Treat Your Own Back

I am a complete skeptic regarding most self-help health and fitness books. Most seem to either give too much background information to justify why their program is superior to everyone else's, or they are written as an advertisement for being treated by them or buying their equipment and supplements. Not McKenzie. This is a quick read, right to the point, short book that tells you why most lower back pain is caused by poor posture. Usually years of poor posture. It points out that Chiropractic & Osteopathic treatment usually brings only short-term relief. And if you go to them for evaluation, spinal manipulation will usually be recommended because that is what is in their arsenal to treat your back.The book illustrates a few exercises and positions to use to alleviate the problem. And suggests using a lumbar support for sitting and possibly sleeping. (Yes, it does mention that McKenzie has lumbar supports for sale.)I've never had a problem with my back until recently. I started having back and rib pain after an almost 4 hour flight in the exit row of an American Airline plane. I couldn't recline the seat at all and there was zero lumbar support. Quite the opposite—the seat back was concave. I am 6' 2" tall and my back was killing me by the time I got off the plane. It was so bad, I went to get a massage for my back at my hotel. It helped, but didn't rid all of the pain. The flight back was better, but I was hurting afterwards.The rib pain actually got worse over the next three weeks. My back was also acting up and hurting at odd times. Then I saw this book. After reading the reviews, I decided to try it.Now I know I've had bad posture most of my life. I slouch when I sit. And I've been sitting at my computer a lot over the past year or so. 12 hrs a day or more. My office chair has almost no lumbar support. It never bothered me before. Nor did slouching in the couch as I watched TV. Now it's agony after less than an hour or so.I read the book and it makes sense. The stretches started to help immediately. I'm doing the simple exercises (which are really stretches) and watching my posture. And my lower back is much better. My rib pain is gone unless I start to slouch again! I use a small pillow for lumbar support (until my proper lumbar support pillows arrive from Amazon). I do the stretches and it helps a lot. It's going to take some time to reverse decades of bad posture, but this book has made a huge difference in relieving my back pain.Wow! I'm skeptical no more. It's not a placebo effect. It actually works for me. Simple to do. Now, I'm trying to make it a habit. Correct posture and stretches every two hours. The pain comes back when I forget and slouch while sitting—otherwise, it's gone.Outstanding! I recommend this book to anyone who has lower back pain. Read it before you decide to go to a Chiropractor. Try the stretches. See if they work for you. It's a whole lot cheaper than a series of manipulations and a lot better than taking muscle relaxants and pain drugs.If it doesn't help then go to the doctors. (McKenzie states this as well.)I am in no way affiliated with McKenzie or his products. Just a person who found pain relief by using his book. I hope it works for you as well as it did for me. This book was the best $25 I've ever spent—except maybe for a marriage license.

I have had lower back issues on and off for years. In 2012, had an MRI which confirmed herniated discs in the lower lumbar (L5-S1). This book was recommended to me once when my back was out so I promptly ordered it and put it on a shelf. One time while I was laying in bed with my back out (in a terrible position, by the way), I figured what did I have to lose. I was bedridden for the day so I should read the book. The book is well written, cuts to the chase, explains the 'why' of it but most importantly helps! I sort of rolled off the bed to the floor and started doing the recommended exercises. I did them throughout the afternoon and saw immediate improvement. Like many of us, I soon forget about the stretches when my back feels better so eventually my back would start acting up and I would go to the Chiro for an adjustment. Which by the way, was pretty successful. Until this last time. A long flight and slinging luggage onto conveyor belts did it for me. When I got home, I was "too busy" to see the Chiro so I put it off. By the time I went, I think my back was in full spasm mode and it just didn't work. It progressively got worse without me taking it as seriously as I should have and then I finally tried just about everything I could think of (expect re-reading this book). I was practically immobile at time. Especially going from sitting to standing or getting out of the car. The only relief I had was laying down on my back. At times, I was in tears and watching days go by where I couldn't do normal things or participate in life, especially with my kids. My husband had to pick up all the slack. I just turned 40. If I'm like this now, what does the future hold?! From there I saw a sports muscle/chiropractor, a deep tissue body mechanics PT and did 2 sessions of accupuncture and cupping. I had a couple hours of relief after seeing each of these people, partially due to the fact that I was laying on my back during treatment. But none of them provided any real relief. All 3 agreed I needed an MRI. I finally broke down and went to an orthopedist who did and xray and confirmed the compression and got an MRI ordered. A couple days ago, I had my worst day and decided to re-read this book. I have committed to doing exactly as it says. I set a timer on my phone for every two hours (and will do it more if I'm in pain). It's only day 2 and I have significantly less pain than two days ago. I ordered lumbar support for the car/home/work so I'm not undoing the benefit of the stretches. I'm going to keep it up because I can't live like this and even in just two days, plus previous experience, I have a sliver of hope that I can get back to normal. Today I went to work (office) and had the least amount of pain I could remember in a long time. I'm so encouraged! I strongly recommend this book. And I also recommend that you do it diligently right away. Don't wait until you are completely tweaked!

This book is very insightful and offers practical advice for managing back pain. Each chapter provides valuable information, so make sure to read every one! It's a quick read—you can easily finish it in a couple of hours. Highly recommend it to anyone looking for a straightforward guide to understanding and treating back issues.