John: Daily BackHug Sessions Helped To Manage The MS He Lived With For 30 Years

Can you tell us about yourself and your MS journey?

I'm John Vickers, I'm 74, back in Yorkshire where I grew up. I've had MS for about 30 years.

Having MS long term, my main thing is to try and make use of what abilities I've got and finding people who can help in certain ways. Chongsu, the founder, he is a real specialist helping you make the most of your abilities and things like that. As far as BackHug is concerned, that is just another tool in helping me get my body as well as I can, make use of what abilities I've got.

What have you learned about managing MS?

When you have a good massage it will make you feel OK for a short term, it's the long term... Somebody who knows what they are doing, knows how to examine you and find out where it's coming from and target it, that's the expertise that's really beneficial.

But that's the main thing, it's finding something that helps you manage, you know, gets you through, and something you're confident with cause, you know, all these different things, "I'll try this - I'll try that" but, you know, over the experience makes you latch onto something that you think "Ah that's darn good, it works every time" [big happy smile].

How did you decide to get BackHug?

Yeah it's just, you know, you believe in people, you know, they know what they are talking about so it was just... I think I was about fourth, you know, to sign up. When the second one came, it was straight on. Yeah you don't question things like that, you know, cause you've got such faith.

What makes BackHug work so well for you?

But I think in physiotherapy the most important person is yourself. Cause if somebody does something, you know what I mean, with physio, "Does that affect you?" "Is that comfortable?" You know yourself whether the thing wants adjusting, you know, and you can just do it so it's... Once you get used to using it it's so, so practical, you know, to address the things you exactly wanted to. It's incredible how many different functions it has, yeah.

Can you give us an example of how it helps?

I was doing weeding the other day, you know, and was a bit chilly maybe and I put my BackHug on again, you know, just so [makes sound] day better, two days, it's superb. You know, something you can rely on, that's what you want. If it works, do it! You know.

What do you love about BackHug's features?

The beauty of the BackHug is that it's so adjustable, you've got lower back, upper back, middle and the new ones it's going to do your shoulders as well.

You know, like what I did on my back the other week. So, right, I turned it up on the lower back and later on in the day I did it again, just turning it up a little bit. And of course it does, and that's the thing it works [happy laugh]. The fact that it works, that's it! You know, it works. Well it doesn't just work, it works superbly! You know, the way you can adjust it is incredible, you know, just target little areas and move it up and down, and halfway through as well you can just pause it and increase the strength in different areas, and then I know that you can move it all on the left-hand side and move on to the right-hand side, midway through a session, it's just incredible.

How long have you been using BackHug?

I think I've had BackHug for about 230 days I think, something like that, 240. Yeah, every day apart from 3 days when I've had some surgery, minor surgery, and they told me not to move around too much [laughing] so for 3 days, and then I was back on it and it's fantastic.

What was your first experience like?

Because I had the prototype of BackHug I was expecting it to work and it did [happy smile]. I felt better on the first day, I could feel. You know when you have something done to you and you feel "Oh that feels better".

Originally... I had more difficulty getting on and off, you know, but I've noticed now, even today, that I'm getting on and off better now, you know, swinging my way around better.

How does BackHug compare to other treatments?

I really, confidently expect that to be the best there is, you know, and it's been modified even now [laughing] as we speak.

Once you've got the BackHug you can have it any time you want, any time of the day, you know you pay for it and you've got it, whereas if I was going out to a physio I would have to get transport there and transport back and things like that, and it would be expensive, you know, for half an hour. I went on a sort of healing session, I used to go every week, probably about just over a year ago, and it was costing a fortune, you know, and it was half as good as this, you know that's the thing, you know you pay what you think you need to pay for, but it's just that, you know, there it is.