RecoveryTherm Cube: Pro’s & Con’s of This Contrasting Therapy Solution for Back Pain

Contrast therapy is a great option for the average person to help reduce localised inflammation at the site of an injury as well as helping support the recovery and regeneration process. It is something used regularly in the sporting world and it is also something we recommend to our members and patients alike, to help their low back pain and sciatica. The RecoveryTherm Cube is a device we’ve very recently come across that shows a lot of promise, from using it ourselves it really does look to offer a viable solution here that’s easy and convenient. 

Quick disclaimer: we purchased this device to see if it could be an alternative to regular contrast bathing as it looked really interesting. After experimenting with it ourselves it is something we felt is good enough to provide for our members and patients alike. We’re always looking to source effective resources and filter out the ineffective ones. This is one which made the cut and we now sell a limited number here in the UK. (more information on this at the end).

Contrast therapy works but it is either inconvenient or expensive

The biggest issue with contrast therapy is the barrier to adherence. It involves going back and forth between the freezer and the microwave for half an hour or so. Alternating between the heat and ice if you’re busy can be something that you just don’t bother with. Of course, when you talk about it it doesn’t sound like much, but we live in the real world with real people. The simple fact is that it’s just a little too inconvenient to bother with unless your back pain is particularly excruciating. Especially in our busy lives, the moment our back’s feel a little better we get on with everything else and our time devoted to “care of self” begins to become less and less.

The other avenue for contrast water therapy is the ice bath and sauna combo. This however is somewhat of an expensive route and tends to be reserved for the fitness and health enthusiasts who want to invest thousands of pounds into the pursuit of enhancing a number of other health benefits besides the local recovery effects that contrast therapy offers. For example, Joe Rogan the world’s leading podcaster (amongst many other accolades) regularly promotes such practices and research from influential medical figures such as Doctors Andrew Huberman, Rhonda Patrick and Peter Attia, to name but a few. These Medical Doctors and PhDs regularly discuss the detailed science on benefits of such practices to one’s general health, wellbeing and longevity.

How the RecoveryTherm Cube Helps Your Back Pain

Although not specifically designed for lower back pain or injuries, the RecoveryTherm Cube by Therabody is a small rectangular device that can be strapped to a limb or the torso and deliver hot therapy, cold therapy and contrast therapy to a rectangular area about 2 inches by 3 inches in size. The feature of this device that we’re most interested in is the contrast therapy settings which is as easy as pressing and holding the hot and cold button. It will then cycle between hot and cold 2x in 5 minute increments. 

Specifically for the lower back, it is as simple as looping the larger strap to the device, putting it at the right level of your lower back and then letting it do the work while you get on with what you’re doing. We recently filmed a step-by-step guide to contrast bathing, at 3 minutes 43 seconds into the video we go through finding the right level of your spine for application so do check that out if you’re unsure.

Negatives: criticism of the RecoveryTherm Cube

There are some criticisms of this device when it comes to contrast therapy that you should be aware of. Firstly, being rectangular in size it is limited to the sorts of locations it can be effective from a user point of view. For example, over the knee, elbow or ankle it is going to have limited contact to the area of interest. We also found with Lara’s shoulder dislocation injury, that the strap didn’t quite do as good of a job holding it as snugly when compared to the lower back. That being said, for the knee at least, Therabody do have a specific device, to deliver this treatment, as do their competitor Hyperice, both look great but are significantly more expensive. 

When it comes to using it on the lower back, it does fit great and is very focused but you must not block the fan. This means rolling up your top to make sure that the fan does not get covered. It is a minor point, but one easily missed! The device will generate some heat on the fan side, when trying to cool and this will build up if you have a thick jumper or even T-shirt preventing it from functioning effectively.

The final criticism is that it’s not particularly good for larger areas, some of the recommendations of contrast therapy are for muscular recovery, thinking about the vast musculature of the legs, I think using the RecoveryTherm Cube would be a tedious to say the least, and from a recommendation point of view we would certainly recommend using a vibration/massage gun instead for this sort of task. 

Positive: Good things about the RecoveryTherm Cube

The two main benefits when thinking about a device like this are that we are paying for effectiveness and adherence. Simply put, the RecoveryTherm Cube makes it easier to do contrast bathing, you don’t have to shuttle run between the microwave and freezer, it reduces the potential mess involved with melting ice packs too. Being so simple to use and allowing for multi-tasking also means there are less barriers to doing contrast bathing. Therefore you’re more likely to do it, which means you’re more likely to benefit from it. It’s that simple.

Using something like this it’s just a matter of “set it and forget it” – but don’t forget to keep that fan clear!  And that allows for the targeted intervention of contrast therapy. We mentioned the downside of working on larger areas, but the simple truth with all manner of injuries is that it is very rare that you have a 6-10 inch injury. Especially when it comes to the lower back, it’s a matter of an L4, L5 disc injury or L5, S1 stenosis, maybe it’s the two segments but your injury is an area that easily fits within the “treatment zone” of the device so when it comes to lower back injuries, the way this just slots over the right section of your spine is one of the main reasons we recommend it.

A final note is the impressive rate at which the device changes from max hot temperature (42 degrees Celsius) to Max cold temperature (8 degrees Celsius) in a matter of seconds.

Why the RecoveryTherm Cube is good for back pain

In short, it’s a relatively inexpensive way for you to easily deliver contrast therapy to the lower back. You can read about more of the benefits and details in our deep dive article and podcast episode on Exploring the Benefits of Contrast Therapy if you’re interested. For our members and patients, the advice had been to focus on icing primarily for short periods, mainly because of the inconvenient nature of doing contrast bathing. However, if you have a device like this, it can be a great tool in your arsenal to help encourage the healing process, as well as a crutch to lean on when a flare up happens – and they will. 

There are lots of devices, tools and gimmicks out there designed for back pain, some are a complete waste of time and money, others are good, and some are really worthwhile. If you’ve come across any of these online and want us to take a critical look then please let us know in the comments!

Links to purchase:

If you want to purchase the RecoveryTherm Cube In the UK for £125 here. 

If you’re in the USA you can purchase the RecoveryTherm Cube for $150 on Amazon here.

Note: using these links help support us in continuing to create content to help you with your back pain, health and wellbeing.