I originally sent the note below to a friend who has back pain, but then I remembered that I’ve repeated this story over and over to people in the past, so maybe some of you could benefit.
I’ve had lower back problems for several years. Also some upper back pain, which chiropractic seems to help (and nothing serious for the last few years). My lower pack pain reached a peak on our honeymoon about two years ago [February 2004]. It was really hard to get up after laying down for just 20 minutes. Chiropractic helped a bit, but I was starting to feel like an old man. I tried chiropractic, network chiropractic (don’t get me started – very woo woo Boulder stuff)physical therapy and acupuncture. None of them made much of a difference in my lower back pain. I also looked into a tested a popular physical therapy method called the Egoscue Method, but it requires 45-60 minutes of exercises every day! Screw that!
During this period I had an X-ray done. It turns out my very bottom disc is compressed to about 60% of it’s normal size. It’s a fairly common condition, but there’s no cure. Bummer.
Eventually, after hearing it advertised on the radio, I tried America’s Back. They use a simple machine-assisted exercise program to target critical back and abdominal muscles to give you better support. Amazingly, the whole workout is only about 10 minutes long, twice a week (once a week after six months).
Within six weeks there was a noticeable diminishment in pain. Now, about eight months in, there is almost no pain at all. I feel terrific. I tried America’s Back in desperation because nothing else worked. I was starting to think I would need surgery. Not anymore. This method fixed it. I still have some minor lower back pain – no surprise given the compressed disc – but it’s not serious at all. I still play soccer, ski, and exercise every day without any problems.
One interesting thing about America’s Back is the business model. It’s a monthly subscription type service. You pay forty-something per month for the first six months (when you use it twice a week), then $20 per month thereafter. Also, they’re located at Wal-Mart, of all places.
Unfortunately I don’t think the business is doing that well. They closed the branch closest to me, so I have to drive about 25 minutes to get to it now. Fortunately it’s only once a week. I hope they stay in business. It’s a great model and the service works exactly as advertised.
A while back I actually met with the former CEO of America’s Back about options for expanding the business. He apparently was forced out by the board, but he’s got other plans that I think will pay off in the long run. (They won’t compete with America’s Back, though.) Maybe one of the thousands of venture capitalists and angel investors who read this blog can help out. 
Contact me if you’re interested.