Discover how one of our favourite clients went from regular hospital visits to traveling around Europe on a motorbike. We spoke to Carol about her struggles, her successes, and her Mobiliser.
Ready for a story involving a rejected Mercedes, a spinal stretcher, and two months on a motorcycle? Buckle in, because this is a pretty wild ride.
Picture a retired nursery teacher. Now, picture the wind in her hair as she zooms across Europe on a huge motorbike. That’s Carol - and she’s exactly as amazing as she sounds.
Carol was excited to talk to us before sprinting off on yet another adventure. We learned all about her journey from back pain to badass.
“I’d been suffering with my back for many years. I think it was a product of working in nurseries.” And that fits, as we’ve noticed that people who do either a lot of labour or desk work almost always struggle with their backs. Teaching often involves both, so it can be particularly problematic.
“I was in constant lower back pain,” said Carol. “I just thought: I need to do something.”
“I’d been to see a specialist and he said about an operation on my back, and I said: no, I’m not prepared to do that. Because, I’d heard of other people who’d had it done and it wasn’t a success," Carol said. "I thought I had to look for an alternative, which is where the Mobiliser came in.”
Carol was introduced to the Mobiliser by Fiona (one of our experts) who helped her find a kneeling chair for school, and recommended it after realising the extent of her back pain. For those of you who aren’t in the know, The Back In Action Mobiliser is one of the best options in our entire collection (or perhaps the world). It’s a back care system designed to reduce long-term back pain by stretching and exercising the spine.
Many people look to the Mobiliser when nothing else they’ve tried has worked. For Carol, it was an essential alternative to a surgery that she knew wasn’t the right path.
Everyone's back pain journey is their own. While some people do benefit from surgery, others prefer to seek out effective alternatives because surgery comes with risks, and is not always the answer.
Carol ended up loving the kneeling chair she got for school, and even bought a second one for use at home. She tells us that she now knows her limits and which back care methods work for her, in part due to the support of the Back In Action Mobiliser diary. Alongside using one of our kneeling chairs, Carol’s routine includes physiotherapy, a tens machine, and the Mobiliser.
“I use it twice a day religiously and if I find that I’ve done something like gardening, or cleaning a car, or something. I think: “ooh, my back’s aching, I’m going to nip up on my mobi.” Even after owning a Mobiliser for years, Carol still sounds excited when she talks about it. “It’s part of my daily life!”
The best part? After hiring and later buying the Mobiliser, Carol has more freedom to enjoy adventures with her husband.
“Because I’ve now stabilised my back problem, because I know I’ve got my mobi as my back up, we are now going off on a two month motorbike trip round Europe and Scandinavia.” Carol explained. “At one time, there was no way in a month of Sundays. I couldn’t even get on the back of the motorbike let alone go on a trip that way. So, obviously I’m making sure that I maintain my back as much as I can before I go.”
But this planned biking adventure isn’t Carol’s first holiday since using the Mobiliser! In fact, she’s had her Mobiliser since 2009 and has brought it on many adventures in that time. Carol told us that it often goes in the back of her caravan. She also used to bring it along on PGL camps back when she was a teacher, where other teachers would try it out. It’s become such a big part of Carol’s life that it was even a consideration when car shopping!
“The reason we didn’t buy the Mercedes is because a Mobiliser wouldn’t fit in the back of it!” Carol told us, after her husband stopped by to remind her. “I couldn’t live without my Mobiliser!”
“I haven’t had what I call a “nasty flare up” where I’ve ended up in hospital because my back’s gone into spasm, because with The Mobiliser I’m maintaining and being sensible, and knowing what I can and can’t do now,” she explained. “I can’t remember the last time I took a painkiller for my back.”
Everyone’s body is different, so while we can’t promise results, we can tell you how many thousands of people have had their lives changed by the Mobiliser. Carol’s the perfect example of taking control of your back pain situation and taking back your life!
“It was probably the best thing that I ever did.” (Yes, she really did say this, and we didn’t even pay her.)
If you want to try the Mobiliser for yourself, you can hire it from our website, or try it in-store for free! We welcome you to come visit us for individual back care advice. Everyone is different, but a visit like this changed Carol’s life - maybe it could change yours?
