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A trail ultrarunner recovering from Haglund's deformity surgery shares his Yoback experience.
(Note: the following article is based on direct quotes from our interview)
Before
I'd been dealing with chronic Achilles tendinopathy for a long time and had tried pretty much every non-invasive option going: regular physio, shockwave therapy, all of it. Eventually it became clear the tendon itself wasn't the real problem: I had Haglund's deformity, a bony spur on the back of the heel bone pressing directly into the Achilles tendon. No amount of calf raises or massage was ever going to fix the root cause.
"Nothing I did to treat the tendon itself, calf raises, massage, was going to actually address the root cause of the problem."
The Turning Point: Why Yoback?
I'd actually bought the Yoback before things got to that point, for roughly the cost of a consultation, and after reading positive reviews, it felt worth a punt.
It didn't resolve the Achilles issue at the time, largely because by then it was already too late, and the underlying bone problem needed surgery, which I had in February.
The Change: Life After Yoback
I'm now in post-op rehab, and the Yoback has become part of how I get through it. I'm on a set of physio exercises I have to do every week, and where it's sensible, I use the Yoback to do them: it makes the routine easier to actually stick to rather than skip. I work from home on a sit-stand desk, and when I'm standing, I rest the front of my foot or toes on the Yoback, which takes a lot of the strain out of the Achilles through the day. I alternate that with inflatable wobble cushions for ankle stability work too.
"Whilst I am exercising still, so I am doing things like boot camps... in terms of cardio, using the bike, controllable and safe."
It's still frustrating. I'm not back to running yet, and as a trail and ultra runner, that's a real source of frustration.
"That is an incredible source of frustration."
Where it's clearly helping is strengthening the calves, rebuilding ankle mobility, and generally supporting the healing process while I wait to get back on the trails.
Used in this article
Yoback — £114.99
Used daily through post-surgery rehab, resting his toes on it at his sit-stand desk and working it into prescribed physio exercises he's actually kept up with.
See the Yoback →A Few Questions We Asked
Q: What was the trigger for you to get it in the first place?
"I'd been suffering from chronic Achilles tendinopathy for quite a long time, and had tried pretty much every non-invasive method of treating it... I thought, well, for the cost of a consultation, plus reading positive reviews, I thought it was worth a punt."
Q: Do you think it's helping, just out of interest?
"I think so. Yes. It's a long, long, slow process... I think where it's helping is clearly in strengthening the calves, doing the calf stretches, calf raises, and probably adding back the ankle mobility, dorsiflexion, proving that steadily."
What Changed During Post-Surgery Rehab
- Uses it daily, working prescribed physio exercises into a routine he actually keeps up with
- Sit-stand desk set-up now has his toes resting on the Yoback to reduce daily Achilles strain
- Improved ankle dorsiflexion and calf strength through consistent use
- Focused on a full return to trail and ultra running once healed.
