Alan’s Advance7 Review — Back at the Allotment

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I spend most of my time at my allotment. I’ve had the same plot near thirty years now. I get up there most days when the weather allows, just for a few hours. It keeps me busy and gives me a reason to be outdoors — and a reason to put the kettle on with the others when we’ve all had enough.

What pain were you dealing with?

Lower back mainly, and shoulders. It would always start out alright, but after a couple of hours of digging or weeding it would be a different story. By the time I got home I’d be moving like a much older man.

Was there a particular kind of pain?

Yes, a sharp catch in the lower back, especially after I’d been bending over for any length of time. It would get me when I tried to straighten up. I’d have to stand still for a moment and let it pass. That’s never a good feeling at my age, having to wait for your back to behave.

How did that affect your time at the allotment?

I’d have to cut days short. I’d plan for a full afternoon and end up packing up after an hour and a half. Jobs started building up — beds not turned over, things going in too late, weeds taking advantage. I’d look around and think, I’ll do that next time. But “next time” kept getting put off.

What was going through your mind?

Honestly, I started wondering if I’d have to give the plot up. I didn’t want to, but I couldn’t keep going the way I was. That’s a hard thing to be thinking when you’ve had something thirty years and you’re the one who built the shed yourself.

How did you find Advance7?

The chap on the next plot uses it. He’s two years older than me and still going strong. He noticed me struggling one afternoon — I was leaning on the spade more than I was using it — and said, “Alan, try this before you come up next time. You’ll thank me.”

What was your first impression?

I rubbed it into my lower back and across both shoulders before I drove up the next morning. I didn’t expect much, to be honest with you. About twenty minutes in I realised I was bending over and getting up without that catch. Just smooth, the way it used to be. I genuinely stopped what I was doing.

Did the sharp pain come back?

That was the test, really. I worked for a couple of hours, longer than I’d been managing for months, and waited for it. It didn’t come. I worked the next day, same thing. That was when I thought, hang on, this is doing something proper.

What did that allow you to do?

I started getting full afternoons in again. Within a few weeks I’d caught up with the worst of the backlog. The relief of not having that sharp pain hanging over you all the time — I can’t tell you what a difference that makes when you’ve been bracing yourself for it.

What’s the allotment like now?

Best it’s been in a few years, I’d say. I’ve got a system going again, planting properly, things in the ground when they should be. I’m enjoying it again, which I wasn’t for a while there.

How does Advance7 fit into your routine?

Back and shoulders before I leave the house. Tube lives by the front door now. I don’t go up without it. There’s another tube in the shed, just in case I forget.

Would you recommend it?

I tell anyone who’ll listen. There’s a couple of fellows up at the allotments who’ve started using it on my recommendation. I’m not the sort to push things on people, normally. This one I do. I was looking at giving up. Now I’m not.