Sitting in a desk chair all day might not be the reason your aging body is aching, but for me, extended time at a desk worsens pain that’s already there. I have a pelvic tilt that makes the surrounding areas inflamed whenever there’s extended pressure from sitting. (You may have seen some social media chatter about the “Heated Rivalry” leads invoking this posture issue.) Luckily, I discovered an easy, physical therapist-backed solution for the pain I was experiencing.When my trainer Marty Lavine — who is also a physical therapist and the owner of Push Gym in Colorado — handed me Pso-Rite’s muscle release tool, I had no idea that a U-shaped piece of plastic had the potential to release the back pain I’m plagued with after long work days. You simply lie faced-down on the tool, situating it so the points of the U sit right above your hip joints, and wait as the muscle slowly begins to release. Pso-RiteWhen used correctly, it provides me immediate relief.Before we get into why the tool works, let’s cover what it’s meant to do in the first place. “The psoas (or iliopsoas) combines with the iliacus muscle to form a large insertion on the femur,” said Lavine, which “helps create a vertical compressive force on the lumbar spine, helping stabilize it.” In other words, this lesser-known muscle stretches front the front of each hip into the lower back, right by the sacrum and lumbar spine, and holds your lower back in place when you’re sitting down.Such a big role in the body leaves way for plenty of aches and pains if the psoas is irritated. “All muscle tissue is covered with a small fascial layer and if this is restricted for whatever reason, the muscle can not work correctly,” Lavine said. “These restrictions have been thought to contribute to low back pain, and when massaged or ‘released’ you can get some relief from your pain.”In my experience, using the tool creates the type of cathartic pain you’d experience with a deep tissue massage. There’s a pinch as you settle into place, and a slow release the longer you lay on the prongs of the U. The full effect sets in after about a minute for me personally, and lasts for a few days (but I rarely go so long between sessions.) In my personal experience, the effect is immediate and lasting, and I asked Lavine how the tool works. “The Pso-Rite, if used correctly, can possibly get in deep enough to help release the ilio-psoas muscle,” he said. So, laying down on the device at home, even for a short amount of time, can create a release that alleviates pain. As always, it’s best to consult a medical professional about your particular discomfort before committing to this method, as experts caution that certain types of pain may require a more holistic approach. “[P]ain is rarely driven by one isolated muscle and is much more related to how the spine and hips tolerate load and movement over time,” says physical therapist Jacob VanDenMeerendonk, who recommends using strength training to help the bigger picture. “Exercises that build trunk and hip strength while allowing controlled spinal movement tend to be far more effective for long-term back pain outcomes,” he said.While other physical therapy exercises have certainly been instrumental in healing and correcting my pelvic tilt and correlated lower back pain, the Pso-Rite tool has provided a deeper, more immediate type of release. I use it the way you’d use Ibuprofen or Icy Hot: it’s a quick way to get relief from intense pain, and makes it possible to do other types of physical therapy exercises that in turn create more permanent fixes.Keep scrolling to see a few reviewers’ experience or just grab one of these unique tools for yourself. “Omg! I have been having pain in the front of my right leg and groin for weeks, maybe even months. I’ve done all the stretches and exercises out there and nothing helped until I got on this thing last night just because we had it at the house and I thought it couldn’t hurt! It did hurt, it’s the nature of this little beast, but whoa that INSTANTLY made the pain better! And I knew right away it would work because the left side, while uncomfortable, was not bad, but on the right side I could feel a different pain, the pain I’ve been having for to long. Just wow. I did not have low back pain like they say with psoas issues, but in the front of leg and groin, and I feel so much better it’s wild. Thank you to whoever invented this thing!“ — lr2k“Helped me be able to live my life again. Get it!!! I have struggled with leg and hip pain for over 5 years now, mainly just on my left leg-I’m only 33 so I knew this was abnormal. I would hit my leg so often with my massage gun it would bruise, and the pain was still there consistently. I had tried everything until this, and it has literally taken away my leg pain going on 4 days straight now. Used it on my locked up shoulder as well and it helped a ton. This thing is awesome on your back, legs, hips, arms, pretty much anything!” — Kk“35, Female, average weight and activity level. I gave up running years ago when hip bursitis ruined me. I’ve had a degree of lower back and hip pain for years, which I believe stemmed from an ankle injury 10 years back. After two weeks of using this with daily stretching and strength training, I’m nearly pain free and have corrected my left duck-foot! I would definitely buy this overpriced piece of plastic again.UPDATE: After 4 months, I still use this at least bi-weekly and have had no return of pain. After a few weeks, my muscles will begin to tighten again and I can physically feel the Psoa-Rite release them, but nothing like the first-time experience.” — Hawks“I have been using this for a couple of weeks now and it helped. When laying on my workout bench resting the front of my thighs on the very end of the bench I could lower myself onto it gradually. With your elbows holding you up do an upper position for a couple of minutes then lower yourself to your chest and hold that for 3-5 minutes or go 10 if you can! Not until I tried something different this morning did I realize how amazing this is. I followed the same routine but this morning I frog legged both my legs up towards my sides completely releasing all my weight onto the tool. My back feels fixed! This thing is amazing! I am not sure if the cheaper ones on Amazon will work as good but some friends I told to buy it just ordered theirs so I will find out soon enough! If you have lower back pain this will change your life!“ — Amazon Customer