Backache

Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection

Healing Back Pain promises permanent elimination of back pain without drugs, surgery, or exercise. It should have been titled Understanding TMS Pain, because it discusses one particular cause of back pain--Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS)--and isn't really a program for self-treatment, with only five pages of action plan (and many more pages telling why conventional methods don't work). According to John E. Sarno, M.D., TMS is the major cause of pain in the back, neck, shoulders, buttocks, and limbs--and it is caused not by structural abnormalities but by the mind's effort to repress emotions. He's not saying that your pain is all in your head; rather, he's saying that the battle going on in your mind results in a real physical disorder that may affect muscles, nerves, tendons, or ligaments. An injury may have triggered the disorder, but is not the cause of the amount or intensity of the resulting pain. According to Sarno, the mind tricks you into not facing repressed emotion by making you focus on pain in the body. When this realization sinks in ("and it must sink in, for mere intellectual appreciation of the process is not enough"), the trick doesn't work any more, and there's no need for the pain. (Healing Back Pain should not be used for self-diagnosis. Always consult a physician for chronic or acute back pain.) --Joan Price

Healing Back Pain promises permanent elimination of back pain without drugs, surgery, or exercise. It should have been titled Understanding TMS Pain, because it discusses one particular cause of back pain--Tension Myositis Syndrome (TMS)--and isn't really a program for self-treatment, with only five pages of action plan (and many more pages telling why conventional methods don't work). According to John E. Sarno, M.D., TMS is the major cause of pain in the back, neck, shoulders, buttocks, and limbs--and it is caused not by structural abnormalities but by the mind's effort to repress emotions. He's not saying that your pain is all in your head; rather, he's saying that the battle going on in your mind results in a real physical disorder that may affect muscles, nerves, tendons, or ligaments. An injury may have triggered the disorder, but is not the cause of the amount or intensity of the resulting pain. According to Sarno, the mind tricks you into not facing repressed emotion by making you focus on pain in the body. When this realization sinks in ("and it must sink in, for mere intellectual appreciation of the process is not enough"), the trick doesn't work any more, and there's no need for the pain. (Healing Back Pain should not be used for self-diagnosis. Always consult a physician for chronic or acute back pain.) --Joan Price

Dr. John E. Sarno, author of the revolutionary book Mind Over Back Pain, is a medical pioneer whose program has helped thousands of patients overcome their back conditions--without drugs or dangerous surgery. Now, using his latest research into TMS (Tension Myositis Syndrome), Dr. Sarno goes one step further: after identifying stress and other psychological factors in back pain, he demonstrates how many of his patients have then gone on to heal themselves without exercise or other physical therapy. Find out:· Why self motivated and successful people are prone to TMS· How anxiety and repressed anger trigger muscle spasms· How people "train themselves" to experience back pain· How you may get relief from back pain· How you may get relief from back pain within two to six weeks by recognizing TMS and its causes With case histories and the results of in-depth mind-body research, Dr. Sarno describes how patients recognize the emotional roots of their TMS and sever the connections between mental and physical pain and how, just by reading this book, you may start recovering from back pain today.

The Miracle Ball Method: Relieve Your Pain, Reshape Your Body, Reduce Your Stress [2 Miracle Balls Included]

Take two-they're small. And they perform miracles. Suffering a career-ending, potentially crippling injury to her back and right leg, a young dancer named Elaine Petrone tried everyone from orthopedists to yogis to turn her pain and prognosis around. Nothing worked-until she healed herself through a unique program of therapy and exercise based around the use of two small, squishy balls. From there she turned her passion into a mission that is helping the thousands of people who visit her classes conquer pain, stress, and injury.

Now, for relief for sufferers everywhere, comes The Miracle Ball Method, a healing kit containing two miracle balls and a fully illustrated book, all packaged together in an attention-getting clear plastic cylinder. The work itself is simple. Take a sore back: By resting your aching back on the grapefruit-sized balls and letting your body sink into them, you're unworking the muscles that hurt. Pain and tension drain out of the body. Petrone shows how proper breathing (which she demonstrates) works in conjunction with a range of unexercises that call for placing the balls under the back, head, knees, hip, elbow-wherever there's pain-and then resting, rolling, or rotating on them. She points out that relief can come in surprising ways: Lower back pain may be helped by placing the ball under your neck, or a bad knee might be helped by hip work. It's arevolutionary program of relief, from head to toe.

Mind Over Back Pain

Back Care Basics: A Doctor's Gentle Yoga Program for Back and Neck Pain Relief

7 Steps to a Pain-Free Life: How to Rapidly Relieve Back and Neck Pain

What causes chronic, debilitating back pain, one of the most common--and expensive to treat--ailments in the world? According to Robin McKenzie, a New Zealand physiotherapist for over 40 years and author of the wildly popular self-help manuals Treat Your Own Back and Treat Your Own Neck, distortion of the spinal disks--either from bad posture or injury--is the cause of the pain. The magic cure is the McKenzie Method--seven very specific exercises that allow the spine to return to its natural position. But forget the doctors--McKenzie asserts that the management of your back pain is your responsibility. Practice his seven unique exercises (the book includes seven each for the back and neck) consistently and at regular intervals and just about anyone can cure his or her own back or neck pain without the help of professionals. McKenzie believes self-treatment is actually more successful than medical interventions like surgery, chiropractic, or physical therapy, and indeed, recent research does show self-treatment to be a highly effective method.

More richly detailed and in-depth than his previous books, this volume is illustrated with over 100 photos and liberally peppered with real-life case histories. Starting with an analysis of how the back and neck work, it moves on to a discussion of the common causes of pain--bad posture is most often to blame. At the core is a detailed explanation of how to do the McKenzie Method exercises, when to apply them, and how to adjust your personal program over time. Included are instructions for people who suffer with acute back and neck pain (with appropriate cautions regarding when to call a medical professional) as well as for people in special situations like pregnant women, athletes, and seniors. An impassioned introduction by coauthor Craig Kubey, a satisfied convert after suffering intense back and neck pain as a result of several auto accidents, could very well make a believer out of anyone. --Marianne Painter

The phenomenon known as the McKenzie Method has helped millions of people with chronic back and neck pain. In 7 Steps to a Pain-Free Life, its founder, world-renowned physical therapist Robin McKenzie, shares the innovative program that can save you from a life of pain. 7 Steps to a Pain-Free Life combines and enhances McKenzie's back and neck books that have sold more than 5.5 million copies worldwide.

The 7 essential steps that make up the McKenzie Method have become the keystone for back and neck care in 35 countries, including the United States. In this easy-to-follow, fully illustrated book, you'll read about:

* Common causes of lower-back and neck pain
* The vital role discs play in back and neck health
* Easy exercises that alleviate pain immediately
* How to stay out of pain

Complete with more than 150 photos and illustrations, and considered the treatment of choice by health care professionals throughout the world, 7 Steps to a Pain-Free Life will help you get out of pain-and stay out of pain. It is an invaluable tool for better health.

Low Back Disorders: Evidence-based Prevention and Rehabilitation

Access the latest research and applications to build effective prevention and rehabilitation programs for your patients or clients with Low Back Disorders: Evidence-Based Prevention and Rehabilitation, Second Edition. Internationally recognized low back specialist Stuart McGill presents original research to quantify the forces that specific movements and exercises impose on the low back, dispels myths regarding spine stabilization exercises, and suggests prevention approaches and strategies to offset injuries and restore function.

Low Back Disorders: Evidence-Based Prevention and Rehabilitation, Second Edition, presents a clear exposition of back anatomy and biomechanics and demonstrates how to interpret the latest research on low back involvement for clinical applications. The text also contains detailed information on injuries associated with seated work and sport and ergonomic issues related to manual handling of materials. With Low Back Disorders: Evidence-Based Prevention and Rehabilitation, Second Edition, you will

• gain valuable information on measured loading of the back during specific activities and apply it to avoid common--but counterproductive--practices in back rehabilitation;
• learn how to analyze each patient's or client's unique physical characteristics and lifestyle factors to tailor preventive measures and treatments to individual needs;
• learn how to help patients and clients progress through the stages of rehabilitation: corrective exercise, stability or mobility, endurance, and strength; and
• acquire the information necessary to design an effective injury-prevention program.

This fully updated second edition expands knowledge of low back disorders and best practices in several areas. Enhanced algorithms guide progressive therapeutic exercise, and specially designed patient assessment provocation tests aid you in determining the cause of back troubles, guide your choices in the best ways to eliminate problems, and improve the development of appropriate activities for functional gain. Whereas the first edition focused on increasing spine stability, the second edition provides new information on dealing with both regional instability or mobility and regional stiffness present in individuals where most of the motion occurs at a single spinal segment.

With an expanded repertoire of pain-free motion exercises and additional information on ways to find and adjust stabilization exercises, Low Back Disorders: Evidence-Based Prevention and Rehabilitation, Second Edition, offers you new tools to help your patients and clients achieve pain-free exertion.

The text includes exercises and activities that provide a solid foundation of physical work in preparation for more advanced activities in sports and occupations. Also, the process of transitioning into performance exercise is outlined with an explanation of the critical stages of the performance pyramid, including the design of appropriate corrective exercise, building joint and whole-body stability, enhancing endurance, training true strength, and transitioning to ultimate performance. Low Back Disorders: Evidence-Based Prevention and Rehabilitation, Second Edition, presents foundational information and corresponding clinical applications in a clear, well-sequenced format. Part I builds your knowledge of lumbar function and injury. Part II demonstrates how to use this knowledge to build evidence-based injury-prevention programs by assessing risks, creating ergonomic interventions, and training personnel. Part III focuses on improving rehabilitation techniques, including specific diagnostic and provocative tests, with specific therapeutic exercises proven to enhance performance and reduce pain through a continuum from corrective exercise to stability and mobility, endurance, strength, and power. Additionally, the text offers these practical features to guide your learning and inform your practice:

• More than 475 photos, graphs, and charts support the research and the scientific basis for the text's conclusions.
• More than 50 tests and exercises with step-by-step instructions help you develop successful programs for your patients and clients.
• Special sections highlight how the anatomical, biomechanical, and research results can be applied to clinical situations.
• Extensive discussions on individualizing treatment for clients or patients help you improve your assessment skills by learning what questions to ask and what avenues of investigation to pursue with each patient or client.
• Reproducible handout sheets for each of the 25 basic rehabilitation exercises, which include photos and blank lines for instructions, enable the creation of instruction sheets tailored to the current needs and progress rates of each patient or client.

Cutting-edge research and evidence-based application strategies from the leading spine specialist in North America make Low Back Disorders: Evidence-Based Prevention and Rehabilitation, Second Edition, the authoritative text for study, care, and treatment of the low back. Its unique approach to back care will guide you in developing intervention, rehabilitation, and prevention programs to address the unique needs of each patient or client and develop a strong scientific foundation for your practice.

Healing Back Pain Naturally: The Mind-Body Program Proven to Work

Dr. Art Brownstein suffered back pain for twenty agonizing years. Now he shares the cure that worked for him and thousands of others: his revolutionary Back to Life Program.

Sharing his own story of surgery, painkiller dependency, and severe depression, Dr. Brownstein guides you through the recovery program that gave him his life back. Today, he runs a medical practice, bikes, surfboards, teaches yoga, and leads an active life -- free of pain!

Back RX: A 15-Minute-a-Day Yoga- and Pilates-Based Program to End Low Back Pain

From a noted pioneer in sports medicine comes a breakthrough regimen for stopping back pain once and for all—without surgery.

Eighty-percent of Americans suffer some form of low-back pain—usually due to a herniated disk—but long-term relief is rarely achieved.

As a physician specializing in treating athletes, Dr. Vijay Vad has spent years researching how to cure back pain using medical yoga and Pilates. Profiled in The Wall Street Journal, his program requires just fifteen minutes a day for eight weeks to restore flexibility and prevent future injuries.

Offering a proven alternative to invasive surgery, Dr. VadÂ’s Back Rx provides the best of mind/body medicine by giving readers three step-by-step exercise series, demonstrated in 130 precise photographs, for implementing his popular program at home. Even readers with severely limited mobility will rejoice in Dr. VadÂ’s gentle introductory workout. Progressing through his self-paced program, they will discover a new range of exercises, breathing techniques, and tips for self-massage. For those who want to go even further and use this program for more than the treatment of a single injury, an advanced workout is included that puts readers on the road to peak performance.

The perfect combination of modern medicine, Pilates innovations, and ancient yoga postures, Back Rx builds important new fundamentals for lifelong freedom from pain.

The Portable Miracle Ball Method

Introducing The Portable Miracle Ball, a take-it-anywhere-and-everywhere kit ideal for business travelers and commuters or anyone who spends long hours away from home. Rather than two balls, these exercises require only one, which, at 3 inches in diameter, packs easily and is discreet to use in public. The fully illustrated book is filled with simple exercises that work miracles the minute you settle into your hotel room or board a plane.

Stuck in a long line at the bank? Here are techniques to stretch the muscles and reduce tension right on the spot (and no, you won’t look silly). Feet worn out after a day at the museum? The author’s soothing exercises targeting the insteps and legs will have you up and moving again in no time. And for anyone who experiences discomfort when sitting for long periods, the book features exercises to be performed at your desk, on a plane, or even in a restaurant. A chapter on “Emergency Measures” provides quick relief for back spasms, waking up with extreme stiffness, and other acute problems. The author discusses proper breathing technique, ball placement, and the importance of listening to one’s own body when performing the movements.

Treat Your Back Without Surgery: The Best Nonsurgical Alternatives for Eliminating Back and Neck Pain, Fully Updated Second Edition