Treat Your Own Back by Robin A. McKenzie
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Book Reviews of Treat Your Own Back
Book Review: Still relevant after all these years!
Summary: 5 Stars
If you you've ever experienced back pain, join the crowd . . . thenmake sure you get hold of TREAT YOUR OWN BACK by Robin
McKenzie (founder of the "McKenzie Method" for dealing with
back pain) . . . although originally written in 1977, it is still
relevant.
The book does an excellent job of explaining what back pain
is all about . . . however, what makes it even more valuable are the
simple exercises that are presented that can be done by almost
anybody.
Furthermore, it got me thinking about both how I sit and my
posture at other times--things I typically tend to gloss over . . . as a
result, I now make it a point to roll up a sweatshirt to give me
greater back support; e.g., at the movies . . . when at my desk
at home, I follow the book's advice to use a lumbar support device.
About the only thing I did NOT like was the chapter on "Low back
pain in the elderly" . . . he defines that category as anybody 55 or
thereabouts, and I simply refuse to accept the fact that next year
I'll be "elderly" . . . geez!
There were several memorable passages, along with the
aforementioned exercises . . . among them, categorized
as "rules," were these:
When sitting for prolonged periods, regular interruption of the sitting
posture is essential to prevent the onset of pain. This can be achieved
by standing upright, bending backward five or six times, and walking
about for a few minutes.
When working in a stooped position, regular interruption on the bent
posture is essential to prevent the onset of pain. This can be
achieved by standing upright and bending backward five or six
times.
When lifting, you should apply the correct lifting technique. In addition,
you should stand upright and bend backward five of six times
immediately before and after each heavy single lift and also at
regular intervals during repeated lifting.
When standing for prolonged periods you must stand correctly. Stand
tall. Do not allow your back to sag into extreme lordosis. Frequently
stand tall.
I'm lucky to not suffer from neck pain, but if I did, I'd make sure
to read TREAT YOUR OWN NECK--McKenzie's follow-up book.
Book Review: My personal experience...
Summary: 5 Stars
About 15 years ago I began to have serious back pain on a daily basis. It was the worst at night. I regularly awoke at 2AM & could not find a comfortable position & just lay in writhing pain until dawn. The condition deteriorated over a period of about 3-4 weeks until I reached a point where I couldn't even urinate for over 24 hours. My doctor had me undergo a variety of examinations, including a barium enema, trying to locate the problem. Focussing on the back, he sent me to a sports doctor & orthopedic surgeon who gave me a set of exercises which made things worse.
When I was about to give up & see a chiropractor, he recommended a physical therapist. On my first visit she accurately described every one of my symptoms & had me do some simple exercices on her examination table with a weighted heating pad on the small of my back.
She told me to buy a Balans chair (& trained me to use it properly) & to keep my weight down (extremely important - even now if I gain 5 pounds over my normal weight I start having back pain). She also gave me a copy of Robin McKenzie's book, showing me the exercises & emphasizing the ones she felt would help me most.
All of this worked amazingly. Within a week, I was virtually pain & symptom free. Sounds like a magazine ad, but it's absolutely true.
I attribute the "cure" to a number of things: learning how to sit & stand properly (thanks to my therapist); using a Balans chair (although resistant to it at first, I would rather sit in one now than any other kind of chair - & it must be the true classic Balans chair, by the way, not the compromises with casters or backs, etc.); keeping my weight under control; & finally, Robin McKenzie's book & exercises.
I agree that one should not go to this book & directly start the exercises without the guidance of a knowledgable (& licensed) physical therapist. But I also would not recommend going to a therapist (or sports/orthopedic doctor) who was not familiar with this book.
I was probably lucky. My disks had slipped but not ruptured. My body was flexible & able to do the exercises. I got a good physical therapist in time & followed her instructions. I almost literally felt reborn.
Book Review: eye opening
Summary: 5 Stars
I am an architect and always wrongfully thought that a spine disk fails as a result of compressive force at the location where it is "squeezed" the most. I could not understand why all problems seemed arised from frontal bending while by logic I could only injure my back by bending backward. It seemed that all the exercises I've done so far were moving me in the opposite direction. Well, now I read this book and I found out why I was wrong.
So far I found myself to be a perfect target audience of this book: I tried everything so far: chiropractors, accupuncture, massage, oral anti-inflammatory drugs, epidural injections, etc. Only injections helped, chiropractor and massage bring a very short-term relieve. Now I am experimenting with an inversion table.
One thing that I think should be added to this book is about a seat. I noticed that horse riding helps me alleviate my back pain (back in the old days when I had time for extravagances like that). I remeber having a terrible pain while on the road for many days, and a horse owner allowed me to jump on back of one of his horses; ten minutes of slow ride worked as a best therapy ever, while he watched me horrified that I will fall down, injure myself and sue him.
The point is that a chair seat should resemble a horse saddle, so that a person can sit on it, maintaining a large (e.g. 270 degrees) angle between thighs and a trunk. I bought a ballchair, threw away its instruction (which inappropriately asks me to sit at 90 degree angle) and sit on it with my knees almost touching the floor. The chair is too wide for that, so I cannot maintain the position for long, but it helps anyway.
Well, like other readers said: I wish that doctors, chiropractors, and other "professionals" provided me with the simple knowledge contained in this book. They did not.
Book Review: This book saved my back!
Summary: 5 Stars
About six months ago I was doing quite a lot of weight lifting which was slowly weakening my back. Being on the high school track team I decided to try the running long jump for the first time. When I landed in the sand my lower back gave out and for the next six months I had a dull pain that would stay with me all day, everyday. Some Days my back felt better than others and sometimes it seemed that the only retreat I possibly had from the pain was bed rest. I spent an incredible waste of money on chiropractors that did absolutely nothing for the pain. I was beginning to become depressed because I couldn't do cross country in the fall, and going to work and school felt like going to hell and back everyday. I felt like I was too young to have back problems and I was seeking advice from everyone I could turn to. Then a student teacher of mine told me that a friend of his was using Robin McKenzie's book on how to treat your own back. It took about four or five weeks for the pain to go away, but if I hadn't discovered this book, I'm sure the pain would have lasted many more months, if not years. McKenzie's book tought me very effective techniques for treating my lower back pain and how to prevent it from reocurring. If you buy this book, it is important to be patient with the techniques described. When first starting out, there should be an initial increase in the amount of pain which I experienced. If this pain increase does not go back down to how it was after about a day or if the pain becomes worse, consult with a doctor or physical therapist immediately. This was a very helpful book and I recommend it to anyone with lower back pain. It wasn't untill my back was damaged that my whole life cam into perspective. Nobody should deserve to live with chronic back pain.Book Review: So good, I'm mad.
Summary: 5 Stars
The title of my review may confuse you. Let me explain. I found this book to be so effective in eliminating my back pain and actually helping me do it without medication or injections or surgery, that I am mad that every doctor does not recommend this book or at least the concepts and exercises to everyone suffering from low back pain.I've been diagnosed with a focal disc protrusion in l5-s1. After even 1 hour of work, I would go to extremely painful and moving like I was 98 years old. Sitting was torture too. I couldn't stand, yet I couldn't sit, and I was in agony.I then discovered this book. ( Actually, a physical Therapist recommended I read it.) So, during my routine day, when the pain and discomfort became extreme, I would sneak off by myself, and do these exercises. It was like a shot of pain killer each time I did. At first, it only alievated the pain for about an hour or 2. I was admittedly repeating the exercises about 8 to 10 times a day. Then, the effects became more and more permanent. Today, I worked and only needed to do them twice. I'm on my way to a full recovery. So there you have it. I was suffering BADLY for about 2 months with no noticable improvement. After 3 weeks of doing what this book told me, I not only see the light at the end of the tunnel, I feel the bright rays shining on me. One more thing... I am in no way paid for saying this, and have no connection with the publishers/authors of this book. I'm just a person so happy to be feeling a lot better, that I want to spread the word. . .