Serola Sacroiliac Belt Review Thread

[salisboss]

Sorry for several posts in a row, but I just spoke with the company and these are USGA legal during competition. Here's the rule:

14-3. Artificial Devices, Unusual Equipment And Unusual Use Of Equipment

The USGA reserves the right, at any time, to change the Rules relating to artificial devices, unusual equipment and the unusual use of equipment, and to make or change the interpretations relating to these Rules.
A player in doubt as to whether use of an item would constitute a breach of Rule 14-3 should consult the USGA.
A manufacturer should submit to the USGA a sample of an item to be manufactured for a ruling as to whether its use during a stipulated roundwould cause a player to be in breach of Rule 14-3. The sample becomes the property of the USGA for reference purposes. If a manufacturer fails to submit a sample or, having submitted a sample, fails to await a ruling before manufacturing and/or marketing the item, the manufacturer assumes the risk of a ruling that use of the item would be contrary to the Rules.
Except as provided in the Rules, during a stipulated round the player must not use any artificial device or unusual equipment (see Appendix IV for detailed specifications and interpretations), or use any equipment in an unusual manner:
a. That might assist him in making a stroke or in his play; or
b. For the purpose of gauging or measuring distance or conditions that might affect his play; or
c. That might assist him in gripping the club, except that:
· (i) gloves may be worn provided that they are plain gloves;
· (ii) resin, powder and drying or moisturizing agents may be used; and
· (iii) a towel or handkerchief may be wrapped around the grip.
Exceptions:

1. A player is not in breach of this Rule if (a) the equipment or device is designed for or has the effect of alleviating a medical condition, (b) the player has a legitimate medical reason to use the equipment or device, and (c) theCommittee is satisfied that its use does not give the player any undue advantage over other players.
2. A player is not in breach of this Rule if he uses equipment in a traditionally accepted manner.

Thank you for the fast and detailed response.

 

[Chickopher]

I am wearing mine during my round this afternoon, going to see how it works out. I'll have a longer write-up over the last couple of days tonight.

I too will give mine a shot on the course this afternoon. My back is feeling it from hustling on foot at the course yesterday to stay ahead of a men's league in carts. I am hoping it doesn't aggravate my sciatica again. Hoping the extra walking will help.

 

[Smallville]

There will be no discount code. The belt is only $40, THP and the company, think this is a more than fair price, so no discount code will be coming.

I agree 100%. I am cheap though, so I was hoping, hahaha.

I actually believe they could charge double the price and it would be worth it.

 

[Smallville]

I have not washed mine yet, but I am wearing it outside of my clothes and only indoors, so it doesn't really get dirty or sweaty or anything.

Took a while to dry, even doing a final rinse in hot water. It was still wet at the ends this morning, so I didn't put it on til just before noon (when I finally slowed down). I am getting another belt probably tonight so I don't need to worry about it.

 

[IceyShanks]

There will be no discount code. The belt is only $40, THP and the company, think this is a more than fair price, so no discount code will be coming.

More than fair, and from what I've seen so far, well worth it. I've got my fingers crossed for father's day!

 

[#Cookie]

Interesting day on the course with this on. Felt really good from the flight and then adjusted it prior to our round.

It felt a bit snug but not enough to hurt me and I was thinking it was doing what it's supposed to by supporting that area.

By the turn I had to take it off as it was hurting too much. Within a few holes of taking it off I started to feel better and not hurting as much. While I felt that it was supporting me, I really have to wonder if just had it on too tight.

I will be putting it back on tonight for dinner and then again for the day tomorrow, paying more attention to how tight it goes on.

I am wearing shorts today that are decently snug in the hips and was able to wear this with no issues which is nice.

 

[salisboss]

Definitely going to wear on the course tomorrow. Tough workout this evening and hips and low back are all wonky right now.

 

[Baldcopper]

Interesting day on the course with this on. Felt really good from the flight and then adjusted it prior to our round.

It felt a bit snug but not enough to hurt me and I was thinking it was doing what it's supposed to by supporting that area.

By the turn I had to take it off as it was hurting too much. Within a few holes of taking it off I started to feel better and not hurting as much. While I felt that it was supporting me, I really have to wonder if just had it on too tight.

I will be putting it back on tonight for dinner and then again for the day tomorrow, paying more attention to how tight it goes on.

I am wearing shorts today that are decently snug in the hips and was able to wear this with no issues which is nice.

Hurting your lower back or hurting from wearing the belt itself?


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[GolferGal]

So I spent several hours this morning organizing and cleaning the house and I completely forgot to put the belt on. I was basically crippled after. I put the belt on once the pain really set in, since it reminded me to put it on, and I am feeling so much better! I should add that I was lifting some fairly heavy boxes, so I was really pushing my back to the limit.

I will be pulling weeds and doing some light gardening tomorrow (I am already dreading this, I HATE doing it) and I plan to wear the belt. I am usually stuck in the hunched over position after a morning of this, so we will see if the belt helps.

 

[tequila4kapp]

Two thoughts. I'm really grateful I don't have the back issues many of you have. Also, all of you are doing a great job testing this product and providing feedback to the forum.

 

[salisboss]

Played 18 today and wore the belt on the front and took it off for the back. Even though my score says otherwise the front was much better from a pain perspective. The front was absolutely pain free which is amazing since I couldn't finish a 4 mile run this morning because my hips and lower back hurt so much. Everything felt held together and more compact for a more confident swing. The back nine was loose and wild and sloppy and the pain returned by hole 13. The best part was that the belt stayed put which was a major concern of mine for golfing. I was not feeling my best but the belt definitely made a bad day less bad. Now to try it Monday when I am walking rather than riding and hopefully in less pain. Now to soak in the jetted tub.

 

[Smallville]

Not sure if it was a rash, or just came from being too tight, because it was gone in the morning, but I had some redness and either a little swelling or just the squished skin thing going on when I took it off last night. I wore it a little looser today and when I took it off when I came home, that stuff wasn't there. However, with it being looser, my back hurt a little off and on all day. Tighter was much better for pain prevention.

Gotta find a happy medium.

 

[OITW]

Not sure if it was a rash, or just came from being too tight, because it was gone in the morning, but I had some redness and either a little swelling or just the squished skin thing going on when I took it off last night. I wore it a little looser today and when I took it off when I came home, that stuff wasn't there. However, with it being looser, my back hurt a little off and on all day. Tighter was much better for pain prevention.

Gotta find a happy medium.

I had the same issue yesterday, just some skin irritation from being on too tight. No issues today. Will have a full update tomorrow.


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[OITW]

First Post

I've been wearing the belt on and off since my last post, I've broken it down into how I've been wearing it.

Sleeping:
I've been wearing the Serola Belt most nights when I go to bed and I have had no issues with discomfort overall, (one night I had it on too tight and I removed it the middle of the night when I went to the bathroom). I can go to sleep pretty quickly and I my low back feels pretty good in the morning, so it definitely is doing a good job of stabilizing my movements in the middle of the night. As I mentioned a bit earlier, the belt is not conducive to using the restroom in my sleep clothes, I have to remove it fully (this has been a little challenging at 3am when I'm still half asleep). Overall grade though when sleeping and how I feel in the mornings: A- (downgrade on removal for bathroom trips) I will have to try sleeping with it under my shorts but over my boxers, to see if this helps with bathroom trips.

Excercising:This is the one area where I have had issues with the Serola Belt. Using the belt for cardio (both on a stationary bike and treadmill - I just walk with an incline on the treadmill) I had small issues with the bike, having it slide up a little, but after adjustments and placement it was fine. Walking on the mill is great, no issues, can barely tell it's there. Where I start to have a problem, is my PT gave me a specific core routine to help with SI joint injury. The belt doesn't really allow me to do the exercises because it's stabilizing both the joint and muscles that I'm trying to work out. After the last few days, I've had to remove the belt and do my exercises without it. For other regular lifting activities the belt doesn't get in the way. Overall Grade: B no limitations for cardio and most exercises have no restrictions, works well. For the exercises I want to do, not being able to wear the belt is an issue.

Everyday Use
I've worn the belt a few times just sitting at work and also wore it out this past Saturday for the full day (the longest amount of time I've warn it (besides sleeping), walking around the city and hanging out, towards the end I was getting some skin irritation and redness, nothing permanent it was gone the next morning. Some general thoughts, back felt great with it on, especially walking around and I barely even feel it/can tell it's there. Definitely not bothersome at all. When I'm sitting down, is when I can feel the belt and if it's too tight it can lead to some slight skin irritation/chaffing. That is fixed with some belt adjustments. I haven't done it yet, but I wouldn't recommend wearing the belt directly on the skin, just with the other experiences I think this could get uncomfortable quickly. I haven't had an opportunity to wear the belt while golfing yet, but it is on my list for this week. Overall general use grade: A works great, helps with pain relief, provides support, not obtrusive and has easy adjustments and comfort is good.

More updates to come, specifically golf related. Let me or any of the other testers know if you have any questions.

 

[#Cookie]

Hey everyone, time for an update. I haven't read this thread since I posted on Friday for a few reasons: 1) crazy busy at SeeMore event & 2) didn't want to be persuaded on my thoughts and really wanted to gather some of my own to kick it off

My last update in summary was that I got this on Thursday wore it that night and felt pretty good Friday morning. I then wore it on my flight to Tennessee and everything was still going well. The decision was then made to wear it during my round....bad bad idea for me. Was hurting on the front and at the turn it was too much and I took it off. By hole 12 or so I was feeling better already and the pain while wearing it had gone away. To answer a question from Friday...I'm not sure what caused it. It was hurting all the way around, perhaps like it was too tight or too constricting.....but I've worn it about the same tightness since and that leads to the below update.

On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday I had a range session followed by 18 holes. The others not at the course were pretty much spent standing at SeeMore or at the bar hanging out with everyone - not much relaxing time at all. With the exception of Friday's round, I've only worn the belt while off the course and NOT sleeping. So, I would get cleaned up from the course and then throw this on - it would then stay on until bed time. Same with waking up, wore it until I got to the course, etc.

Some observations:

- I can wear this and not notice it at all (one exception below)
- Fits under golf and work attire and is unnoticeable to anyone around me (over underwear and under pants/shorts, etc)
- No abnormal rubbing/redness, etc since I really don't have any direct contact between this and my skin
- When I have to do a number 2 (sorry for not being more creative), it is an inconvenience to take this off. Number 1's are no problem though!
- Full body scan at the airport with this caused an extra swipe with the wand when leaving DFW. Quick swipe and they let me through. Mention this because I've worn a lumbar belt through security before and it led to an additional inspection.

So, how do I feel?

After the issues on course Friday I was pretty disappointed (as my playing partners can attest).....and no it was not just because of my golfing abilities (or lack thereof) that I was disappointed. I was really hopeful that this would fix everything that years of stretching, TENS unit, masseuse, chiropractors, etc have yet to fix.

Moving to Saturday morning I had it on as mentioned above when heading to SeeMore HQ. Played golf that afternoon without it on and was in no pain Saturday evening.
Early morning yesterday round and then sitting in an airport before a flight had no issues. Got home from my flight and had no issues.

Woke up this morning feeling pretty damn good. Threw on my belt and headed to work for a real test......sitting in front of a computer from 6AM to 4PM. And boom, I'm home and no issues. Just did 90 minutes of yard work.....still no issues.

When I say "no issues", I'm not meaning just no really bad pain. Throughout a day, I'll typically have twinges and have to stand up, stretch out, etc. I typically have some discomfort that is bearable but still well noticeable. When things get bad (few times a year), I have spasms in my left upper butt cheek area and my spin tilts like I have scoliosis and it's painful as hell as my chest bows out because I can't stand straight up.

You always hope that a solution is found that takes the issues away. Am I completely sold yet that a $40 belt can do that? No. Have a solid amount of my doubts gone away? Heck yes. I know that my issues are not easily curable but 3 days and 54 holes of golf and I'm not experiencing my typical issues. This is a fantastic start in the right direction......more to come throughout a long week of work that will see me sitting in front of a computer for 50 hours......and a really good test on Wednesday upcoming that has traditionally caused me a TON of pain.

Thanks for reading if you made it this far!!

 

[Ag2979]

Nate, check your mail I just tracked and the belt should be in your mailbox. Best of luck with it!


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[Smallville]

That was an excellent post, cookie.

I am continuing to wear it from the time I get out of the shower in the morning until I go to bed at night. I've worn it to bed maybe half the time. I've loosened it some from as tight as I could get it and not be uncomfortable and the irritation has gotten to a minimum. Any looser and my back hurts. So I had to find a happy medium, and I think I am close.

I am not at the point where I cannot tell it is on. But I do not notice it much if that makes sense. Driving, sitting, standing, walking, golfing, it all feels the same to me. I just gotta make sure it's loose enough not to irritate, yet tight enough where it doesn't work it's way up to my belt line. Even when it is too loose to make my back not hurt, it is still way better than nothing at all. But now that I have experienced no back pain and a nice, full, pain-free shoulder turn, I like the no pain part!

I kept telling Jacqui I was going to get another one, and I guess she got tired of hearing it because today she told me to not worry about it because she already got me one! If it is not obvious how impressed I am with this product, the fact I am getting a second one should tell the rest of the story. I tend to do a lot of research before I buy ANYTHING, and after just a few days and I am getting a second one speaks volumes. Honestly, the first two seconds of wearing it and I was hooked! This is still very much a WOW product for me.

 

[Jersey Nate]

Nate, check your mail I just tracked and the belt should be in your mailbox. Best of luck with it!


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The belt has indeed arrived and I'll be putting it through its paces in class tomorrow.

 

[Smallville]

The belt has indeed arrived and I'll be putting it through its paces in class tomorrow.

What did you think when you put it on tonight Nate?

 

[Jersey Nate]

What did you think when you put it on tonight Nate?

I'm about to hit the hay here, but I put on the belt for its first test, overnight. Initial impressions are it can be a touch rough on bare skin but felt incredibly supportive. Lets see how the back feels in the morning.

 

[dcbrad]

Wanted to post an update on how things are going with the belt:

I accomplished two of my four "goals" that I wanted to accomplish when putting this belt through the paces over the last 5 days.

Sleeping through the night with the belt:

One of the issues I was worried about was comfortability when sleeping through the night with the belt on. I also wanted to see if the belt seemed to be more effective when left on for longer periods of time and see if that translated into days with less pain.

I usually wear gym shorts to bed at night, so I didn't have an issue with the belt having any irritation to the skin, as I wore it over top of the shorts. One thing that may have been an issue with other belts is slipping or sliding over the fabric of athletic shorts. That is one thing that I haven't had an issue with. The belt seems to stay fairly snug throughout the night and it did not move around in the 3 nights that I have wore the belt. I also toss and turn quite a bit at night in my sleep (ask my wife) and when I woke up, the belt was still where it should be.

Overall, I didn't have too much issue sleeping other than the first night. It took a bit to kind of get used to the belt being on, but after the first night, I have had no issues with it.

Playing a round of golf with the belt on:


I played a round of golf with the belt on last Friday. I put it on underneath my golf shorts. I had just normal golf shorts and a polo with a belt on. The nice thing about the placement of the belt is that you can still wear a normal golf belt outside without having any issues (size, comfortability, etc), at least in my experience. Other than the pressure and support from the belt, I didn't notice much of a difference from that standpoint.

When it came to the golf swing, that was a bit of a different story. There is definitely an adjustment period with the belt, again, in my experience. The part where I noticed the belt the most was on the weight shift from the back swing to the downswing. I felt like it was slightly restricted in my follow thru. This may be total coincidence, but I played a very inconsistent round of golf that day, and I won't sit here and say that the belt was 100% of the cause, but I felt like, because I wasn't used to the feeling of that added support/sensation through the swing, it altered my mechanics just a bit. My advice would be to wear the belt at the range to get used to it before heading right out into a round. I noticed at the end of the round that I didn't have as much soreness in my left hip as I can sometimes get during a round, which was nice.

Other than that, no real issues with the belt during the round. No irritation to the skin, after the round I took it off and the belt was a little damp from sweat, but just letting it dry out over night was no issue. I'll have more updates as I continue to put the belt through it's paces, thanks for reading everyone!

 

[Jersey Nate]

Wearing the belt for the work day today, I'll write up a report (most likely on my phone as my laptop just died) this evening.

 

[Gohead214]

I've been keeping a journal from the very first time I put the belt on 6 days ago. I think I should be good by Today with my write up. Had some good days and some not so good. It's been a great experience overall.


Tapping Away

 

[GolferGal]

I definitely think the belt is helping, but I am finding that I am taking it off more when sitting at my desk. It's a little uncomfortable still when I sit at my desk, not from being too tight, just moving little which annoys me at times. However, there is no denying that it is helping, so I am still dedicated to using it, because not having daily/nightly back pain is pretty damn incredible!

 

[Gohead214]

This thing is awesome

This thing is awesome

Hello to everyone and let me again say thank you to the team at The Hackers Paradise (GG) and everyone over at Serola Biomechanics!

I have taken a while to put this report together because I wanted to make sure that I had a proper amount of results before I started posting random thoughts.

Background: As a young man I began having back issues from playing sports and being a young man! Lifting cement and large sheets of plywood while working on houses, tractor tires while working on the farm and from what it appeared to be anything else that required me to put a strain on my back is what I did. I did however stretch routinely and also has a very nice workout regimen. I used to think I was a super hero. It wasn’t until I was a little older that I started to pay closer attention to what my father was saying about his back. He did a lot of the same strenuous activities I was attempting to perform in his younger years and to this day his back has never been the same.
I believe I felt my first tweak while I was in college playing football and one of those 256 pound linebackers caught me clean and I woke up thinking I was batman. At that time it was only diagnosed as a strain impacted by heavy force. I recovered from that collision rather quickly (2 weeks) and went right back to performing strenuous acts of machismo for the next 4 years. Between bench pressing 350 and squatting 550 I was really putting my body through the motions.
But the real issue came when I had a motorcycle accident on my Sports bike (GSX-R 1000) where I high-sided and ended up on a morphine trip out of this world. I shattered my arm, broken to the point where the fingers on my left hand were touching my right arms elbow from behind my back. I only remember waking up asking the paramedic where my arm was and he gently moved it back to the other side of my body. I had to sleep sitting up for the next 8 months with my arm in a sling in hopes that the nerves and bone would re-connect and by a blessing they bone did. The majority of the nerves in my arm were severed and to this day 8 years later they are still mending.
During this time of sleeping upright and having little to no mobility or activity as I normally was my back began to go through some serious changes. Bulging discs and herniated disks. Sciatic nerve issues and on some days the thought of movement made me cry. I am more than sure that all of the years of brute abuse were beginning to take their toll on my body but I would not accept that. Then one day. I stood up to walk and all I could do was pray that the Lord would allow me to get back on my feet to walk or give me the strength to crawl. I had finally broken. My wife had to call 911 to come and help me get up to move. I could not feel anything beneath my waist and I thought at that point I was done.
I was wrong.

After that incident I began going to PT (Physical Therapy) and seeing chiropractors. They all described it as a pain they wouldn’t wish on their worst enemies on the planet. They looked at X-Rays and the majority of my visits ended up in a Wow Moment for my family and the doctors. The amount of mobility I recovered through PT was amazing. However, they did have to warn me of a few things.

If I became sedentary it could would happen again, If I didn’t lose a significant amount of weight it could and would happen again, If I perform activities that are too rigorous it could happen again and that I should simply be ready because though not as severe I will continue to have some type of issue for possibly the next 15 -30 years. This didn’t bother me. The fact that I was able to walk again was motivation enough for me to get it back together and Golf has played a Major role in that recovery. Being able to walk a full 18 is a great asset to my recovery. I tried some other sports that I used to play and found myself hoping to get my Vicodin refills often. But since the accident I have lost around 60 lbs. and I have been able to hit the weights again and start on my journey back to a strong back.

The Serola Belt has been a great asset from the time I received it and first put it on. Initially, I felt taller. Almost like as soon as I put the belt on my posture went from a slight hunch to a half an inch taller. I am wearing the belt in many facets of my daily routine. Walking, running, weight lifting, playing with the kids, working and of course on the Range and on the Course.

I initially wore my belt on my bare skin and found that not to be the best on the comfort side so I instead started wearing it over my compression shirts or shorts. MUCH BETTER! It’s almost like it provides an added strength for my everyday routines.

On one of my test dates I thought it wasn’t going to work out because in the process of taking the belt off one day I felt something in my back go “Pop”. Initially my thought was oh no not this again but after walking around for a little bit I realized it was probably just a muscle relaxing from my body being held in place and it just subsided.
I have not had the feeling of over exertion I once was feeling when waking up on most mornings and having to get out of bed with my knees on the floor first. I find myself not having to pull out of my car with a slight twist to the left then placing both feet on the ground and rocking my way out of the car.

My spine alignment feels much better while I am swinging. I have found my drives more consistent and less of a strain on my body at the end of my rounds or range sessions. For me to have such a bad back I have a very fast tempo and I have found the belt to provide added stability in my posture.

Overall this thing is awesome. So awesome I am going to buy one and send this one off to another forum member to see just how amazing this product is. PM me.