Chirp Back Roller Review: Better than Foam Roller for Back Pain?
I hate to admit this, but at 38 years old, I’m finally starting to feel, well, 38 years old.
For the last 14 years I’ve been woking for myself.
And most of that work, rather than being in my home office with an expensive ergonomic office chair, has been spent out of the house.
I always get more done when I’m not at home. Coffee shops are my office of choice, and let’s just say 14 years in coffee shop chairs at a laptop, hasn’t done my back and posture and favors.
As I’ve begun to feel the effects of this more and more, I’ve been spending more time on recovery.
I’ve tracked my fitness with a Whoop band.
I’ve used a Theragun for massage.
I’ve tried to optimize my sleep with my Sleep.Me Ooler.
But more and more these days I’m turning to the trusty foam roller.
This led me down an interesting rabbit hole to find out about Chirp.
The 12″ Chrip Back Roller.
It’s marketed itself as the ultimate roller and device for back pain. But does it live up to the claims? Or is it just another over-priced gimmick that went on Shart Tank for exposure?
Let’s find out.
What is a Chirp Back Roller?
I wanted to get the full Chirp experience, so I opted for the “Ultimate Back and Neck Bundle.”
This is a package of 4 different Chirp Wheels, a posture corrector, and a case for storage.
So what is Chirp exactly?
Essentially Chirp is a specialized roller to help with stretching and back pain.
There are different-sized rollers, that each serve a slightly different function.
But across them all, you’ll find that they’re coated in rubber around a durable plastic wheel.
There’s a unique design that allows it to sit right in between your shoulder blades, allowing you to comfortably (sometimes) roll up and down on the wheel.
The Chirp Wheel comes in 12″, 10″, 6″ and 4″ inch sizes.
4 Chirp back rollers, sizes 12″, 10″, 6″, and 4″
The larger the wheel, the easier it is to use. The 10 and 12 inch varieties are best for more gentle stretching, and the 6 and 4 inch rollers are more for very focused pressure and deep tissue work.
I love the pitch.
A convenient set of rollers that doesn’t take up as much space as a traditional foam roller, and is even better for your back because you can customize it to what you need with a different size.
If you're looking for a suite of tools to help ease back pain and recovery, look no further than this bundle from Chirp. It's been fantastic for my back pain.
First Impressions of the Chirp Back Roller
My Chirp package showed up with the speed of Amazon Prime. It was less than 48 hours from when I ordered it on the Chirp website to when it arrived on my front porch.
It didn’t take long to fall in love with some of the branding as the box read “Natural White All-Purpose Flour.” And then in fine print says: “Surprise! It’s not flour. We just put that on the box so nobody steals it.”
The Chirp Back Roller packaging.
I’m not sure it’d actually do anything to deter theft, but it was a cute touch.
Inside the box, there wasn’t any super special packaging or anything like that.
It was just the 4 rollers stacked like nesting dolls, the posture corrector, and the storage bag.
I immediately grabbed the largest roller, went to my living room, and proceeded to start rolling out my back.
You may have seen some of their promotional videos (see their homepage). In them, they show regular people on the street using a Chirp Wheel, while a specifically placed microphone captures the sound of their back cracking over and over again.
Within 5 seconds of using Chirp, my back was experiencing the same thing.
It felt great.
If you’re not used to using a roller or if your balance isn’t the best, it’ll take a little while to get used to using a Chirp back roller.
It requires a little bit more balance than your standard foam roller, but overall is pretty easy to use.
The included instruction manual is also very clear and well done.
The product itself feels very durable and well-built – honestly more so than I was expecting. But for the premium price, this is nice to see.
The roller uses high quality rubber on the outside.
The wheels also are very attractive with a combination of teal green and black rubber that makes for a nice aesthetic.
But the most important question is: how do they perform?
Does the Chirp Back Roller Actually Work?
When it comes to a traditional foam roller, I’ve had a few issues.
The first issue happened with the last one I purchased. It had little textured dots on it, that I didn’t think anything of.
That is until I spent 5 minutes rolling out on hardwood floors, and stood up to the floor’s stain being damaged due to the texture.
I’d get mad every time I looked at those floors. Fortunately, we moved and it’s no longer my problem.
So that’s one nice thing about Chirp: you can use them on any surface
Depending on what you need it for, a traditional foam roller can sometimes be too soft as well. Not the case with the Chirp.
The rubber padding ensures that when it’s pressed up against your back it’s comfortable, but the plastic build ensures that you’re going to get all of the pressure you need.
This is where the different sizes are great.
If I’m just looking for a standard rolling experience, the 12″ Chirp wheel is great.
But if I have specific points that need to get worked on, being able to use the smaller wheel for much more focused treatment and massage is great.
Honestly, you pair this system with a good massage gun, and you’ve almost negated the need for a massage!
Almost…
I love that the wheels stack within each other, so it’s super easy to put them away.
The Chirp in it’s storage case.
But I’ve been leaving them around the house in different spots – because it’s making me that much more likely to use them.
The 12″ wheel is in my living room, and while watching TV before bed I’ll spend 5-10 minutes rolling out, and it’s led to some great sleep.
I keep the 4-inch wheel in my office and often put it behind my back to help with posture while sitting.
Is the Chirp Posture Corrector Worth It?
This brings us to the posture corrector…
Basically, this is a small strap system that feels like wearing a backpack that’s way too small, minus the backpack part of it.
I was pretty skeptical of this thing at first, because it doesn’t seem like there’s much to it.
And frankly, there isn’t.
The Chirp Posture Corrector.
But as someone whose posture has always been bad, and is only getting worse, I’m willing to try anything.
And you know what? It actually kinda works!
You first have to get over the fact you’ll feel like a total dork wearing it.
Yep, definitely feel like a bit of a dork.
But once you’re past that, I’ve found that it has helped me to more easily sit up straight and help correct my posture while I’m using it.
The key is that you’ll need to keep using it if you want to actually see meaningful change, but for a simple device that you can get for not much extra money, I think it’s worth it if you struggle with your posture.
Final Impressions of the Chirp Back Roller System
Currently, for the package I’ve got, it’s $130. It says this is down from $186.
At a certain point, if a product like this solves your problem, the price is almost a non-factor.
If you’ve had chronic back pain, and you buy this and use it on a daily basis, and it solves that back pain, I’m sure you’d gladly have spent 10 times that amount.
But while even $130 feels expensive for what is essentially a glorified foam roller, it does what it says it’s going to do. It also looks good doing it, and comes in a very convenient package.
I’ve only been using my Chirp wheels for about a week now, and it’s too early to tell if it will lead to long-term fixes with my back pain.
But it’s off to a good start.
Oftentimes it’s the simplest products that can deliver the best results. And with Chirp, while it seems simple on the surface, the results it can produce make this investment one that I think most people will find worthwhile – as long as you build it into your routine.
If you’ve been looking to elevate your foam roller and recovery process, or you’re looking to fix poor posture or back pain, then I think the Chirp system is well worth a try.
If you're looking for a suite of tools to help ease back pain and recovery, look no further than this bundle from Chirp. It's been fantastic for my back pain.
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Good Things
- Has a nice aesthetic
- The variety of sizes are useful for different purposes
- Does what it says it's going to do
Bad Things
- Posture corrector feels like a little bit of an afterthought
- On the expensive side for a roller
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