Spine Alignment Devices Reviewed — Fit In The Middle (2024)

Some of my past failures to work on my core have included:

• anything that started with “Ab-” shown on late night TV - AB-swing, Ab-crunch, Ab-twister, Ab-youvegottabejoking. Whether it was trying to actually strengthen the muscles, or (more likely at the time) shred belly fat to make my six-pack pop overnight, there was a dark period through the nineties and into the noughties where I bought a gadget between purchases of the latest self-help guru CD set

• some electric machine my dad called “The Fish” (not it’s actual name). He convinced me it would solve all back issues by aligning my spine through “harmonic motion”. I’d lay down, lift my feet into position on top of the machine and switch it on. For 10 minutes, my feet would be swung from side to side and when it stopped, it felt like this huge wave of blood went from one end of me to the other and back. I have no idea if it ever did actual damage, but the day a bulging disc touched my sciatic nerve, it went into the bin.

• every shape of lavender-infused wheat bag imaginable - hey, they don’t align my spine but I’m a big believer in getting heat into fatigued muscles and I still love them. Don’t judge me.

Today I’m sharing my experience of some recent purchases - how I’ve used them and whether they’ve helped me. To be honest up front, I don’t have the ongoing back issues I once did (thank you Pilates, more on that another time). However, I spend a lot of time working at a desk and need to reverse the ‘computer hunch’. Also, my ability to bend my spine backwards is shit, to use the medical term. My three items for today are -

• the “spine aligner” I bought off a Facebook ad;

• the “Ablespine” which I saw first on an Instagram post;

• my trusty foam roller, for the sake of comparison

The Spine Aligner (aka back stretcher, lumbar reliever)

I saw this gadget on a Facebook ad and paid 50 bucks to get it here to Melbourne. You can get them on eBay for under $10 now. They all look something like this.

The idea is that you lie on this for a few minutes, building up to a longer time, set to the first of three elevations. This is supposed to build a nice curve into your lower spine. I get the idea - if you hunch over a desk all day, rounded at the shoulders and leaning forward from the lower back, a correction to your spine might help. Once you’ve become accustomed to the first height, you adjust it higher. And then you do it again to reach the nirvana of level three.

Perhaps this works for someone. I stuck with this piece of plastic for two days and threw it into the back of the cupboard. Had I not paid $50 for it, I would have thrown it in the bin instead.

Here’s my spin on it. If you think your spine needs manipulating, go see a professional first. Speak to a physio, osteo, even your GP - just not eBay seller pywgtyrdtfn47. If your posture needs some work (that’s most of us), there’s better ways that aren’t the 2021 version of the medieval rack.

The Ablespine

I thought long and hard about buying this one - it’s $149. But hey - gadget! After several days of contemplation, I jumped online and placed my order, directly on the Ablespine website. A couple of days later (about 4 weeks quicker than my eBay experience), it arrived on my doorstep by courier. Like most things of this type, you put it on the floor and lie down on it.

When I tried out the Ablespine for the first time, I noticed several differences to the previous device. There’s some curvature built in, but it’s not savage. Instead, it sits more in the top and middle of the back (check out the picture above), which is the area I’m getting all hunched up in through my working day. Next, there’s a nice big channel down the centre and this is where your spine sits - so instead of my spine supporting me on the device, the Ablespine was supporting my spine. Finally, there’s an elevated piece at the top where my head rest quite comfortably.

II was a little uncomfortable when first using the Ablespine - but in a good way. Much like having a long stretch, it felt like my body was working, even though I lay still. I certainly notice it in the muscles that bunch up when I’m working on the laptop. There’s a number of things I like about the Ablespine and so I’ve continued to use it. These include:

• It’s designed here in Melbourne by people working in the allied health industry

• It’s TGA assessed, so an independent group confirms there’s science behind its claims, so I personally feel comfortable that it’s not doing me damage

• There’s videos on their website showing exactly how to use it, for recovery and also to improve back mobility

• I feel good after using it - I loosen up through the shoulders and also across the upper chest

There’s some posts around describing how to invert the Ablespine, to use it for the lower back. I’ve not tried that out yet, but will update the post when I do.

So does the Ablespine work? For me - it’s a yes, as it helps open up my chest and shoulders, removing tightness from my upper back and neck. I didn’t get an immediate result when I first used it, but after sticking with it for a week, I noticed a difference. When I’m consistent in using it, I get good results. I usually jump on it in the evening, fighting for space on the lounge room floor with the dog - and then I wake up feeling relaxed through the shoulders in the morning. Some people will baulk at the price, but if it saves you two visits to your regular health professional, you’re ahead of the game.

My trusty old foam roller

I love my foam roller. I hate my foam roller. It’s just a plain foam roller. No fancy nodules or lumps or anything else special. It’s a complex relationship.

In 1973, a wise man said “A man has to know his limitations”* That sums up my foam roller - it’s excellent, but has its limits. Here’s what does and doesn’t work for me and how it compares to the other two items.

• I can place it long ways along my spine and use it in a similar way to the Ablespine - and in the past, I’ve done this. It sort of works, in that it opens my chest up, with the retraction of the shoulder blades around the roller. However, it’s a balancing act and all the support pressure is directly on the vertebrae. I don’t feel I’ve ever damaged anything that way, but the time I can spend there comfortably is limited.

• I can turn it 90 degrees and put it under my lower back, to get some arch into it - in a similar style to the first spine-stretching device. That still doesn’t feel great. What does work is if I push it up further and extend my upper spine over it and move it back and forwards slowly. it’s a fantastic stretch and gives the joints a bit of a massage, without subjecting them to heavy, continuous pressure

• Foam rollers and hamstrings - a match made in heaven. Quads too. Sometimes calves. But especially tired, knotted hammies. Rolling these muscles is painful, but it’s such sweet, sweet pain!

For me, the foam roller does its best work when I’m moving on it. I guess that’s why it’s called a foam roller and not a foam balancer. I’m saying every home should have one - not because they can do everything, but because they do some things really well.

The Final Word

Working on your spine at home is worthwhile, but I try to think of it like exercise - I’m working on the muscles, not on the bones. Exercise strengthens muscles, then some of the things here relieve and relax them. The spine stretcher is not something I’d ever race out to buy again. I like the Ablespine and continue to use it, for relief and also to work on range of motion (I forgot to mention that - but check out their videos). And if you don’t have a foam roller at home, go get one right now - and then make YouTube your friend!

*“A man has to know his limitations” - Clint Eastwood, Magnum Force - 1973