Treat Your Own Back

This book talks a lot about posture and how it can affect your back. Posture suggestions follow. The exercises recommended for most cases of back pain involve a person bending their spine backwards. These are done in the standing and on-your-stomach positions.

One thing I did notice about this back pain book is that it contains no exercises to strengthen your back- which I think is strange as it is well documented in the back literature that people with back pain have smaller than normal back muscles (Parkkola 1993 and Daneels 2000) when examined with CT scans and MRI's as well as weaker than normal back muscles (Smidt 1983 and Mayer 1985 and Mayer 1989 and Roy 1989 and Cassisi 1993). On this basis, I felt that this book was overlooking this important point and should probably address it with at least one strengthening exercise.

Having said that, I think this book will be most helpful for people with back pain that radiates into one or both legs due to a disc problem. People with spinal stenosis or a slippage of one vertebrae over the other (called a spondylolisthesis) will want to be careful with the backward bending motion as this might actually aggravate their pain. Other fix-it-yourself books readers might be interested in include "Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff" for those with shoulder pain or a torn cuff.

The best £11 I ever spent (15/20 people found this helpful)

After spending a fortune on Osteopath's and Chiropractors and getting into heavy debt trying to get my back problem (a sprained left sacroiliac joint along with a slightly swollen disc at L4-L5) resolved, this book (recommended by my own Osteopath!) helped me achieve more lasting relief than any Physio/Osteopathic/Chiropractic treatment ever did.

Gone are the days when my back would sieze up leaving me unable to move and I haven't had (or needed) a single treatment since improving my posture using the advice from this book. It's been 5 years now since I read this book and I haven't had to take a single day off due to any sort of relapse of my back problem. And after being off for nearly 4 months previously that's a phenominal result IMHO.

And to be honest I didn't really even do any of the exercises recommended in the book, but I wouldn't advise doing that as the exercises are designed to help you retain mobility and full range of movement while your back heals by reducing the formation of unflexible scar tissue.

I obviously can't pretend that it will cure all known back problems as it's probably only good for problems caused by poor posture in the first place, but you may not be aware that you are suffering from poor posture until you learn what a good/poor posture is(!) and how it affects your body. This book helps you recognise what poor posture is and how to correct it.

It's a nice easy read - not long at all - just right - and you can put it's advice to use straightaway with lasting results to be had by keeping what you've learnt in your mind at all times. After a while it becomes 2nd nature and you can start to enjoy pain free life again.

Easily the best £11 I ever spent.

PS Personally I found taking an Aloe Vera tablet and a Glucosamine Hydrochloride tablet (available from most Health Food shops) once a day alongside very helpful too.

Really Amazing results within 24 hours (34/34 people found this helpful)

You will think that I have been paid to write this but I have not. I suffered for several months from severe lower back pain and sciatica in both legs. After being told by medical profession nothing could be done except painkillers I had treatment by osteopath and accupuncture which made no difference.

The book arrived yesterday and after doing the exercises last evening and more important changing my way of sitting whilst watching TV or at the Computer I find this morning the pain has almost gone already.

I thorougly recommend this book to people with low back pain and sciatica. Incidently I am 72 and my email address is peter@peterhay.plus.com if you want to ask me any questions please do. I hope that the Author gets to read this.

Great Book (23/23 people found this helpful)

In 97 I had severe lower back pain and sciatica, due to a prolapsed disc at L5. The exercises in this book alongside 4 visits to Physio for traction fixed the problem. I stuck with the exercises and eventually became pain free. Now I use them to manage the symptoms when they start up and keep any pain at bay. I have been successfully running and cycling ever since (not all the time) to a good club standard.
Can't recommend it enough...Hope you enjoy being pain free as I have and save yourself some cash too.

Treat your own back (28/29 people found this helpful)

After over 10 years of private treatment for a bad back and constantly taking time off work, I was told about this book by an NHS Specialist. Since then I have not had a day off work with a bad back in over 8 years.

Nowadays rather than waiting for a bad bad to manifest itself I can spot the warnings signs and by increasing the exercises at that point I can resolve the back ache before it becomes a problem.

A great book that has saved me a lot of pain and kept me very active - just make sure the exercise suits your particular back problem before going too far.

Robin A. McKenzie

Reader Reviews:

Worth a look. (31/31 people found this helpful)

The best £11 I ever spent (15/20 people found this helpful)

Really Amazing results within 24 hours (34/34 people found this helpful)

Great Book (23/23 people found this helpful)

Treat your own back (28/29 people found this helpful)

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