5 OF THE BEST

BACK PAIN GADGETS

Back pain blights eight in ten Britons at some point. Here, Dr Serge Nikolic, a consultant in spinal pain management in London, selects five of the best products to treat and prevent it.

UPRIGHT GO 2

£84.99, uprightpose.uk

YOU stick this sensor on your upper spine and sync it with an app on your phone.

It will give you statistics on how much of the day you slouch, compared with sitting/ standing upright. It also vibrates gently when you slouch, to remind you to sit up.

DOMYOS SOFT BALL

£3.99 decathlon.com

THIS low-cost Pilates ball is a firm favourite of physiotherapists. Balancing on it isn’t easy, so you engage your core muscles, such as your hip flexors, just by sitting on it. Going back to basics like this will optimise your posture, preventing future problems and helping with sciatica and other types of back pain.

PAINGONE TENS PEN

£29.95, tower-health.co.uk TRANSCUTANEOUS electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) machines are small devices that emit tiny electrical pulses to interrupt pain signals going to the brain.

This pen-shaped device dispenses with pads, gels and electrodes, making it simpler to use. The maker says it will ease chronic and acute pain. It shouldn’t be used if you’re pregnant, have a pacemaker or epilepsy.

OMERIL UPGRADE POSTURE CORRECTOR

£10.99, amazon.co.uk

THIS is a Y-shaped adjustable brace you wear to pull your shoulders back, helping to align the spine and engage the supporting muscles, which get lazy with poor posture.

PELVIC CLOCK EXERCISE DEVICE

£83, amazon.co.uk

YOU place this semi-inflated plastic ball under your bottom while lying on the floor with your knees bent and do exercises to work the core muscles. Often people don’t realise they have a weak core until back pain strikes.