I must admit Peter and I approached our visit to the Back Show with a mixture of wariness and cynicism, expecting to come across an endless array of dubious gadgets, miracle potions, and the-definitive-solution-to-all-back-pain-at-an-almost-affordable-price…

In the event, we spent a really absorbing couple of hours meeting a wide range of enthusiastic professionals, each contributing something specific and positive to the complex patchwork of musculoskeletal pain.

We first met Katie Baylis of Putnams, a family-run firm specialised in an extensive range of orthopaedic products. Having just written a blog post about choosing a pillow, Peter was interested in their pressure relief cushions. You can review the range on their website but Bridge to Health patients can order through us to get a discount.

A short while later, we were sampling the unique footwear concept of Terra Plana, a company that has designed a shoe aiming to deliver the same experience and benefits to foot and body as if you were wandering around… bare foot. We were so bowled over by the experience that we instantly purchased a pair each, and I have scarcely used anything else in clinic since, feeling far less tired than previously by the end of the day.

A Terra Plana shoe using bare foot technology

We then spent ten minutes lounging around in the best office chair I have ever come across, the SwingSeat^TM designed by SmartMotion Technology. Pricy, but if you are going to be chained to a desk all day… it’s the next best thing to a walk in the park – and we can offer discounts, so speak to us first!

We then chanced upon the Healthy Back Bag Company which manufactures an alluring range of stylish bags designed to carry light to moderate weights whilst minimising spinal damage. I was favourably impressed by their laptop bag, as I’m constantly badgering patients to carry theirs more smartly… take a peak at the catalogue.

I also spend a lot of time trying to tempt patients to spend more time swimming, which is why I was happy to come across the Art of Swimming, an organisation led by Steven Shaw that has imported Alexander technique’s postural framework to the swimming pool. Their teaching program sounds very exciting and may well be available in a swimming-pool close to you.

I quickly visited the stand of the National Osteoporosis Society which publishes a set of handy self-help booklets, and our friends and colleagues at the Pilates Foundation and at the Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique (STAT) as the show began closing.

Time was running out as I passed the Back 2 stand which promotes the MastercareMini^TM, a very practical light “inversion table” (a device allowing you to stretch your back by hanging upside down), which as a back sufferer always makes me drool. The ushers were converging on us by that time, but I will be investigating that contraption in the near future.

We will definitely be returning to the 2010 Back Show next year, scheduled at the Olympia 2 on 24th and 25th September (dates to be confirmed). Indeed, I would recommend you do so yourself!