So, my daughter and I love this thing. It stretches and puts pressure and hurts in a good way when you use it. My husband says it’s too hard and hurts him worse than not using it at all, but he can be a sissy-la-la about things like this, so I don’t take it too seriously. My best advice is Make Sure that your spine is aligned down the center so that you can use the small cushioning in place, otherwise it’s likely to be uncomfortable.