I wonder how many New Zealanders over 40, and even those who are a lot younger, have never suffered with lower back pain? Very few I imagine. It can be really debilitating and who wouldn’t be keen to find a way to get some relief without having to resort to painkillers and bed rest?
Some years ago, I came across a unique little device known as Sacro Wedgy that can be very helpful when it comes relieving the aches and pains often associated with modern lifestyles. Poor posture when standing, sitting for hours in front of a computer and then slouching in a chair in front of the television at night are significant contributors to the problem.
It seems that, over time, our muscles retain a memory of the way we walk, sit and lie down and this can cause our muscles to spasm as the body attempts to compensate for the unnatural situations it is put in. Sacro Wedgy was invented by an American man (now 93 years old) to provide a simple way to encourage the muscles to relax thus relieving the tension that can lead to pain and discomfort.
Sacro Wedgy is so named because it forms a wedge when place directly underneath the sacrum. The sacrum is a large and very strong wedge-shaped vertebra at the end of the spine. It forms the solid base of the spinal column where it intersects with the hip bones to form the pelvis. It has a significant role in supporting the weight of the upper body as it is spread across the pelvis and into the legs.
Osteopaths and other practitioners have often placed their fist underneath the sacrum of a patient to elevate it and allow the muscles to relax. Sacro Wedgy is designed to replicate this procedure so that anyone can benefit from it at home on a regular basis.
When the Sacro Wedgy is placed under the sacrum, it provides elevation of the sacrum thus allowing key muscle groups including the Psoas, Iliacus and Piriformis to be gently stretched as the hips provide gentle gravity induced downward stretching pressure.
The Piriformis is not a large muscle, but it can contribute a lot more to our misery than other much larger muscles. When the Piriformis is playing up, the sciatic nerve can be affected resulting in strong aching pain down the back of the legs. The sciatic nerve is formed by the spinal nerves of vertebrae L-4 through S-3, and it’s the longest nerve in the human body. It runs from the lower back down the leg. Sciatica is an extremely painful condition and normally there is not a lot one can do about it without resorting to heavy duty painkillers.
Simply by lying on a Sacro Wedgy for 20 minutes and allowing the Piriformis to relax, pressure on the sciatic nerve may be relieved.
Sacro Wedgy is not a quick fix but I was surprised at how much relief I obtained after just a couple of sessions. Based on my own experience, and that of many people who have written testamonials on the Sacro Wedgy website, as I see it, such a simple and inexpensive device that can be used at home is certainly worth a try.
There are two Sacro Wedgys; stereotypically, a blue one for men and a pink one for women. The Sacro Wedgy for women is somewhat wider. I was so impressed with what I have achieved that I decided to import some from the U.S. and they are on my website. There is a lot of additional information on the Sacro Wedgy site in the U.S.www.sacrowedgy.com
John Appleton 09 489 9362
john@johnappleton.co.nz www.johnappleton.co.nz
