LBBJ: What puts Human Touch ahead of its competitors? It too has been quite stable for a long time. Wood: Relax The Back is celebrating its 35 th year. LBBJ: How long has Relax the Back been around? Having that sort of diversity and broad base creates opportunities and mitigates risks, and ultimately helps you do well for 40 years. You’ll find our products in different types of customer segments. A lot of folks have been here a long time, which hopefully speaks to the culture. On the sales and marketing side, people who are 10 years-plus. I have a guy in product development who has been here for 16 or 17 years. Human Touch has distinguished itself over time by having an organization and team of people who have been with the company for a long time. Wood: For any company to go 40 years, it’s relatively rare. LBBJ: What factors have contributed to the longevity of Human Touch? We wanted to get into a facility that we thought was a little bit more adaptable for some of the things we wanted to do in terms of workspace and presentation of our products. As the business expanded and we made the acquisition of Relax The Back and we were getting a little bit bigger, we needed more space for warehousing. Wood: Interestingly enough, we were over in a building right off Walnut near the 405 for. LBBJ: You moved to this Douglas Park facility in 2017. We believe it’s the most recognizable name for these products in our category here in the U.S. We are the only brand that has been endorsed by the World Federation of Chiropractic for the products that we put out on the marketplace. We work with a number of different people that we call our wellness council – athletes, doctors, chiropractors – who all participate in our product development as well as the marketing of what we do. We make a number of targeted products to help everything from your feet to your back feel better. Wood: Human Touch today is really regarded as the leader in what I call the functional product wellness space: massage chairs, zero-gravity recliners. Can you provide some of the company history?

LBBJ: Human Touch is celebrating its 40 th anniversary. Prior to his current position, which he took on in 2008, Wood worked for 20 years running the North American operations for Bose. The companies are both headquartered in Long Beach at Douglas Park, where they employ 75 people. 2017 16(4):595–603.Editor’s Note: David Wood is the CEO of Human Touch, a manufacturer of massage chairs, and of Relax The Back, a franchise retailer of Human Touch and other massage products. Effect of Upper-Extremity Strengthening Exercises on the Lumbar Strength, Disability and Pain of Patients with Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Study. Analysis of muscle activity during active pelvic tilting in sagittal plane. Takaki S Ms Pt, Kaneoka K PhD Md, Okubo Y PhD Pt. Comparative effectiveness of lumbar stabilization, dynamic strengthening, and Pilates on chronic low back pain: randomized clinical trial.

Comparison of two instructions for deep breathing exercise: non-specific and diaphragmatic breathing. Yokogawa M, Kurebayashi T, Ichimura T, Nishino M, Miaki H, Nakagawa T. The Use of Breathing Exercises in the Treatment of Chronic, Nonspecific Low Back Pain. A Systematic Review of the Effects of Exercise and Physical Activity on Non-Specific Chronic Low Back Pain.

Relax the back