We rang up eight Yoback customers over a few weeks to hear about their experiences using the Yoback. We asked roughly the same questions each time and kept waiting for someone to say something different. The catch? The same themes just kept popping up.
"I had probably tried pretty much every non-invasive method of treating it, shock wave therapy and all that. For the cost of a consultation, I thought it was worth a punt."
Keith, trail ultrarunner, recovering from Achilles surgery
"I was thinking, okay, I've tried everything. I'm spending 70, 80 quid to go to an osteo. Let's try this out, if it doesn't work, you have your money back."
Mark,
"I thought, well, cheaper than trying physio, so might as well give it a go."
Rachel
One of the main themes that kept coming up was that this costs about as much as one physio session or one osteopath visit, so there's nothing to lose. Once it actually worked, the reactions matched too.
"Nothing hits home like your product, that's amazing."
Hadley, NHS worker who'd already tried massage guns and sports massage with no luck
"I've had so many pieces of kit that I've tried, all these gadgets and gizmos, and nothing's ever given me what this has given me."
Adrian, business owner
Adrian had been through regular chiropractor visits before this. Now he does the stretching himself.
"That's without a shadow saved me a lot of money on chiropractors when I used to go and see them, because I now can stretch myself out."
Adrian, business owner
He even takes his on holidays with him, including keeping it in his hand luggage so he can stretch out in his seat for long-haul flights!
What's more convincing is that eight people who've never met each other landed on the same conclusions. Here are snippets of our conversations in their own words.
💪 "My calves are like an oak tree" — Tom, college basketball coach
"Anybody who's ever worked on my calves know my calves are like an oak tree."
Tom's right calf tore during the 2018 London Marathon at mile 16. The next step, his left calf went too. Achilles tendinopathy set in on the same side, right where the fascia had torn, plus the odd bout of plantar fasciitis. He's also carried chronic back pain for years.
He was dubious about the ads at first: "There's a lot of rubbish online." What changed his mind was runner friends who'd tried it and felt results.
As a college basketball coach, he's incorporated it in their recovery kit, travelling with them to away games across Europe. Players who called the Myoscraper a "torture device" at first now reach for it over the foam rollers they've got sitting around. His daughter uses it for stretch breaks during exam revision, and his son, a goalkeeper, uses it too.
"The recovery market has grown exponentially in the last five, six years, but again, they're like 800, 900 pounds. Who's got that laying around?"
Tom, on where the recovery category sits on price
What changed:
- Long-standing chronic back pain eased
- Got back into running after losing motivation during lockdown
- Adopted by his entire college basketball team, including on away trips across Europe
- Now used by his whole family: wife, daughter and son, each for their own reasons
🦶 "Nothing hits home like your product" — Hadley, NHS worker & first-time marathon finisher
An X-ray meant to check for a stress fracture came back clear. Instead, they found a heel spur. He'd already had undiagnosed plantar fasciitis for months. As someone trained in deep tissue massage himself, he knew exactly what was wrong, but massage guns and local sports therapists weren't touching it.
He tried building his own version at home first: guttering strapped to a wooden block, then angled wedge blocks off Amazon. Neither worked properly.
The real trigger was landing a ballot place for the London Marathon, and refusing to let it slip through his fingers. He tried Yoback at the National Running Show, felt the difference on the spot, and bought it there and then.
Previously, he needed cushioned sliders just to walk around the house. Now he goes barefoot, and he hasn't touched a massage gun since. He persuaded two of his colleagues to get one after he was so surprised by the results.
What changed:
- Completed his first ever marathon (London) after months of injuries
- No longer needs cushioned sliders to walk barefoot at home
- Stopped using his massage gun entirely
- Two colleagues bought their own Yoback on his recommendation
🐾 "I never stretch. I do now." — Paul, eleven-year barefoot runner
Paul's what you would call an OG barefoot wearer. Eleven years in barefoot shoes, and he even runs in them. He knew his calves took the overload regardless of how well he ran. What he never did was stretch.
"I never stretched. I've never done it. Yeah, stretching has always been f**ked off."
Paul, barefoot runner
He kept seeing the ads and wasn't convinced: how is this any different to standing on a kerb? The price put him off too, at first. What actually shifted his opinion was noticing that Gary wore barefoot shoes himself in the brand's own content, a small shared detail that gave it instant credibility from inside a scene he was already part of.
He now stretches after every run, using two of the curved blocks rather than the full wheel, which just isn't his use case. What used to mean walking stiff and sore the day after a hard session doesn't happen any more.
"At first, I thought the price is high, but since I've had it, I've been like the price isn't expensive for what it actually has done."
Paul, who's worked in manufacturing himself
What changed:
- Went from essentially zero stretching to a consistent post-run routine
- No longer walks stiff and sore the day after a hard run
- Now a fixed part of his routine after every single run
- Rates it more effective for calf tightness than years of kerb-stretches
🔧 "It's actually a Swiss Army knife" — Mark, travel agent
Mark's Achilles kept flaring up, particularly after hard track sessions with his running club. He was paying £70 to £80 a time to see an osteopath to keep on top of it, and had even thought about picking up some piping from the builders merchants to make something himself (just like Hadley!)
The deciding factor was simple maths: £70-£80 per osteo visit versus a 30-day money-back guarantee. He started to use it regularly to help his Achilles but now he doesn't use it every day, only when the Achilles gets irritated, but he likes that he has the Yoback right there in his house to use rather than having to book another session.
"I would say maybe I don't use it to its full potential, it's not just like a butter knife, it's actually a Swiss Army knife."
Mark
What changed:
- Chronic Achilles soreness now managed as-and-when instead of with regular £70 to £80 osteo visits
- Reduced frequency of paid professional treatment
- Wife also uses it during her Couch to 5K training
- Folds away easily, so there's no more arguing about kit cluttering the house
🏃 "That is an incredible source of frustration" — Keith, trail ultrarunner recovering from Achilles surgery
Keith battled chronic Achilles tendinopathy for a long time and had tried nearly every non-invasive option, including shock wave therapy. Eventually the cause turned out to be Haglund's deformity: a bony spur on the heel pressing directly into the Achilles tendon. Surgery in February was the only real fix.
Now, in post-op rehab, he uses it to make his prescribed physio exercises easier to actually stick with rather than skip. On his sit-stand desk, he rests his toes to take strain off his Achilles tendon throughout the day, focusing heavily on ankle stability work.
He even brought his Yoback to his soft tissue therapist, who ended up buying one, too!
"And I thought, well, for the cost of a consultation, plus I mean, obviously reading sort of blurb and positive reviews of the Yoback, I thought it was worth a punt."
Keith
Whilst he's still not back to running yet, which for a trail and ultra runner is a genuine source of frustration, he's been using it regularly to help speed up his recovery, but it's "a long, long process".
What changed:
- Uses it daily to help keep up with prescribed post-surgery physio exercises
- Standing desk set up with toes resting on it to reduce Achilles strain through the day
- Improved ankle dorsiflexion and calf strength
- Focused on returning to trail and ultra running once fully healed
🦵 "I'll tell you how addicted I am to it: I take it on holiday with me." — Adrian, business owner
Adrian had a full knee replacement in 2019. His job has him walking 10,000 to 15,000 steps daily, and his knee still aches from it. Foam rollers were too painful and never provided enough height to properly stretch a hamstring, calf, or the back of the knee. In fact, it's fair to say Adrian, like me, is not a fan of foam rollers
"The foam roller is a horrible piece of kit. They hurt like flipping hell, don't they?"
Adrian
Adrian uses the Yoback to its full potential and has been reaping the rewards ever since. He now uses it twice a day without fail, first thing in the morning and last thing before bed, and has started bringing it to the gym after training too. He uses the full wheel for his back and hips, and the separate pieces for calf, ankle and hamstring stretching.
He says he sleeps better since stretching became a nightly habit, and takes it on holiday with him, even on the plane as a footrest for his wife on long-haul flights.
One of the more surprising parts of our conversation came when Adrian began working out how much money he believed he had saved since buying Yoback. He previously visited chiropractors monthly, but since owning Yoback, he feels he can manage more of his regular stretching at home and says he has not needed to spend as much on appointments.
"It's without a shadow of a doubt saved me a lot of money on chiropractors," he said. "I can now stretch myself out. Because it isn't cheap to see physios or chiropractors anymore, is it?" he continued. "Let's say two years, £50 for 12 months. That's £1,200."
What was interesting was he wasn't thinking of £1,200 as a theoretical figure. He connected it with two holidays he had planned:
"You've paid me that money to go and have two holidays a year. If I was seeing a chiropractor, I wouldn't have two holidays a year, would I? No, that's how I look at it
Adrian
What changed:
- Uses it twice daily without exception, plus after gym sessions
- Cut back on regular chiropractor visits
- Reports better sleep since it became part of his nightly routine
- Takes it on every trip, including long-haul flights
📚 "I just do the toe stretches without even thinking about it now" — Rachel, a retired primary school Headteacher
She bought Yoback about a year ago for plantar fasciitis, reasoning it was cheaper than trying physio first. A year on, she still uses it for the original plantar fasciitis routine, and more. She uses it under her desk and finds herself doing toe stretches on it automatically, without thinking.
She keeps one by the kettle in the kitchen and another in the front room, so it's always within reach. She doesn't use the full wheel much and still hasn't quite worked out the foot placement for heel-raised squats. Her one request: a proper follow-along routine video, rather than separate exercise clips she has to keep pausing (so that's on our to-do list!).
"I thought, well, cheaper than trying physio, so might as well give it a go. It'd be good for the stretching."
Rachel
What changed:
- Still using it daily, a year after buying it specifically for plantar fasciitis
- Does toe stretches on it automatically while seated or watching TV
- Keeps it in both the kitchen and front room so it's always to hand
- Reports improved flexibility alongside her running.
🎂 "Standing on the Yoback for 30 seconds is far more challenging" — Wyn
Football and rugby in his younger years left him with knee problems bad enough that he gave up sport altogether. The constant problem has been stiffness, especially in the hips, from years behind a desk.
Other flat stretching boards felt one-dimensional to him, as they were only good for one thing. He liked the idea of a flexible system instead, and bought Yoback around his birthday, with turning 60 on his mind.
It's permanently out now, used after meetings, and whenever he's got a few minutes. What surprised him most was the balance training. Balancing on one leg on the floor for 30 seconds was nothing. On the Yoback, it's a genuinely different challenge.
He's folded in exercises from physio YouTuber Will Harlow, who specialises in training for over-50s. He set a personal best 10k time in November and improved his parkrun times too, which he puts down to improved hip flexibility lengthening his stride.
"It's permanently out, which is one of the advantages, and after a two-hour meeting, I'll just go and stand on it, and I mainly use it for- I know my calves are really tight, my hamstrings are tight- but use it now as well for balance. So that's really improved."
Wyn
What changed:
- Personal best 10k time in November, plus improved parkrun times
- Longer stride, measurably fewer steps needed to cover the same distance
- Genuine, trackable improvement in single-leg balance
- Uses it daily, permanently out at his desk and before every run
🏃♂️"Nothing Gets Used on a Continuing Basis. This Is the Only One That Does." - Kevin, Runner Who Tore the Same Calf Twice
""Every year, for the last two years, I kind of get injured running for that [a big race]. So last two years, I've torn my calf both times… So I just wanted something to increase my flexibility and increase my strength, really. So that's when I saw your product, and it seemed to fit that bill."
Kevin tore his calf two years running, both times training for the same 20-mile road race, a weak point that only showed up after he'd already changed his running form once to protect a fully snapped Achilles from years earlier.
He'd always been inflexible, since running was the only exercise he did. He found Yoback through an Instagram ad, missed Gary at a running show, DM'd him directly, and ordered after getting an honest answer back.
He uses just the two curved pieces side by side for calf and Achilles work, five times a week, before and after nearly every run. It lives on the kitchen island, not in the spare room with the yoga mat and resistance bands that never get touched.
"I've got the best intentions… I've got a yoga mat… a little ball… resistance bands… they all just sit there with the best intentions… but… I know using yours, it will benefit my running… But nothing is used on a continuing basis. This is the only one that is."
What changed:
- Uses it around five times a week, before and after runs
- The only piece of recovery kit that actually gets used, unlike his yoga mat and resistance bands
- Hasn't torn his calf again since starting
- Plans to try the full wheel as part of a September challenge
Used in this article
Yoback — £114.99
The tool behind all eight stories above. One modular system covering calves, Achilles, plantar fasciitis, knees and lower back, the same one every person in this piece reached for, for a different reason each time.
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