how good it can make you feel after just one session. I send the Mobiliser back with a little bit of regret that it’s not mine for keeps but safe in the knowledge that I can afford to hire it in the future should I so need.

Back In Action is based in London’s Marylebone but their website is full of helpful advice and information. If you’d like to discuss with them any of their products including this one then please do make contact with them through their website. I think having an owner who knows only too well the perils of back pain gives them an absolute authority and with years of experience and research behind them they are the men for the job. They don’t just sell things to help with your back once it’s gone wrong but also have a plethora of offerings for ensuring that it always stays as it should, right from birth (with their extensive range of Stokke products, baby chairs, buggies and other related paraphenalia) to adulthood. Visit them at www.backinaction.co.uk.

I was offered a free hire of the Mobiliser for the purpose of an honest review. The hire cost is £199 per month which includes an automatic right for users to claim a rebate of £50 against treatment taken during the hire period.