Summary
Guy Raz interviews Jason Wersland, the inventor of the Theragun and founder of Therabody, on the origin story behind the most recognizable percussive therapy device in the world. After a motorcycle accident left him in debilitating pain, Wersland -- a chiropractor by training -- grabbed a cheap Kawasaki jigsaw late one night, bent the blade, wrapped it in a dish towel and electrical tape, and pressed it against his pain points. The percussive vibration worked immediately. The episode traces Wersland's path from carpet installer in Utah through a devastating business loss and divorce, to chiropractic school in LA, and finally to building Therabody into a company selling therapeutic devices worldwide. His first prototype -- the jigsaw with a cat toy ball and fence post -- was selling as fast as he could build them. It took seven more years of mishaps and bad decisions before he figured out how to turn the idea into a proper business. Today Therabody sells percussion devices, compression boots, foam rollers, and massage chairs.
Key Points
- Jason Wersland invented the Theragun after a motorcycle accident left him in chronic pain with only opiates or surgery as alternatives
- The first prototype was a Kawasaki jigsaw with a bent blade wrapped in a dish towel and electrical tape
- The percussive and vibrating motion of the device provided immediate pain relief by targeting specific body points
- Wersland's chiropractic background gave him the anatomical knowledge to understand why percussion therapy worked
- Early prototypes were crude but sold as fast as he could make them, validating the concept
- It took seven years from first invention to building a proper business around the Theragun
- Since Theragun's introduction, countless similar products have entered the market, proving the category's value
- Therabody now encompasses percussion devices, compression boots, foam rollers, and massage chairs
Key Moments
The jigsaw prototype that started it all
Wersland describes his first Theragun prototype -- a cheap Kawasaki jigsaw with a cat toy ball and fence post that shot sparks from the vents -- and how people were buying them as fast as he could make them.
"Think about this. It was the cheapest jigsaw you could find. The vents on the side of this Kawasaki jigsaw, when you started it and you stopped it, you let go of the trigger, sparks would fly out. So that was my first iteration. But guy, people were buying them as fast as I could make them."
How pain drove the invention of percussive therapy
Guy Raz explains how Wersland, desperate from constant pain after a motorcycle accident, grabbed a jigsaw one night, wrapped the blade in a dish towel and electrical tape, and discovered that the percussive vibrating motion relieved his pain.
"He grabbed an electric jigsaw, he bent the blade, wrapped a dish towel around it, and then wrapped all of that in electrical tape. He turned on the jigsaw and pressed it against the pain points in his body, and it started to work. The percussive and vibrating up and down motion of the jigsaw blade, now safely wrapped in cushioning, was relieving his pain."
From chiropractor neighbor to chiropractic career
Wersland shares how watching his childhood neighbor, the Utah Jazz chiropractor, work on Karl Malone and John Stockton with his hands inspired him to become a chiropractor -- the training that later enabled him to understand why percussion therapy works.
"All of that led me to think to myself, okay, if I'm starting life over, what do I want to do? I'd always wanted to be a chiropractor. My neighbor growing up was the chiropractor for the Utah Jazz, Craig Bueller, an amazing band. And I'd watch him work on Carl Malone and John Stockton with his hands. And I'd see him do these things. And I thought, I want to do that. So I thought, you know what? I'm going to be a chiropractor. In the meantime, my brother."
