Treat Your Own Back

A little under a year ago, I hurt my lower back. I followed all the advice I could find online, expecting that it would heal in a few months. I was taking 800 mg of Ibuprofen a day, which helped reduce the pain a bit, but I was in pain every day.

The pain lessened after a few months, but I was still in pain every single day.

About two weeks ago, I bought this book. I read it in an evening, and did the set of stretches twice a day. They took under five minutes each time, and within a few days I was down to pain every other day or so, and two weeks in, it's been a few days since I've had any back pain at all.

I don't even notice my back!

I was fortunate to encounter a rehabber for my sciatica from herniated disks and spinal stenosis who knew this method. She taught me the simple little exercises and in a matter of weeks, severe pain that I had fought for a long time faded away. My series of spinal shots couldn't fix it. Other rehabbers and doctors couldn't fix it. 3 minutes of easy McKenzie exercises did.

Mr. McKenzie was quite an excitable gentleman who BELIEVED in his excercises that are partly based on yoga, but with a few important variations. Don't be put off by his "voice". Just get the book and do what he says.

I believe my older sister gave me this book. She was working at a chiropractor's office. One day, quite a few years back now, I had a sciatic nerve pain killing me. This was probably due to the way I sit all curled up on the couch with my legs tucked under me to one side, reading books for hours at a time or watching television day after day. It ran down from the right side of my right hip and down that right leg. Painful!!! Doing the exercise in the book completely alleviated the whole situation, so this book gets a big fat 5-stars.

This books tells people with chronic low back pain how to live pain free and maintain their own back treatments.

This books tells people with chronic low back pain how to live pain free and maintain their own back treatments.

Treat Your Own Back by Robin McKenzie

BIBLIOGRAPHIC DETAILS
-PRINT: COPYRIGHT: (1980) July 1, 2006 (8th ed.); ISBN 978-0958269230; PUBLISHER: Orthopedic Physical Therapy Products; LENGTH: 72 pages [Paperback Info from Amazon] *Note: There are color photos here. If you listen to the audio, don’t forget to check out the print (or, perhaps the digital) if you are like me and like to have an idea of who is who visually.
-DIGITAL: COPYRIGHT: (1980) March 11, 2015; PUBLISHER: Spinal Publications New Zealand; LENGTH: 137 pages FILE SIZE: 2217 KB [Kindle Info from Amazon]
*AUDIO: COPYRIGHT: (1980) 11 June 2020; PUBLISHER: McKenzie Global Limited; LENGTH: 3:00:00 (approx.); Unabridged. [Audio Info from Libby (LAPL)]
(Film: No).

SERIES: The show more McKenzie Method

SUMMARY/ EVALUATION:
-SELECTION: I did a library (Libby) search on books about Back health. This result looked best.
-ABOUT: The author describes his method, “The McKenzie Method” of taking care of back pain, and once healed, maintaining back health.
-LIKED: The explanation of the spine, and what’s happening when there is pain, and the explanations of exercises.
-DISLIKED: No, I didn’t dislike anything.
-OVERALL: Due to listening to the audio, I now have the Print of this book as well as “Treat Your Own Hip”

AUTHOR: Robin McKenzie:
“The McKenzie method (full name: McKenzie method of mechanical diagnosis and therapy (MDT)) is a technique primarily used in physical therapy. It was developed in the late 1950s by New Zealand physiotherapist Robin McKenzie (1931–2013).[1][2][3] In 1981 he launched the concept which he called Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy (MDT) – a system encompassing assessment, diagnosis and treatment for the spine and extremities. MDT categorises patients' complaints not on an anatomical basis,[4][5][6] but subgroups them by the clinical presentation of patients.[7]

McKenzie exercises involve spinal extension exercises, as opposed to William flexion exercises, which involve lumbar flexion exercises. “ [ ___Amazon.com ]

NARRATOR: Catherine Popert:
"Catherine was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1987 by the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, London, and was thereafter awarded tenancy at the Chambers of Ann Goddard QC, whence she practised for some 20 years. Catherine specialised in the presentation of serious, sensitive and highly complex criminal cases in all genres (ranging from organised crime through child abuse and murder to fraud and police and government corruption), both prosecuting and defending, predominantly at the Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey). Hailing from a medical background, she was particularly instructed in cases involving complex forensic pathology, medical or psychiatric issues and those with vulnerable witnesses and/or defendants. Additionally, she provided specialist advice to various Government departments, was a member of the British Academy of Forensic Science, and presented on disciplinary and mental health review tribunals.
Catherine has considerable experience of Governance. As well as serving on a school board she served for many years as an elected member of the General Council of the Bar of England and Wales (the Bar's regulatory and governing body) and the English Criminal Bar Association. Her particular areas of interest/expertise were the expansion of the Bar Pro Bono Programme, professional standards and conduct, and public affairs i.e representation of the Criminal Bar's interests in media and government.
Catherine settled permanently in New Zealand in 2010 with her husband, a New Zealander, and their two small children, where she has, inter alia, co-owned a music industry business with responsibility for all associated legal matters. She also continues to provide specialist pro bono advice and representation in a variety of areas and tribunals.
Catherine also edits, narrates and produces audio for medical texts and is currently involved in producing an audio version of ‘Treat Your Own Back’ by Robin McKenzie®. She has been employed part-time, predominantly in an advisory role, by McKenzie Global Ltd (the McKenzie family company) since 2017 and was appointed to the MII Board of Trustees as a McKenzie family representative in 2018." [from McKenzie Institute.org]

Catherine did an excellent narration here.

GENRE: Nonfiction; Health; Handbooks; Medical

LOCATIONS: NA

TIME FRAME NA

SUBJECTS: Health; Spinal injuries; Medical; Exercises; Posture

SAMPLE QUOTATION: From Chapter 1 The Low Back or Lumbar Spine:
“Myths About Acute Back Pain:
Myth 1: Acute back pain is short-term pain
The claim that back pain is a short-term problem denies the evidence of research. Many studies show that far from being short-term, over 50% of patients suffer from recurring attacks or have persistent or chronic pain following their initial period of disablement. A study by Croft in the United Kingdom found that one year following a first attack of acute low back pain, 50% of patients were still complaining of intermittent or persistent symptoms interfering in normal daily activities or work. A 2004 study by Enthoven, Skargren, and Oberg (2004) followed patients for five years after their first attack of acute back pain and showed for the first time that large numbers of patients have significant ongoing problems that reduce the quality of their lives and interfere with their livelihoods. This study also found that over 50% of patients had developed long-term problems of recurring and chronic back pain. Another researcher has stated that “back pain is really a lifelong problem for some, and education and explanation to instill self-sufficiency is imperative.””

RATING: 5 Stars

STARTED-FINISHED 7/16/2023 – 7/31/2023 show less