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Shawn French
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Unknown
Hablas Espanol Spritz du Dzoic?
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Dr. Jason Worsland
Darker it gets, the easier it is to find the light in the room.
Unknown
Come on, that's a good one.
Dr. Jason Worsland
When you're in pain, you'll do anything. Theragun is actually for pain. It was innovated and manifested through pain. Everyone experiences pain at some point. Raise your hand if you have a thing. My thing's my neck, my thing's my low back, My thing's my feet. They kill me. That's where pain manifests itself. And to be able to have something that you can control that you know where it is, you know how to use it, and you know the expected outcome. That thought process is behavior change and pain drives a lot of our behavior change.
Unknown
This one luck. I let the pain inspire me. I put my all in. Everything I'm doing up until it's done, I'm me for the entirety I put in over time I'll be working Just know I'mma go for mine cause I earned it they watch now I know it's time I confirmed it the whole society determined determin.
What'S up everybody? Welcome back to another episode. I am your host Shawn French and today I have an amazing guest for you. Before I introduce him, please go follow Spotify, YouTube and Apple Podcasts to get all the amazing interviews of the determined society. So today I have with me an amazing, amazing doctor. He had an accident in his life and created a product that you will already know about. Most of you probably have one. But I have with me the founder and the chief wellness officer of the body, Dr. Jason Worsland. What's up, buddy?
Dr. Jason Worsland
Hey, man, thanks for having me.
Unknown
Absolutely, absolutely, man. It's. It's good to meet you. Really excited to. To learn more about you and for you to share with the audience about the origin story of it used to be theragun, but rebranded to therabody. The origin story of how it was created and how you went through that process basically out of necessity. Right. So without further ado, man, just can you give the audience a little bit of information on how therabody was created?
Dr. Jason Worsland
Well, the origin story, I was. I'm a chiropractor in Los Angeles, and in 2007, I was in a motorcycle accident. I was splitting traffic like you do in California, and a car came out of nowhere. There was a delivery truck in front of me. It was the perfect setting. And I ended up t boning this side of this Volkswagen Jetta. And up to that point, I had never really been injured, Sean. I played sports, all types of sports. I never had had that issue where I was out for a long, extended period of time. So I'd never gone through that. What happens in your mind when you're injured? So I was suddenly a patient, and I'd never been that before. So I ended up having a 9 millimeter disc bulge in my neck on the right side between C5, C6 and it radiated down my arm. I was in a ton of pain. And I went to my practice to try and figure out what I could do to treat myself. And I realized I couldn't. And that really started this idea of like, wait a second, I'm in pain and I gotta wait for someone to treat me. That doesn't. I don't like this because I knew as a chiropractor that those hours, minutes, whatever, that I'm in pain, inflammatory process response, like all of those things. And I just wanted to keep myself. So that was the thinking. So one day I'm sitting in my office waiting to be treated, and I'm sitting next to a table that vibrates. And I rested my arm on the table and I thought, I wonder what would this would do if I had the knowing what vibration does to tissue. I just was thinking to myself, I wonder if that would release the tension in my body, because we do that for traction. So I clicked it on and put my arm on there and it was like, for 30 seconds, it was heaven. I was like, oh, my God, it felt so good, but then my body accommodated. So, like your watch on your wrist, your body accommodates to that stimulus because it's not strong enough or threatening enough, to be honest. I was like, wow, that was fascinating. That triggered this cascade of events where I was like, wait a second. If that did that, what if I had something that I could actually have with me? So there was this product that chiropractors use a lot called the Vibrussor. And it vibrates, has a dial on the bottom, and I would just hold that thing underneath my arm, but my body would accommodate. So I was going through this relief and then frustration and then relief, and I'm thinking, I've got to have something that actually makes that go away. What if I had something that didn't vibrate because vibration contacts the skin, which makes it easier to accommodate? So I'm thinking, what if I had something that didn't touch the skin the whole time? And as I was doing this, I'm like, oh, shit, I'll make that. So I just went to my garage and I grabbed some tools and I started messing around, seeing if I could actually recreate this idea that I was thinking. So I made the first theragun in. In January of 2007, and I literally took a Makita jigsaw, bent the blade, and wrapped a dish towel around the blade. And then I wrapped electrical tape really tight around the dish towel, and I just turned it on and put it on my body. And when I say it worked, it took the pain away for an extended period of time. So for me, it was like, oh, my God, this is amazing. And I'm realizing that the pain is staying away where I had expected it to come back within 30 seconds or so with the previous products that I was using. So that's kind of how it started. And then I developed it from that to I had a patient come in, I'd gotten better, and a patient come into my practice who'd been in a similar injury, in a similar situation, had horrible insurance, didn't have the money, and I'd never thought to use this on anyone else. Like, it did what it did for me, and I kind of put it away. I would use it after the gym sometimes, but then he came in, and I realized, man, there's no way I'm going to get this guy better. And he's in so much pain. I recognize that I could sympathize with that. So I thought, man, I'm gonna bring that. So I had him come back the next day I brought this back, showed him what it was. His wife thought I was nuts. And I said, the makita drill with a bent blade. Yeah, yeah, I carried it in. I actually walked in my office with. It was in a Ralph's paper grocery bag. So I. But I turned. The minute I turned it on and put it on him, it was like it spoke the language. He just immediately was like, oh, wow, this is amazing. So we went through this experience where he was learning and I was teaching. And when you're working with patients like that, you become really close. And so we'd been tight. He was about my age, I'd been on. I went to see family and I came back and I went in my office and he was sitting in my office and he had this thing in his hand and he's like, doc, this thing saved our lives. You got to figure it out. Because I had kept. Kept telling him, like, I don't know what it's doing, but it's amazing. Try this, do this. So that's kind of what started that. That was when the universe punched me in the face. I should say punched me in the chest and just said, hey, you got to do this. And that. I still remember where I was when it happened and everything. But I. It was like I realized I have to figure this out. Like this did something. And I can't deny what it did to me, seeing what it did to him. So that started this five year sort of trek to figure out what is it doing? How, what's the frequency, what's the amplitude? How about the balance? It. What is it doing to the nervous system? What does it help with? How do you access the parasympathetic? So this has been an 18 year school for me from that moment on to be able to learn and understand what this is doing. And I'm still learning what it does. Seeing that it can actually help you sleep if you use it. Right. So that's kind of what I take this as like a personal quest that I've got to figure out how to get this in to as many hands as possible through whatever ways I can. I mean, I've worked with patients that have had neuropathies in the bottom of their feet. I've had patients that have had things in their bodies where they're like, I had this forever and I put this on there and it's gone now. So like the. I'm learning as I go. The performance aspect where theragun took a turn was in 2014 when it got into athletes hands and they started using it for performance where I was using it in a clinic to relieve pain, increase range of motion, help with blood flow, like help my therapies gets into athletes hands. And it just took off. I mean it was like a rocket ship that couldn't stop because the guys saw how easy it was to use to, for performance to actually run faster, jump higher and then for recovery in ways that they weren't, haven't been, hadn't been using them. So I came along when recovery was like foam rolling was barely a thing. So now you see how the world has progressed to where it's, they're actually putting aside budget and time and space for recovery. Where you know, 20, 14, 15. What are you talking about? I don't have time for that. What's recovery?
Unknown
Why are you fine?
Dr. Jason Worsland
You don't need to recover.
Unknown
It's funny because you know, you mentioned foam rolling and I'm, I'm a former athlete, I played baseball at lsu and foam rolling is, was, is always the worst part of the day. Like it hurts so bad.
Dr. Jason Worsland
Shouldn't have to hurt that bad.
Unknown
And that's the thing. It's like, how can you expect somebody, you know, because I've, I've taken a look at your protocol for like morning, you know, afternoon, you know, evening time and then prior to bedtime. Right. And all that makes sense. And I want to get into that because it serves a function other than just if you're injured or performance, it could just really be used to help you with your everyday life. To stay in balance. Right. To sleep good, to feel good and then yes, recovery. But recovery shouldn't like to your point, it should not hurt like that. It, it should be something that's sustainable because who is going to sit there and like, yep, time to foam roll, time to foam. I'm gonna go do it every single day. And there are some crazy ass people, man, that sit there like man, I love the foam roll. I'm like, then you must have zero nerve endings in your legs or anything because that stuff is not, yeah, it sucks man. But no, I, I, I love it because you know, going back to your protocols, like educate the audience on how, how they could use it in an everyday environment if they're not an athlete or if they're not, they're not injured because I think that's important too.
Dr. Jason Worsland
Yeah. You know the, there's a book out called the body keeps the Score and, and this isn't new science people don't, you know, I'm not The first one saying this, but we store our trauma in our body. And, and whether it's micro traumas from the gym, which is controlled, or it's a trauma that you, you know, dropped something and you reached and had to grab it, or it's, it's emotional trauma, we all have that. And you know, when you get in the high performance space with some of these athletes, you know, they're not robots. They've been through their trauma, they have, they carry it. But ironically, we're not really taught how to release it. There's talk therapy. So the, the idea that our body holds it, it's going to go somewhere and a lot of times it goes into our head where we're saying things to ourselves. We're so mean to ourselves. Like we're really hard on ourselves. And that really comes from a sympathetic perspective. It comes from this fight or flight space where the voices in our head can really start talking to us. So what therabody does what theragun does. And I actually gave a talk about this at Oxford university with a guy named Stephen porges who created the polyvagal theory, which is how the body stores and releases trauma. So we've proven this. But what happens is when you use theragon on your body for about two minutes or more, let's say you get to a two or three minute threshold, you start activating your parasympathetic nervous system. Heart rate slows down, blood flow slows down, the body starts to get into this state that's a parasympathetic state. That's rest and digest. So to have theragun in your life to calm you down, it literally is a is, it's a nervous system regulator. So people are like, what is this? Massage gun? No, it's a nervous system regulator. I can use it in ways to get you ready for the gym. I could use it in ways to get you ready to run a 40 yard dash. I can use it in ways to get you ready to jump out of the gym. But I can also help put you to sleep. So if I can activate the nervous system. Now this is really about emotional regulation. This is about nervous system regulation. So, you know, you want a cup of coffee to get going and stay focused. There's certain ways we have a prepare protocol, a perform protocol, a recover protocol. So to go through the protocols quickly, because I think that's what you asked, prepares 30 seconds per muscle. So you go, if we're doing biceps, you're going to go cross fiber for 10 seconds. Pretty good. Pressure at the highest speed. So the frequency is 2400. You're going at the origin of the muscle for 10 seconds. So that's the Golgi tendon. You're activating the Golgi tendon. Then you go to the insertion of the muscle cross fiber, 10 seconds. And then you're going to go with the muscle fiber for 10 seconds. So it's just 30 seconds. You're not jamming it in, you're not trying to stop the muscle. The gun, you're just running at the highest frequency. You're activating your nervous system. These things we have here, they're already red, they're full of blood. They don't need more blood flow. Right. It's the nervous system that needs to allow you to move to approximate to get closer to things and further away from things. Extend your arm, stretch arm. So it's 10, 10, 10. That's prepare 10 seconds. Each muscle, you're doing your quads, you're doing their, your forearms, your traps. Just find the area and hit it. It's not long. The perform is 15 seconds. In the muscle belly, you're doing shoulder presses. You want to hit the muscle belly of the shoulder on both sides, Hit the traps on both sides for about 15 seconds. So the perfect rest time, you're taking a rest. Take the gun, hit those areas. Unless you're doing like a hit workout or something, it's a little bit different.
Unknown
Yeah.
Dr. Jason Worsland
And then recover is two minutes or more anywhere on the body with breath work. So you can see how you're down. Regulating the nervous system. So using it on your quadriceps, just kind of catching your breath, slowing your heart rate, closing your eyes, nostril breathing, like allowing your body to get into that state of recovery. And the trick, Sean, this is the trick that I want people to know. The sooner you can do that after a workout, the better off you are. People will go to the gym, get in their car, grab a smoothie, drive home, and it's an hour goes by before they even get a theragon on them or before they even get in a hot shower. So what I'm trying to preach to people is all this stuff is amazing. We all know how important recovery is, but it's so important that the sooner you do it after you work out, and that goes for sitting for six hours at a desk as well. You know, getting up from a desk and taking that and going, allowing the theragun to release the tension that you're holding in your body because you're it's you. You asked the question. Also, like, how does this apply to every day in their life? You don't have to work out to use this. My mom's got a theragun. She uses it all the time. And, and she's 74 years old, and she uses it to ride her bike. She uses it to wake up in the morning. She puts it on the bottom of her feet to help her sleep at night. And I'm just talking about theragun. I'm not even talking about all our products, you know, like the jet boots and the goggles.
Unknown
Yeah, the goggles. Like, everything. And then you have the face mask, the infrared, all that stuff, right. It's like, that's when I, when I, when I'm looking at all this and I'm. And I'm listening and you know, in my research and everything like that is, is. It's. It's a wellness product. It's a, it's a physical, mental and emotional wellness product. And I think that's what makes this so great because it can literally impact how you're feeling emotionally, how you're recovering, how you're sleeping. And, and, and we know sleep is a massive part. Right. I mean, that, that right there. I mean, I know a lot of people that have a hard time falling asleep. My wife, like, my wife has a hard time falling asleep. She has an even a harder time staying asleep. And I'm over there out, right. I'm gone. So for someone that has that sleep issue. Right. It's something with the jaw, Right? You do something with the jaw with a theragun. Right?
Dr. Jason Worsland
Well, the. Let's back up a second. I think the importance that people need to understand because you said something, I wrote it down. I want to make a note of this. Wellness is a daily practice, like brushing your teeth. I tell people all the time, you don't ever brush your teeth one last time unless it's really that last time.
Unknown
Yeah.
Dr. Jason Worsland
You don't ever, like, make your bed for one last time. Like, this is. These are things that you're doing on a daily basis. And that's the same with wellness. So the people that have sleep issues, the first thing I'm going to find out is what's your sleep routine? Let's back into that. What time do you go to bed? Ah, it's different every night. Okay, well, let's start there. Your body wants a rhythm. It. The reason I, I would bet to say that the reason you conk out is you have a time. 10, 30, 11, 12, whatever. That time is. And if it gets past that time, you're like, I can't stay up till anymore. So you've got yourself into a routine where you're going to knock out. I also believe that women carry so much more than men in their mind. They. They have the ability to navigate so many more things. So for them to downregulate, it takes them physical movement. Like, they've got to seriously sit down, take a moment, close their eyes, and allow that gate to open for them to get into that space. Guys, I've, in general, I've seen just kind of like, you know, I'm done. They just hit the pillow. But women have a challenge, whether it's the breath work or whatever that is. I'm not trying to say that's an easy fix, but for me, when I'm working with people, I back into that. Well, let's. What time do you go to sleep? Okay, cool. What time do you wake up? All right, cool. Let's try and get those numbers closer together. Let's try and get around 11 and around 6, 30 or 7. Let's start there. Then that starts to think. Okay, I got to start getting ready. Oh, okay. Well, now it's. I don't know if you have kids, but anyone that has kids that's listening to this. Yeah. You know, like, if you don't have a sleep routine, you're. It's mayhem. You're toast. Yeah. And we're the same as adults. We just don't have our mom telling us, hey, here's your warm milk and a cookie before you go to bed. So for me, wellness starts with sleep. You're so right. But I think the wellness idea of it being a daily practice and then you paying attention to your sleep routine. I have one. I could tell it to you. Like, it's the same thing every night. Even when I'm traveling, I have a process that I kind of take my body through to get my nervous system to a place that it recognizes. Oh, I can let that stuff go. I can hang that on my tree and I'll pick it up tomorrow when I'm ready to go, you know, fight the battles. So the. That's. I've had a lot of success doing that. Our products that we've created are based on that. On a sleep routine. The. The smart goggles were meant to be a 15 minute routine that you can take off and set down and go to sleep. And everyone's like, yeah, but I fall asleep in them. Amazing. Let's give you a sleep Mask. So now we have a sleep mask. You can just switch to the mask. Full blackout. But sleep's important. In fact, Sean, it's so important. It's the very first study I ever, we ever did with the body. The first study was I kept seeing, the longer that I used this on play, on athletes before they performed, whatever it was, I would get words like, dude, I can't feel groggy, man, I could go to sleep right now. That's not what they want to feel like before they're going to go run a hundred yard dash. So I started recognizing that and I was like, wait a second, what is this? So we sort of narrowed it down and we actually did a sleep study. We should send that to you guys. I'll have you send.
Unknown
I love that. Absolutely.
Dr. Jason Worsland
But it's it that it's so important. That's the first study we did and we talk about all the time. It's fundamental and foundational what we do. If you have a theragun, use it two minutes before you go to bed. Just start there and then you'll start recognizing how to implement it in your life. Man, I sound like a cell, don't I?
Unknown
No. Hey, man, it's great. No, it's really cool because, you know, there's a lot of, there's a lot of technology out there and people will tell you a lot of different things to prepare your body for sleep. But, you know, there's a science to this. And, you know, I kind of, you know, did some reading obviously before here and before we, we hopped on the, on the recording. And it's just, it was amazing to me because I will have to admit, over the years, I saw it as a recovery tool and I saw it as a performance tool. Right. But I never stopped to think about, like, man, what if this could release some of the tension in my neck and in my, in my rhomboids? What am I holding on to? That. This, this technology can help relieve, to help me feel better. Right? And, and again, it. If. If you just take something as simple as two minutes before bed or in between sets at the gym, you can really optimize everything you're doing by activating the, the parasympathetic, parasitic, you know, sympathetic. I can't speak right now. Good lord. Good God, man, I have to say.
Dr. Jason Worsland
That word 100 times a day.
Unknown
So I was like, yeah, everybody knows what I'm trying to say, you know, but. But no, it's like there's, there's so many different applications and I think that's what makes it so amazing. Right. And, and truly, I mean, if you look at it outside, outside of theragun, all the other products, it's, it's a focus. This company is focused on helping people feel better.
Dr. Jason Worsland
Yeah, that's. I mean, when we, when we make products, we start with frequencies. So theragun has a frequency. It's the, the foundational frequency is 40 Hz. So if anyone that's listening or paying attention to what that is, you'll know what 40 hertz is. It's a really important frequency to the nervous system. And then the amplitude is the distance it travels to go off and on the body. So you're speaking the language of the nervous system. If it's on the body the whole time, the body can understand that language. Everything we've created is based off that. So the goggles, the smart goggles, for example, they have pressure points and vibration nodes in certain areas around your face to access your vagus nerve. So if you can downregulate your nervous system, we also put a PPG reader on it, which is a pulse reader. So we are actually taking your pulse while you're wearing the goggles, and it's feeding you a stimulus that down regulates your nervous system. So if you turn the lights down just a little bit and I started talking a little bit slower, you, your nervous system would sort of step into that. You'd kind of start doing the same thing. That's, that's, that's what we're trying to do with the goggles. If you close your eyes, people may know this man. If you close your eyes, your body, your heart rate will slow down about 10 points. So if you're at 70, you close your eyes, let it calm down. Your, your heart rate will slow down. It's just downregulating. So the node, the things we created for therabody or for the masks, it, it's based off of what's happening to the nervous system. But if you looked at the goggles, you would never know that's what's going on. Same thing with our, with the light mask you've talked about, the theraface mask. That's not just a light mask. That's actually great for headaches because we put these vibrating nodes that massage the muscles around your eye. The, the top muscle on our head that comes over the top attaches right at the base, right here. When you get headaches, a lot of times you don't know. You're squinting and you're pulling that muscle, but it manifests back here. So if we can actually treat the muscles of the face while you're having light therapy. Now it's multimodal, that's a hard word, but it's multi modal. I'm doing many modalities at the same time. So I have light going on, I have vibration along here. We've actually put the straps on the head so that they go with the sutures of the head. Because anyone that works on that understands when you massage the sutures of a head, no matter how old you are, you're actually calming down the body. It releases these chemicals in the body that actually helps you calm down. So these things we have, we have athletes that actually wear this not just for the light, but for the light therapy that it does for the eyes and for concussion protocols to decrease the, the inflammation in the head just by this mild vibration. So you wouldn't know that by looking at our products, but there's a lot of thought that goes into this. We're speaking to your nervous system and we don't take that lightly.
Unknown
That's so funny because like I, I am listening to all this stuff and it's like to your point, like I didn't know all this stuff, right. It. And I'm thinking of many things that like my wife always gets headaches, right?
Dr. Jason Worsland
Yeah.
Unknown
Doesn't sleep well. Like all these different things, man, it's just like there's a market out there with you guys that can help with this stuff. And for the audience listening, like, I want, you know, there's something that you.
Dr. Jason Worsland
Said about your wife. I want to, I want to call something out.
Unknown
Sure.
Dr. Jason Worsland
As mothers especially, they have the ability to get through some of the most challenging things in life and there, there haven't typically been solutions for them. When I say them, I mean mothers, women in general. I don't know if you know this, but the studies that we've all heard about, when you know 9 out of 10 people, blah, blah, that's men, they don't, they've never been able to include women in studies because they're so different. You can get 13 different 30 year olds in different cycles and different life experiences, but you, the men are the same, so it's easier to run a study on men. So for women, I think what's interesting is there definitely are solutions for women, but I don't think they're marketed to women that way. So the goggles, if I had women, if they've ever had mastitis, if any woman's ever had mastitis, it is the worst. And they tell you to do these really weird things to massage, get hot water. Well, you know what, if you took a theragun with a super soft and you put it there for 15 seconds, your milk's letting down. But that's not marketed to them. So if you, if I had your wife, I'd be like, let's get you into a good sleep routine. Let's downregulate your nervous system. Get the goggles on. So right before you go to sleep, you're shutting that lights out. You're not doing this, you're not doing like social media, whatever, like screen time. You're actually eyes closed for 15 minutes and you're getting a face massage. Trust me, she'll fall asleep. Now the staying asleep, that's where the wellness routine comes in. You've got to be able to find. And this sounds so simple, but it's actually, I don't want to patronize anyone, but we need pit stops in our life. We need, we need a 30 second pit stop. Like, oh, I need to just take a break for a second and get myself regulated. If you take some of those throughout the day, it's easier to stay asleep at night because your body's used to being like.
Unknown
You know, it's. That's interesting because I don't, like, there's times where I will take those pit stops, right? Like, I'll say, I'll, I'll be able to identify. Sean, you're running too hot right now. Like, this has been an intense two hours. You need to take some time to downshift and maybe just be. And if it the one thing for me though, and, and I would, I want the audience to really can on this because there's a lot of people that feel bad when they take those moments, right, because they feel like they should be working hard or they should be grinding it out. Like, I believe in hard work, but I also be. Also believe in being strategic and understanding where you're at at any given moment. Right. And I've matured into that. So I, I want, I wanted to make it very clear those moments that you are feeling like you need to take a, just take a beat. You have to because it's your, because it's your body telling you something.
Dr. Jason Worsland
Yeah, yeah, I, and again, going back to the voices in our head, that's really what it comes down to. We especially grinders, warriors that are out, you know, slaying dragons every day. You, you, you, that's how that you've convinced yourself that that's what it's taken for you to get to where you are, which is 100% true, because we need that side of us. But to your point, we have to have that harmony. We've got to be able to find a way to really down regulate. You don't get stronger in the gym. You get stronger when you recover. Your saw doesn't get stronger when it's cutting. It gets stronger or sharper when you sharpen it. So I think it's just that concept and just getting to the point where you're like, I gotta stop, I gotta slow down. And that's, that's, that's our quest in life, Right. For all of us individually, I think that's the purpose we're here.
Unknown
Ultimately, it's not easy, right? It's not easy at all. I mean, I find for me, like on the days that I don't record, those are my days, you know, I'll have those times where I can literally, for a two hour block, just be, you know, just be like. And I don't count the gym because that's at 4:30am I'm barely even awake when I'm there, Right. But when I have these times where I'm not recording or doing something with the show, I'm like, okay, this is a good opportunity for me to do something that I don't ever normally do. I'm going to lay down right here and I'm just going to let my dogs on my lap and I'm just going to, I'm just going to chill and that, that, that pours into me. And then after 20 minutes I feel much, much better and I can get more work done. I don't feel bad about it anymore.
Dr. Jason Worsland
That's important. What kind of dogs you have?
Unknown
So I have a Shih Tzu and a little mini labradoodle. My wife will get mad when she hears this episode because I really want another pit bull. I used to have a pit bull. I love pit bulls. You know, all my dogs are cool, man. They're chill. Milo and Stitch.
Dr. Jason Worsland
Well, I love that. Great names.
Unknown
Yeah. Do you have dogs?
Dr. Jason Worsland
No, I have had, I love dogs. I have had dogs. I just, my lifestyle is just too crazy. I don't want to do that to a dog.
Unknown
Yeah.
Dr. Jason Worsland
All the time or with sitters, you know, it doesn't.
Unknown
Yeah, yeah.
Dr. Jason Worsland
That's my justification.
Unknown
Yeah, man. Busy guy. Man. Busy guy. You can't, can't be leaving dogs at home, you know? You know, the one thing too, I, I think is important to Touch on. There's a lot of competitors, right. There's a lot of competitors out there that have tried to replicate therabody or the theragun. There's some massive distinctions, though, in design and. And how the theragun performs with balance, etcetera, over those other products. Touch on that. Because there's a lot of people. Well, I got one. You know, it's this one.
Dr. Jason Worsland
Yeah.
Unknown
And it could look like a drill or a hammer, you know, or whatever. And that's not. That's not a theragun, right?
Dr. Jason Worsland
Yeah. No, it's not. Now, the. The design in the early days was designed to be an extension of my hand. So as a chiropractor, these are my eyes. And what people don't, what some of the people may understand. We talked about accommodation. Your body can sense the smallest things. It knows the difference between heat and cold. A feather and a pin. You think about those, that information that travels through our hands. I was fascinated by that when I started creating theragun. And I thought, if I. If I want to, I'm going to hold this. I want to grab onto something and have it feel like, wow, okay, this is really meant for something. So everything along the way we did, from the textures to the weight to the balance that you talked about, even to how it sounds now is, I want someone to pick that up and be like, damn, okay, this is really going to do something. And if you think about holding on to a hammer or a tennis racket, you're getting your leverage and strength through your grip. But if you're gripping something, holding onto it to keep the. From the hammer, that, that imbalance, and you're resting that on your body, you're not only adding more pressure than you should, because we know that it's about a pound of pressure per inch, but you're actually having to hold that up. So now this whole arm that you're using to run those hair dryer sort of type theraguns, you're actually. You can't do it as long as you want to. It's hard to do that because of the leverage. So the triangle design we created allows you to rest it in your hand and it's balanced. So when you just put your hand inside the triangle and float that over your body, the amplitude and frequency and the impact is scientifically validated based off of the fact that it's a balanced theragun. But if you change those, those, those. If you change those numbers, if you get a higher frequency and a lower amplitude, your body accommodates to that information sooner because it's touching your skin faster and a shorter time. So the brain can't tell the difference if it's resting on there or if it's not, if it's doing this. So there's a lot of things like that that people don't know. I could dissect, but they feel it, they put it on and they're like, oh, damn. Okay. Yeah, I see the difference. It happens a lot with me and I'm with athletes, and they'll have a competitor, A different theragon will be like, hey, try this. I mean, I've had guys be like, what I didn't know is that big of a difference. So I. The. The it is. There are a lot of copycats. People look at it, they think they can make one like us. We have a patent on the triangle. So if there's any triangle out in the world, it's ours. Unless they've copied us.
Unknown
That's awesome. Yeah.
Dr. Jason Worsland
And that's important. That's an. That's an important piece that, you know, that comes from our team being able to protect ourselves with ip. So we just hold ourselves to a higher standard. And you can tell, you know, I talked to a guy just yesterday. He said, I think I've ordered 150 Theraguns or massage guns after off of Alibaba for my gym in Australia. I'm like, why do you keep ordering those? He goes, well, we finally stopped. We just ordered theraguns.
Unknown
So, you know, it's funny because I've used a theragun many times. And I've also used something like if I some just laying around, I'm at a friend's house and they have, you know, I mean, I guess I could be a jerk and call it a knockoff, but that's just really what it is, right? It's a variation of the theragun. A different competitor. Night and day. Night and freaking day, man. It's. It's amazing when I. When I use other massage guns, I don't feel the relief. I don't feel like anything was really done. But to your point, man, like, with, with, with the theragun, it is a different experience, right? It does a massively different situation to your body and to your. To your mind than these other products. So it's pretty cool that you guys spend so much time on that aspect of it, because a lot of people just, all right, let's get this out. Let's make this design. This is all it's doing, right? Is Just percussive therapy is just hitting you like this. But there's a science to it, right? And so it. There, it's actually kind of comical how different it is.
Dr. Jason Worsland
Yeah, I want, I, when we develop them, the, the number of times we've sat in a room and guys have held on to it. I'm asking you to pick this up and use it for two or three minutes twice a day. And I know that compliance, because I'm a chiropractor, compliance is where you lose people, they go home. I don't have time, whatever. I don't want there to be any excuse. In fact, I want you to want to pick it up. So I, when you've seen, when it's sitting there, I want you to want to grab it. And to do that, it has to feel right. It's got to look right, has to have the richness to it. It's just a feel in your hand. Like the textures, like those are all things we pay attention to and people have copied us even on that if you start looking at it. So, yeah, there are copycats.
Unknown
I mean, like, listen, the feel in the hand, that's actually a thing, right? Like, there's certain pens I won't use because how it feels in my fingers, right? I mean, this, this is an actual thing. Yeah, it's a pen. It's a freaking pen, man. It's not something that I'm using on my body. So, you know, like, I, I, that's a, that's a very valid statement. It, it, it is very important, you know. And again, like what, what you're talking about too, Jason, is, is what I love talk about sustainability, right? Anything that we do in life, whether it's business, fitness, wellness, anything, right. Sport related, doesn't matter. Certain strategies have to be sustainable or you can't keep doing them and they won't be any value to you. And the thing that all the protocols show, it's like, hey, it's 10 seconds here, it's 10 seconds there. And, and you know, if you use it, you know, two to three minutes at a time, you're gonna have some benefit. I think everybody has those moments to where if they're sitting down, watching TV or if they're just waking up in the morning, they can, they can fire that, fire the massage gun up and help them make themselves feel better. And it's something they can do every day and not make it feel like it's a chore, like foam rolling.
Dr. Jason Worsland
Yeah, that. It's.
Unknown
Yeah. What's next, man? You guys have any cool projects that you guys are working? I mean, I mean, obviously, if you can't talk about it, no big deal. But like, you guys thinking of anything else that you want to talk about and, and educate people on?
Dr. Jason Worsland
No, I think the, the. Pay attention to the lights. Light therapy is really important. I think pay attention to how you use heat in your life. Heat is also a very important therapy, especially as you get older. You know, we're trying to deal with some of these extra, extraneous things beyond our control in the government with taxes and shipping and things like that. But I think the message would be from therabody is take care of your body, but also take care of your mind. The mind body connection is super important. All of the products we've created are to help manifest and facilitate that. So mindfulness meditation, breath work, you've got to connect what you're doing, what you're feeling and thinking in your mind with what's happening in your body. And that's what all of our products are trying to do, is allow you to do that. It also helps you perform better. It also helps you recover faster. But if you're just trying to get out of your head and into your body, there's. That's really why we've created our product so I could share some really cool things that are, that we're working on that aren't finalized yet. You know, we've got a really cool product roadmap. We always have. I'm working on something amazing, I think for the neck. That would be revolutionary. But yeah, so we're, we're always, we're always innovating. We're always. We have great team. We're always looking into new things, but it's. We're not making gimmicks. It has to be scientifically validated. We have to have protocols. I want you to have it in your house and know exactly how to use it. Not just be a, a pop culture hip thing and then it's gone. I want it to be something you use forever.
Unknown
Like, like the treadmill that's used as a laundry rack.
Dr. Jason Worsland
Right. See? Yeah. Those, those health riders that everyone had for in the 90s.
Unknown
Yeah. The little elliptical things.
Dr. Jason Worsland
Yeah.
Unknown
That turned into patio furniture. Yeah.
Dr. Jason Worsland
I want people like your wife to like that. That's what they think of instead of Advil or something. I want them to be like, hey, where's the theragun? I got to release this tension in my shoulders so I can sleep tonight.
Unknown
No, I mean, it's a valid point. Right. Like so, I mean, because I was looking earlier and I sent her, like I sent her something, I'm like, hey, check this thing out. And she goes, what does that do? And it was the mask, right? It was with, with, with the, you know, the light. And, and then when you explained with the, you know, the, the points here. Massages works. Yeah, the vibrations, I think I was like, I don't know fully yet, but I think that's something that you could use. I really do. And, and she goes, wow. She goes, what will help me with? I go, I don't know yet. It's just a feeling. And sure enough, man. Sure enough. And again, like, that's the thing. These products, you know, they're scientific and they're, they're there to help you to feel better, connect with your mind, connect with your body. Because the majority of the population, you know, aren't these high level athletes, right? They're, they're not, they're everyday people that are stressed. And I mean, for me, like, I'll tell you, when I go to bed at night, my neck like, and I, I go to bed with my next step and I wake up the same way. It's like, it's always, it's like right in here and it goes down into the rhomboids. And it's just constant. Yeah, it's constant. You know, so a lot of people on this planet are dealing with that every day. And those types of pains are annoying. They, you know, and it, you know, it could be debilitating at times.
Dr. Jason Worsland
Pains. The. I tell people this pain is the main reason that I created Theragun is to relieve pain. If I. It wouldn't be what it is today if I wasn't experiencing daily pain. Because it got so bad to your point that I was like, there has to be something to fix this and I'm not going to be able to sleep without it. So the blessing and the curse was that I had pain. That you're touching on such an important part that everyone experiences pain at some point. I say this a lot in groups and stuff. Raise your hand if you have a thing. My thing's my neck. My thing's my low back, my thing's my feet. They kill me. We all have a thing. That's where pain manifests itself. And to be able to have something that you can control that you know where it is, you know how to use it and you know, the expected outcome, that thought process is behavior change. So we're just trying to change behavior. And pain drives A lot of our behavior change. Where you sit, how you move, like, and to be able to understand that. I love. You're pulling this out of me. Theragun is actually for pain. Athletes use it to get rid of lactic acid burn. I don't know if you ever had. If anyone's listening to this, you get the lactic acid burn in your forearms or your biceps or something. Put theragun on it. It'll go away in seconds. So it is. It is. It was. It was innovated and manifested through pain. And it's still one of the main things I've. I've had people come to me and tell me stories, man. I had this thing and I did this, and it went away. Thank you so much. It's the best thing ever. When you're in pain, you'll do anything for sure.
Unknown
And here's. Here's the thing, man. This is what I want the audience to really key in on. And I want to edify you in this, right? Every single day, somebody's going through something that really, really sucks. It hurts emotionally. It can hurt physically. And a lot of times, we find ourselves in this. Why me? What is the good part about this? How could this be here to serve me without that day, without that accident? There is not this product in this. This global wellness company. Help healing the world. I. I mean, hey, I'm sorry. That was. Like you said, it was created to help pain. Like, you took your story, you took your pain, you took your accident, and you gave to the world. It served you.
Dr. Jason Worsland
Yeah. Had a lot of help.
Unknown
Yeah, man. And that's what I want the audience to really key in on, right? Because there's somebody listening right now. And in a lot of times, we can get into that mode. Poor me. Like, oh, this really sucks. Like, you know, this is hap. Why is this happening to me? If you would have taken that route, you wouldn't be where you're at today. Like, how can I. How can I impact the change in my body? How can I do this? And. And it all starts with this amazing thing called curiosity. That moment where you're sitting there and you're putting your arm on that thing while you're waiting to get treatment, and you're like, wow, wait a second. What is this? And it felt better, right? And so from that point on, you built this out with a makita drill and a bent blade and a towel taped around. You started with what you had, and you built from there. And, like, I commend you for it, man. Like that. That right there is taking your pain and turning it into somebody else's road map for recovery.
Dr. Jason Worsland
Appreciate that. Yeah, I believe that when the. The darker it gets, the easier it is to find the light in the room. So sometimes it's a good one, but the darker it is, the easier it is to find that little crack of light that comes through somewhere and then you just be lying to there. It makes it sound.
Unknown
That's really good.
Dr. Jason Worsland
You know, that's good, man.
Unknown
I've never heard that one. I like that. I like that. Makes sense, right? Makes a lot of sense. So I just want to thank you so much for coming on today, man. It's been so nice to meet you and talk to you and learn about you personally and how, you know, therabody got started and just kind of the trajectory. You guys are all you're. You're going on too. You guys clearly have your customers in mind, the public in mind. When you're building out your products, you're not building gimmicks. You're building things that can actually help people. So, you know, from a consumer, thank you. And to the audience, go check out the body. Go check out my guy. Go check out his products. And you know, this, this. This episode's not about selling products. This is about providing you with the information that you need to go make an educated decision for your wellness. And I think this is an obvious choice. So thank you all so much. Until next time, stay determined.
Sharp French. What up? This one Luck. I let the pain inspire me. I put my all in. Everything I'm doing up until it's done. I mean, for the entirety. I put in overtime. I'll be working. Just know I'mma go for mine cause I earned it. They watch and I know it's time I confirmed it. The whole society determined deterministic.
Dr. Jason Worsland
Jegaronos novos make crispy strips listos paraventurase in la mescla de mayo ketchup la barbecue gecatono el fondo de la cajita hot fudge sundae e elanueva Creamy Chili McCripy Strip Dip Los Nuevos McCrispy strips out in McDonald's Bada Ba Ba ba.
Podcast Summary: "From Chronic Pain to Global Healing: The True Story Behind TheraGun"
The Determined Society with Shawn French brings inspiring stories of personal development and entrepreneurship to its listeners. In this episode, released on May 23, 2025, host Shawn French delves into the remarkable journey of Dr. Jason Worsland, the founder and Chief Wellness Officer of Therabody (formerly Theragun). Dr. Worsland shares his personal struggles with chronic pain, the inception of Theragun, and the company's mission to promote global wellness through innovative products.
The episode begins with Dr. Jason Worsland recounting a pivotal moment in his life:
Dr. Jason Worsland [03:10]: "I was in a motorcycle accident in 2007, which resulted in a 9-millimeter disc bulge in my neck that radiated down my arm. As a chiropractor accustomed to helping others, I found myself powerless to treat my own pain effectively."
Dr. Worsland explains how his inability to manage his pain led him to experiment with creating a self-treatment tool. Utilizing a Makita jigsaw, a dish towel, and electrical tape, he fashioned the first Theragun prototype. This makeshift device provided him with significant relief, sparking the idea to develop a more refined and effective product.
What began as a personal necessity soon transformed into a solution for others. Dr. Worsland shares a breakthrough moment with a patient who was enduring severe pain:
Dr. Jason Worsland [07:20]: "I brought the prototype to a patient in excruciating pain, and the immediate relief he experienced confirmed that this device could help others. This realization propelled me into a five-year journey of refining Theragun, focusing on frequency, amplitude, and the device's impact on the nervous system."
The transition from a clinic tool to a performance-enhancing device for athletes marked a significant turning point. By 2014, Theragun had gained traction among athletes looking to improve performance and expedite recovery, leading to widespread adoption and rapid growth.
A central theme of the discussion revolves around how Theragun operates beyond mere massage. Dr. Worsland emphasizes its role as a nervous system regulator:
Dr. Jason Worsland [11:35]: "Theragun activates the parasympathetic nervous system through targeted vibrations. Using the device for just two to three minutes on specific muscle groups can slow heart rate and promote a state of relaxation, known as 'rest and digest.'"
He breaks down the protocols for using Theragun, including preparation, performance, and recovery phases, each tailored to optimize the device's benefits for both physical and mental well-being.
Dr. Worsland discusses Therabody's commitment to innovation and differentiation in a competitive market:
Dr. Jason Worsland [34:53]: "The design of Theragun was intentional to feel like an extension of the hand. Our triangle design allows users to hold the device comfortably without adding unnecessary pressure. This balance, along with scientifically validated frequencies, sets us apart from competitors."
He highlights the importance of maintaining quality and efficacy, even in the face of numerous imitators. The patented triangle design ensures that Theragun remains distinctive and effective, fostering loyalty among users who recognize the superior experience it offers compared to generic alternatives.
The conversation broadens to encompass the holistic approach Therabody adopts towards wellness. Dr. Worsland elaborates on the interconnectedness of physical, mental, and emotional health:
Dr. Jason Worsland [16:35]: "Wellness is a daily practice, akin to brushing your teeth. Our products are designed to integrate seamlessly into daily routines, whether it's improving sleep quality or managing everyday stress."
He introduces additional Therabody products like smart goggles and sleep masks, which incorporate vibration and light therapy to regulate the nervous system, enhance sleep, and alleviate headaches. This multidisciplinary approach underscores Therabody's mission to support comprehensive well-being.
Looking ahead, Dr. Worsland speaks about ongoing innovations and the company's dedication to scientific validation:
Dr. Jason Worsland [38:48]: "We're continuously working on new products that address specific wellness needs, such as revolutionary neck therapy devices. Every innovation undergoes rigorous scientific testing to ensure it delivers real, measurable benefits."
He stresses the importance of sustainable solutions that users can incorporate into their lives long-term, avoiding the fleeting nature of trend-based wellness fads.
Throughout the episode, Dr. Worsland highlights how his personal experiences with pain and healing have shaped Therabody's ethos:
Dr. Jason Worsland [44:06]: "Pain was both a curse and a blessing—it drove me to find a solution that not only alleviated my suffering but also empowered others to take control of their own wellness."
Shawn French reinforces this narrative by commending Dr. Worsland for turning his adversity into a global healing platform, encouraging listeners to harness their challenges as catalysts for positive change.
The episode concludes with a powerful reminder of the importance of integrating wellness practices into everyday life. Both host and guest emphasize that tools like Theragun are not just for athletes or those in pain but are essential for anyone seeking to maintain balance, improve sleep, and enhance overall quality of life.
Shawn French [46:25]: "This episode isn't about selling products; it's about providing you with the information to make an educated decision for your wellness."
Listeners are encouraged to explore Therabody's offerings and consider how incorporating such tools can lead to sustained personal growth and healing.
Notable Quotes with Timestamps:
Dr. Jason Worsland [01:05]: "Theragun is actually for pain. It was innovated and manifested through pain."
Dr. Jason Worsland [03:10]: "...the first Theragun took the pain away for an extended period of time."
Dr. Jason Worsland [11:35]: "Theragun is a nervous system regulator."
Dr. Jason Worsland [16:35]: "Wellness is a daily practice, like brushing your teeth."
Dr. Jason Worsland [34:53]: "The frequency is 2400. You're activating your nervous system."
Dr. Jason Worsland [44:06]: "Pain is the main reason that I created Theragun to relieve pain."
Dr. Jason Worsland [46:27]: "The darker it gets, the easier it is to find the light in the room."
Shawn French [46:25]: "This episode is about providing you with the information that you need to make an educated decision for your wellness."
This episode of The Determined Society serves as both an inspiring success story and an informative guide on leveraging innovative tools like Theragun for holistic wellness. Dr. Jason Worsland's journey from personal pain to creating a global healing solution underscores the podcast's mission to encourage and equip listeners to overcome their own challenges.