by ROSIE WOLF WILLIAMS

Chiropractor Jason Wersland suffered a motorcycle accident in 2007 that left him with debilitating chronic muscle and nerve pain. Treatment from a fellow chiropractor provided some relief, "but the pain would return shortly after," he says. "The doctors I saw recommended prescription medicine or major surgery to ease my pain, but I wanted to exhaust all other options before going those routes."

Improvising on the use of vibration therapy, which uses percussion on the human body as a therapeutic treatment, Wersland designed a makeshift device from what he could find in the garage. "I took a power saw and padded it with a cat toy taped around the bent blade," he says.

The relief he felt was immediate and long-lasting. He realized that there were likely many more people like him suffering from chronic and acute pain, who also wanted to find solutions other than prescription drugs or invasive surgery.

It became Wersland's mission to bring his idea and its therapeutic benefits to as many people as possible. Over the next seven years, Wersland made prototypes and tested them on his patients while working to create a user-friendly product. "At one point I made 250 prototypes and sold them to fellow chiropractors," says Wersland. "During that time, I was also working to find the right partner to bring the product to market. Then, in 2015, I met [fellow entrepreneur] Ben Nazarian."

The two combined forces, co-founding Theragun in March 2016, and launching the business with the Theragun Gen 1, patented as the first-ever percussive therapy device.

The company quickly broadened its market with additional Theraguns such as the G2Pro in 2017, and, after continued research and development, the G3Pro, with a quieter design and improved ergonomics, in 2019. The same year, the company introduced in-store relaxation experiences in Los Angeles.

In 2020, Theragun rebranded as Therabody, expanding its line of therapy devices, with a continued focus on muscle treatment in the areas of performance enhancement, pain relief and recovery.

One of those new products, the wireless RecoveryAir JetBoots, use pneumatic compression that can help increase circulation, reduce muscle pain and soreness, decrease swelling and offer improved pain relief and recovery. "People love to put [them on] after a run, while watching a show, to wind down before bed, recovering after a long walk around the lake or after being on [their] feet all day," says Nazarian. "The JetBoots are wireless ... so your recovery and pain relief can go where you do."

The health and wellness company states that its core principle is that the more our bodies can move, the richer and more fulfilling our lives can be.

Available in more than 40 countries, helping athletes, medical personnel, trainers and more, Therabody products can work together with professional support, says Wersland.

"Ultimately, we aim to help our customers feel better. We have based our company around the idea of a complete ecosystem of whole-body wellness products. Now we're creating TheraMind content and using biometric data to help tap into your own body's ability to heal itself," says Wersland.

"Everything we make is rooted in science, and we continue to listen to our customers to uncover their needs," he continues. "We truly believe that the future of wellness is connected, and we are excited to continue innovating solutions that help every mind and body keep moving."