User Back Stories > Louise
Louise: Managing Tension and Pain from 43 Years of Bagpiping for Scotland
Louise Marshall is Scotland's national piper, playing at high-profile events worldwide. After 43 years of playing bagpipes professionally, she discovered BackHug as the perfect solution for her unpredictable schedule.
Can you tell us about yourself?
Yes, I'm Louise Marshall the piper of the Lord of Edinburgh, often known as Scotland's national piper.
What kind of back issues do you experience?
Because I am a full time professional musician playing the bagpipes I do get a lot of tension in my back and especially round about the neck area and I think it's a lot to do with my posture just when I'm playing the bagpipes because if you think about it, when you're playing you're kind of hunched. I've been playing the bagpipes for 43 years so that's a lot and, like for instance I played at an event two nights ago, played for 3 and half hours so you're in this position and so, and I actually went on to BackHug when I got back in fact and that really helped, so sometimes I think my neck just gets a bit tight and I just feel a little bit tense and I've also sometimes I get a pain, in fact I do sometimes get pain on the right, bottom right of my back in fact, which just kind of cropped out a few months ago in fact and it's quite interesting that when I'm using BackHug because I have to ease the pressure on that side so there is something going on there and I think BackHug sort of highlighted that I think, you know and so it definitely helped.
What have you tried before BackHug?
I've been to physio on a couple of occasions over the years and mainly because I think, for instance, you know I go to hotel, go to a spa, get a luxury massage and I'm quite aware that over the years I've got a bit of a bump at the top of my back, which is hard, you know, and it's just really to sort of rectify that so when I actually have had a massage in the past I said "Oh you really need to work on that, you should really be going weekly to a physio to soften that, you know, cause there is an awful a lot of tension in there and I presume it has to do with my bagpipes so, yeah, maybe, I would say maybe four or five times, and it's one of these things I keep meaning, you know they say, you should go weekly, but the job that I've got, my work is all over the place so I couldn't say "Oh I will be there at 3 o'clock every Tuesday, you know, cause an event could turn up, I could be away for a few days, so, and then before you know it, because I've been so busy, apart from 2020 of course [laugh], but just before you knew it another month have passed and I thought "I must go to the physio" but never actually got around it. I went for my 50th birthday, I went to Thailand actually in November-December 2019, for 3 weeks, so every day I went for a massage in fact, just to relax and you know it's like deep tissue as well, deep therapy and massage and I felt that really helped and when I returned I thought "right, when I come back I must go once a week" and then, of course a few months later the pandemic struck and, so you know, you could not actually go to see a masseur, a physio or whoever and so I'm just delighted that I've been introduced to BackHug because I can use it when I like you know, and it's great.
How does BackHug fit with your schedule?
For me BackHug is actually perfect because I can just use it when I like, I couldn't make a weekly appointment just because of my work, I could even get a job coming in this afternoon for tomorrow morning last minute and I am a full time professional musician so my work gets lots of last minute work and also my work isn't 9 to 5, you know, I welcome all the cruise-ships to Scotland and that could be first thing in the morning, some days it could be 3 days in a row, it could be 5 days in a row, it could be 5 cruise-ships on one day so, other events, night events, opening the film festival, various, playing this morning, going down to London last minute, so for me just to be able to first thing in the morning even, you know, I'll go on the BackHug or when I come back. I played an event two nights ago in fact, and it was really there was a lot of playing, and I thought "I do feel a little bit stressed" and there was standing for 4 hours in fact, piping and I just, when I got home I went on BackHug... so it's great, the fact that it's just there for when I need it, it's just perfect for me, being self-employed.
Were you hesitant to try BackHug?
I wasn't hesitant at all actually, in fact I was excited you know, cause I thought, right, at last! I've been meaning to do this for years, I've been meaning to go and see a physio, I've been meaning to get some treatment on my back for years, and it's not going to go away unless I get some treatment or get a massage and, so I was excited actually, just to see what the outcome would be and how would it feel and I'm thinking "because it can only be positive" and I think the fact that you can control it and target specific areas as well, for instance with me is the back of my neck which gets tight and as I said it's very hard there and I mean I do love a massage, sometimes my partner gets me a massage and it saves me pestering him as well [laughing]...
Like for instance I actually had a sore head, I don't normally have a sore head, this week and it could well be that I've been really really busy with work, and I suppose with the pandemic my work did slow down, so my work has suddenly come back to the way it was a couple of years ago and so I was just thinking "I've got to be there, I've got to be there piping, starting a headache and I thought "am I coming down with something?" I just thought, it's not like me to have a sore head and it was like a pain around the side here, the last 3 days, took Paracetamol still there so last night I actually went on BackHug just because I was... I don't know if I was feeling stressed, I'm just going to relax, I was working last night, basically performing at a corporate birthday celebration, and I was playing there for... playing as the shift workers arrived and left, and I thought every night this week I have been really busy so I thought "I'm just going to relax on my BackHug" and I actually fell asleep on it [laughing] I was there and I fell asleep, for 3 hours after it, and I just, I think that was my body saying "you need to relax" and obviously I was completely relaxed on BackHug so, I went on it at like, a quarter to 9, and I woke up at quarter to 12. But this morning I don't have a headache and whether it's pure coincidence I don't know but I just know I feel a lot better than I did yesterday and this strain that I had, whatever it was, it's gone, might be coincidence but I definitely feel recharged I supposed, you know so, hopefully it did help.
What features do you love about BackHug?
Do you know, I think there's a few features actually. I must admit that the App itself is fantastic, like the user interface. My son Rory who does road racing... he used it as well and he said "Oh It's fantastic!" The actual... it's so easy to use and set up, to change to adapt your body. I think the fact that you can change it as you go along, you know I'm thinking "Uh that was a bit..." Like I started off on 2 for all the settings actually and then I thought, maybe, yeah, I think I started on 3 or 4 and it was maybe a bit too much too soon and I thought "I'll try a 2" and I thought "Yeah that's really nice!" and then the next session I thought "well maybe I'll try a 3 on my neck" and I thought "Yeah I can handle that" and that's nice because that's where the focus area is. So I like the fact that you can, for instance you can just change as you go along so, I can change it to like a 3 all over, ok? And then I found "oh wait a minute", because I was having a pain kind of cropped up in the summer in fact I was out with my niece having a coffee and I think it was the position I was in, because we were sat side by side, it was the only seats they had, so I'm twisting around like this and I think it was the twisting and I sat and I suddenly got a pain and I think it was just the position I was in just like this for most of the day and I... "Gee that's really, really sore!" it has happened a couple of times but I was aware when I had it on number 3 and I thought "Uh, that's a bit too..." so there is a bit of a problem area there so I kept it on 2 and as it starts to ease and then the next session I put it up to 3 and I thought "no that's fine" but it definitely highlighted, BackHug, that there is an issue there, bottom right. So I like the fact that you can adapt it because if needed I can just reduce it on the right side, you know, less on the right side, and yes... and as well you've got, you can set to upper back, lower back, full back or ZigZag, I like the ZigZag actually and the fact that you can change the speed as well, you know and so if you want it, what I found was actually when you put it on the slower settings it actually felt even a bit more intense because you're holding on, the robotic fingers are holding a little bit longer whereas if you decide sort of Medium they don't hold as long so I thought that, so yes, it's good to be able to change it and... so... and I like the fact that it's very comfortable [laughing] I've actually fallen asleep I think about 4 or 5 times on it, like for 3 hours, and I like the position as well, I like the leg position is very comfortable, at first I wouldn't have thought, I would have thought you just lie straight down would be the comfiest but it's not, and I'd never thought I'd fall asleep with my, you know laying in that position, but I also like the fact that there is a slot to put your phone at the side as well and... and that's handy because I like to play some relaxing music when I'm on it so I like to play my spa music, nice relaxing music, and I just drift away.
What do you love most about having BackHug?
I think what I love about it is the fact that, after a really busy day, you know, the fact that I can instantly relax on it, put my music on, pop a candle maybe in the evening and I've been on my feet all day, I'm laying down it's really, really comfortable and it's just like, for instance, you know, if my neck is feeling a bit tight I can put a little bit more pressure on there, maybe put up to 4. I haven't really, at the moment anyway, I'm still around the 4 and, but the fact that I can just go there whenever, my work's all over the place, it could be first thing in the morning, 6 o'clock piping for a cruise ship in Dundee, playing at a film festival till late at night, doing 5 gigs in one day, so it just fits around me and as I said, my son Rory really enjoys it as well because, and here is another thing as well, I mean obviously I am a full time professional musician but there is a lot of work that goes behind the scenes so I'm sitting a lot on my laptop and I'm aware this problem has a lot to do with my posture because, you know, I'm sat there hunched over whether I'm on my desk or maybe sometimes just picking my laptop, work away you know dealing with enquires, whatever, invoicing, bad posture and you slouch, maybe a bit more aware of sitting up straight and Rory is the same, Rory is working from home as well, so he spends a lot of time at his desk, and when he is on his bike as well so I think, yeah, there's lots of benefits and Rory mentioned it as well, he really likes the user interface he thinks it's so easy and Rory is very digitally minded you know, he is into digital marketing and all this technology and he thought it was, he thinks it's excellent and I'm not very good with technology I must admit, you know, music is my thing, but even I can work it [laughing] so I find it really really easy to use, I just press the button and then, so yes it's just really easy to use and the fact it suits my lifestyle, I don't need to be at an appointment once a week to get physio, I use it as much as I like, so for me it suits my needs, it's perfect and yeah so, so happy with it.
Can you tell us about yourself?
Yes, I'm Louise Marshall the piper of the Lord of Edinburgh, often known as Scotland's national piper.
What kind of back issues do you experience?
Because I am a full time professional musician playing the bagpipes I do get a lot of tension in my back and especially round about the neck area and I think it's a lot to do with my posture just when I'm playing the bagpipes because if you think about it, when you're playing you're kind of hunched. I've been playing the bagpipes for 43 years so that's a lot and, like for instance I played at an event two nights ago, played for 3 and half hours so you're in this position and so, and I actually went on to BackHug when I got back in fact and that really helped, so sometimes I think my neck just gets a bit tight and I just feel a little bit tense and I've also sometimes I get a pain, in fact I do sometimes get pain on the right, bottom right of my back in fact, which just kind of cropped out a few months ago in fact and it's quite interesting that when I'm using BackHug because I have to ease the pressure on that side so there is something going on there and I think BackHug sort of highlighted that I think, you know and so it definitely helped.
What have you tried before BackHug?
I've been to physio on a couple of occasions over the years and mainly because I think, for instance, you know I go to hotel, go to a spa, get a luxury massage and I'm quite aware that over the years I've got a bit of a bump at the top of my back, which is hard, you know, and it's just really to sort of rectify that so when I actually have had a massage in the past I said "Oh you really need to work on that, you should really be going weekly to a physio to soften that, you know, cause there is an awful a lot of tension in there and I presume it has to do with my bagpipes so, yeah, maybe, I would say maybe four or five times, and it's one of these things I keep meaning, you know they say, you should go weekly, but the job that I've got, my work is all over the place so I couldn't say "Oh I will be there at 3 o'clock every Tuesday, you know, cause an event could turn up, I could be away for a few days, so, and then before you know it, because I've been so busy, apart from 2020 of course [laugh], but just before you knew it another month have passed and I thought "I must go to the physio" but never actually got around it. I went for my 50th birthday, I went to Thailand actually in November-December 2019, for 3 weeks, so every day I went for a massage in fact, just to relax and you know it's like deep tissue as well, deep therapy and massage and I felt that really helped and when I returned I thought "right, when I come back I must go once a week" and then, of course a few months later the pandemic struck and, so you know, you could not actually go to see a masseur, a physio or whoever and so I'm just delighted that I've been introduced to BackHug because I can use it when I like you know, and it's great.
How does BackHug fit with your schedule?
For me BackHug is actually perfect because I can just use it when I like, I couldn't make a weekly appointment just because of my work, I could even get a job coming in this afternoon for tomorrow morning last minute and I am a full time professional musician so my work gets lots of last minute work and also my work isn't 9 to 5, you know, I welcome all the cruise-ships to Scotland and that could be first thing in the morning, some days it could be 3 days in a row, it could be 5 days in a row, it could be 5 cruise-ships on one day so, other events, night events, opening the film festival, various, playing this morning, going down to London last minute, so for me just to be able to first thing in the morning even, you know, I'll go on the BackHug or when I come back. I played an event two nights ago in fact, and it was really there was a lot of playing, and I thought "I do feel a little bit stressed" and there was standing for 4 hours in fact, piping and I just, when I got home I went on BackHug... so it's great, the fact that it's just there for when I need it, it's just perfect for me, being self-employed.
Were you hesitant to try BackHug?
I wasn't hesitant at all actually, in fact I was excited you know, cause I thought, right, at last! I've been meaning to do this for years, I've been meaning to go and see a physio, I've been meaning to get some treatment on my back for years, and it's not going to go away unless I get some treatment or get a massage and, so I was excited actually, just to see what the outcome would be and how would it feel and I'm thinking "because it can only be positive" and I think the fact that you can control it and target specific areas as well, for instance with me is the back of my neck which gets tight and as I said it's very hard there and I mean I do love a massage, sometimes my partner gets me a massage and it saves me pestering him as well [laughing]...
Like for instance I actually had a sore head, I don't normally have a sore head, this week and it could well be that I've been really really busy with work, and I suppose with the pandemic my work did slow down, so my work has suddenly come back to the way it was a couple of years ago and so I was just thinking "I've got to be there, I've got to be there piping, starting a headache and I thought "am I coming down with something?" I just thought, it's not like me to have a sore head and it was like a pain around the side here, the last 3 days, took Paracetamol still there so last night I actually went on BackHug just because I was... I don't know if I was feeling stressed, I'm just going to relax, I was working last night, basically performing at a corporate birthday celebration, and I was playing there for... playing as the shift workers arrived and left, and I thought every night this week I have been really busy so I thought "I'm just going to relax on my BackHug" and I actually fell asleep on it [laughing] I was there and I fell asleep, for 3 hours after it, and I just, I think that was my body saying "you need to relax" and obviously I was completely relaxed on BackHug so, I went on it at like, a quarter to 9, and I woke up at quarter to 12. But this morning I don't have a headache and whether it's pure coincidence I don't know but I just know I feel a lot better than I did yesterday and this strain that I had, whatever it was, it's gone, might be coincidence but I definitely feel recharged I supposed, you know so, hopefully it did help.
What features do you love about BackHug?
Do you know, I think there's a few features actually. I must admit that the App itself is fantastic, like the user interface. My son Rory who does road racing... he used it as well and he said "Oh It's fantastic!" The actual... it's so easy to use and set up, to change to adapt your body. I think the fact that you can change it as you go along, you know I'm thinking "Uh that was a bit..." Like I started off on 2 for all the settings actually and then I thought, maybe, yeah, I think I started on 3 or 4 and it was maybe a bit too much too soon and I thought "I'll try a 2" and I thought "Yeah that's really nice!" and then the next session I thought "well maybe I'll try a 3 on my neck" and I thought "Yeah I can handle that" and that's nice because that's where the focus area is. So I like the fact that you can, for instance you can just change as you go along so, I can change it to like a 3 all over, ok? And then I found "oh wait a minute", because I was having a pain kind of cropped up in the summer in fact I was out with my niece having a coffee and I think it was the position I was in, because we were sat side by side, it was the only seats they had, so I'm twisting around like this and I think it was the twisting and I sat and I suddenly got a pain and I think it was just the position I was in just like this for most of the day and I... "Gee that's really, really sore!" it has happened a couple of times but I was aware when I had it on number 3 and I thought "Uh, that's a bit too..." so there is a bit of a problem area there so I kept it on 2 and as it starts to ease and then the next session I put it up to 3 and I thought "no that's fine" but it definitely highlighted, BackHug, that there is an issue there, bottom right. So I like the fact that you can adapt it because if needed I can just reduce it on the right side, you know, less on the right side, and yes... and as well you've got, you can set to upper back, lower back, full back or ZigZag, I like the ZigZag actually and the fact that you can change the speed as well, you know and so if you want it, what I found was actually when you put it on the slower settings it actually felt even a bit more intense because you're holding on, the robotic fingers are holding a little bit longer whereas if you decide sort of Medium they don't hold as long so I thought that, so yes, it's good to be able to change it and... so... and I like the fact that it's very comfortable [laughing] I've actually fallen asleep I think about 4 or 5 times on it, like for 3 hours, and I like the position as well, I like the leg position is very comfortable, at first I wouldn't have thought, I would have thought you just lie straight down would be the comfiest but it's not, and I'd never thought I'd fall asleep with my, you know laying in that position, but I also like the fact that there is a slot to put your phone at the side as well and... and that's handy because I like to play some relaxing music when I'm on it so I like to play my spa music, nice relaxing music, and I just drift away.
What do you love most about having BackHug?
I think what I love about it is the fact that, after a really busy day, you know, the fact that I can instantly relax on it, put my music on, pop a candle maybe in the evening and I've been on my feet all day, I'm laying down it's really, really comfortable and it's just like, for instance, you know, if my neck is feeling a bit tight I can put a little bit more pressure on there, maybe put up to 4. I haven't really, at the moment anyway, I'm still around the 4 and, but the fact that I can just go there whenever, my work's all over the place, it could be first thing in the morning, 6 o'clock piping for a cruise ship in Dundee, playing at a film festival till late at night, doing 5 gigs in one day, so it just fits around me and as I said, my son Rory really enjoys it as well because, and here is another thing as well, I mean obviously I am a full time professional musician but there is a lot of work that goes behind the scenes so I'm sitting a lot on my laptop and I'm aware this problem has a lot to do with my posture because, you know, I'm sat there hunched over whether I'm on my desk or maybe sometimes just picking my laptop, work away you know dealing with enquires, whatever, invoicing, bad posture and you slouch, maybe a bit more aware of sitting up straight and Rory is the same, Rory is working from home as well, so he spends a lot of time at his desk, and when he is on his bike as well so I think, yeah, there's lots of benefits and Rory mentioned it as well, he really likes the user interface he thinks it's so easy and Rory is very digitally minded you know, he is into digital marketing and all this technology and he thought it was, he thinks it's excellent and I'm not very good with technology I must admit, you know, music is my thing, but even I can work it [laughing] so I find it really really easy to use, I just press the button and then, so yes it's just really easy to use and the fact it suits my lifestyle, I don't need to be at an appointment once a week to get physio, I use it as much as I like, so for me it suits my needs, it's perfect and yeah so, so happy with it.