Ever heard the saying, "Necessity is the mother of invention?" One man from Lackawanna County would likely agree with that.
After years of dealing with lower back pain and not finding the right way to treat it, he invented a way to get relief on his own and is now offering it to everyone else.
John Cowder of Dunmore knows a thing or two about back pain.
"A few years ago it started getting really bad. I couldn't sleep at night. I'd wake up in the morning with back pain," Cowder said.
He had scoliosis as a child, later injured his back in college, then injured it again about 10 years ago.
He said he's been in physical therapy most of his life.
"My insurance company would only cover two times per week. And I noticed by the time Friday rolled around, again my back was in bad shape again," he said.
There was a device Cowder could take home from physical therapy to help between visits, but he said it was too cumbersome and too difficult to use. Instead he started doing stretches with a broomstick he'd keep under his bed.
"It seemed to work, but the broomstick was way too hard."
That's when the light bulb went off.
Cowder is an architect by trade, has been in the field for 40 years, and went to work ordering parts and pieces: aluminum piping, rubber tubes, foam hand grips and end caps.
Soon, LumBar was born.
Once his physical therapist okayed it, Cowder knew others might be helped by it, too.
LumBar is now manufactured right here in the area, assembled at Allied Services. Workers at Allied make them and ship them, getting orders directly from the LumBar website.
Each one costs $39.95 plus tax and shipping is free.
Included in the package, and also on the website, are details on the different stretches you can do using LumBar.
It's a simple invention, but it's one Cowder hopes can save others from lower back pain.
As for whether LumBar is right for you. It is always best to check with your own doctor or physical therapist.