Dr. Jerome Fryer Chiropractor

Peer review approach to new product development. Shipping samples to colleagues. BackRelever.ME

Early feedback. Those that experience lower back pain with standing or prolonged standing seem to be best responders.

Shipped out 30 to colleagues for their peer reviews.

🩻 BackRelever Belt: Early Patient Reviews

We recently introduced the **BackRelever Belt** to patients in our clinic experiencing back pain and/or back pain associated with leg pain.

Here are some of their early experiences:

💬 “Since starting to use the BackRelever Belt, I’ve noticed that I’ve relied on it more and more. I stand for long periods at work in the same position, and my mid to lower back starts to feel a burning sensation.

As I’m getting older, I’m realizing that waiting until the discomfort becomes significant before using the belt isn’t ideal. I’ve started taking more breaks during my shift to use the belt, and it gives me a lot of relief. I’m learning to be more consistent about using it. Thank you very much.”

💬 “It’s great to use. I mostly use it before going to bed, and it helps a lot.”

💬 “I started using the belt as soon as I got home. Relief from the acute pain was immediate after I pushed on the handles for about 30 seconds and decompressed my spine.

When I stopped pushing, the pain returned, although it was slightly less intense.

Over time, with repeated use, I found that my overall pain was reduced, and I was able to stand more upright for longer periods.

I also found that I need to use the belt as soon as I get out of bed in the morning to help with the back stiffness and aching I experience early in the day.”

These are early patient experiences, and individual results may vary.

I saw Dynamic changes years ago. And why I decided on the names Dynamic Disc Designs Spine Education Models and Dynamic Chiropractic Clinic - Nanaimo

We have an opportunity to influence disc height!

What changes when the lumbar spine is imaged while standing rather than lying down?

A new prospective study directly compared recumbent and upright lumbar MRI in 220 adults. At least one positional difference was found in approximately half of the participants with low back pain.

Disc contour, lateral recess stenosis, central canal stenosis and annular fissures were among the findings most likely to change. Almost 90% of the observed differences involved either the appearance of a finding or worsening under load.

The study does not establish that upright MRI is necessary for every patient—or that every positional finding causes pain. It does demonstrate that the lumbar spine is dynamic and that recumbent imaging may not reveal every feature present under weight-bearing conditions.

This principle has been central to Dynamic Disc Designs from its beginning. ddd was developed after founder Dr. Jerome Fryer observed how dynamically the intervertebral discs behaved during MRI research conducted in Aberdeen, Scotland, under the supervision of Francis Smith, MD. That work was subsequently published in The Spine Journal.

Our models help clinicians and educators explore the spine as a responsive mechanical system—not simply a static arrangement of bones, discs, joints, and nerves.

Read the full article in the comments.

Reference: Doktor K, et al. Lumbar MRI findings in the recumbent and the upright position: a prospective observational study on type and frequency of differences by direct comparison. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders. 2026. doi:10.1186/s12891-026-10462-3.

Shipping out to a number of my colleagues. Peer reviews.

Shipping out our newest product to spine professionals worldwide. New product category. Explore the BackRelever.ME

A major research paper comparing upright MRI with supine MRI. Spinal discs can change shape under load.

In 2010, I was lucky enough to co-author a paper with the inventor of upright (vertical) MRI. Francis W. Smith, MD, was also the first to conduct an MRI in 1980. He would be very happy to see this publication if he were still with us.

Congratulations to the authors of this important paper.

Disc Contour Changes on Upright Lumbar MRI Upright lumbar MRI shows that disc bulges and herniations may become more pronounced under load. Learn what positional disc-contour changes mean.

Limited availability at Dynamic Chiropractic Clinic - Nanaimo

Your spine carries a load every time you stand, walk, bend, or move.

At BackReLever, we’re exploring a smarter approach to everyday spinal unloading through wearable technology.

Follow our page to discover how BackReLever works, learn about spinal biomechanics, and stay updated on our latest developments.

👉 Follow BackReLever and join us on the journey.

There is something happening. So simple.

Exciting early responses to the BackRelever Belt.

OK, this is exciting, but we kind of had a hunch about the response. People have been kind enough to provide some early reviews of this new product. Thought to share a few of them below.

"Since starting to use the BackRelever Belt, I’ve noticed that I’ve relied on it more and more. I stand for long periods of time at work in the same position and my mid to lower back starts to feel a burning sensation. I’m beginning to realize as I age that it’s more uncomfortable to wait to use the belt, so I’m stopping more during my shift to use the belt, which gives me much relief. I’m learning to be more diligent about using it more. Thank you Very Much."

"Great to use mostly I use it before getting in bed helps a lot"

"I began to use the belt the moment I got home.
Relief from acute pain was immediate as I pushed on the handles for about 30 seconds and decompressed my spine.

When I stopped pushing, the pain returned, although a little less acute. Over time and repeated applications, I found the pain to be less overall, and I am able to stand more upright for longer periods.
I find that I need to use the belt as soon as I get out of bed in the morning to overcome the early day back stiffness and ache."

This product may look like another back pain relief gimmick. But creating a little more space for the disc and/or facet can be just enough to relieve back pain.

https://backrelever.me

I am pleased to share that BackRelever.me is now officially open, and the BackRelever™ Belt is now available for purchase in Canada and Australia.

Developed by Dr. Jerome Fryer, the BackRelever grew out of clinical observations dating back to 1999. This journey included published research examining a seated strategy for offloading the lumbar spine, followed by the challenge of designing and refining a wearable product that could apply a similar principle while standing and walking.

The BackRelever is a wearable belt system that transfers downward pressure through the arms to a belt positioned around the pelvis. This enables the arms to help offload the lower spine while the user remains upright and mobile.

In Dr. Fryer’s early clinical experience, the BackRelever has appeared most relevant when a person’s back symptoms are aggravated by standing or walking. Individual experiences will vary, and the product is not intended to replace appropriate clinical assessment or care.

Although the early clinical observations have been encouraging, independent researchers have now been engaged to collect more objective data and evaluate the product’s effects. We look forward to seeing what the research—and the experiences of BackRelever users—will reveal.

Bringing this concept from a clinical observation to a patent-pending product has required considerable thought, testing, persistence, and collaboration. It is exciting to finally see it become available.

For now, availability is limited to Canada and Australia, with additional countries under consideration as we move forward.

Learn more about how it works:

https://backrelever.me

Home - Back ReLever Take a Load Off While Standing and Walking A wearable belt system designed to offload the lower spine. Designed in Canada by a Canadian. Order BackRelever Back ReLever Every day movement places a continuous compressive load on the spine. BackRelever offers a simple, wearable way to introduce unloadi...

Increasing Disc Height: A Central Theme in My Approach to Spine Care

One central mechanical principle I consider in my chiropractic practice is intervertebral disc height.

Disc height does not exist in isolation. Changes in disc height influence the geometry of the motion segment, including facet joint relationships, intervertebral foraminal dimensions, and spinal canal dynamics.

This gives me a useful treatment target even when I cannot identify the precise source of a patient's symptoms with certainty.

Whether my working diagnosis involves discogenic pain, facet-mediated pain, or radicular symptoms, I often consider whether manual treatment directed toward temporarily increasing disc height and reducing compressive loading may be appropriate.

But treatment doesn't end when the patient leaves the clinic.

I pair manual care with home strategies designed to encourage spinal unloading and maintain the mechanical gains we are trying to achieve. The objective is to give patients something they can actively participate in, rather than making their improvement depend entirely on clinic treatment.

Over many years of clinical practice, this approach has repeatedly produced outcomes that have reinforced its value in how I manage appropriate patients.

I don't need to claim that every painful spine has one identifiable structural pain generator. Instead, I can ask a more practical mechanical question:

Can we create a more favourable environment for the motion segment by improving disc height, opening the foramina, influencing facet relationships, and reducing mechanical loading—and then see how the patient responds?

For me, that is where anatomy, biomechanics, clinical reasoning, and patient response come together.