Back Pain Solutions : How to Help Yourself with Posture-Movement Therapy and Education [Paperback]

Bruce I. Kodish (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2001

Presents an original body-mind model which explains in clear, non-academic prose the causes, treatment and prevention of activity-related (posture-movement-related) back pain. Details a continuum of therapy and education to deal with such problems. Provides self-care guidelines for controlling pain and improving posture. The self-care principles apply not only to back pain but to other musculoskeletal problems as well.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Anyone who either personally has or professionally deals with back pain should read Bruce Kodish's book. -- Ron Dennis, Ed.D., veteran teacher of the Alexander Technique and founder of PostureSense®

Bruce I. Kodish is a modern day alchemist. He has taken a remarkably complex issue and distilled ... sensible solutions... -- Barrett L. Dorko, P.T., originator of Simple Contact and author of "Shallow Dive: Essays on the Craft of Manual Care"

From the Inside Flap

Have you ever had back pain? What about neck and shoulder pain or repetitive strain? Passage of time may reduce these problems. However, time does not heal all wounds. You may be left with residual pain, disability and fear of recurrence if you have not learned how to take care of yourself.

This book cuts through the confusing details and contradictory claims to provide you with what you need for understanding your back, and other, similar problems. It will show you specific, proven and practical self-care principles and methods to restore comfort, movement and ease to your life.

Reading "Back Pain Solutions," you will learn:
* What causes back pain, neck pain and repetitive strain
* That pain is not equivalent to damage and how pain can serve you as useful feedback
* How you can control your symptoms
* How you can improve your posture
* How to build the confidence, sense of control and responsibility you need to move beyond pain

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Extensional Pub (March 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0970066457
• ISBN-13: 978-0970066459
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,190,197 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bruce Kodish had the privilege of studying and working as a colleague with some of Alfred Korzybski's closest co-workers and their students and co-workers, at the Institute of General Semantics (IGS) during the period of its post-Korzybski but still quite korzybskian heyday in the final decades of the 20th Century,

Bruce served for many years on the staffs of the IGS seminar-workshops, the General Semantics Bulletin, and Time-Bindings, the IGS Newsletter. He helped edit the Fifth Edition of Korzybski's Science and Sanity, and as publication chairman oversaw the production of the Third Edition of Korzybski's Olivet Lectures, as well as the books Developing Sanity in Human Affairs and General Semantics in Psychotherapy. He received a PhD in Applied Epistemology/General Semantics from the Union Institute and University in 1996. With his wife Susan Presby Kodish, he wrote the renowned introduction to korzybskian general semantics, Drive Yourself Sane: Using the Uncommon Sense of General Semantics, recently published in its Third Edition. Susan and Bruce received the Institute's J. Talbot Winchell Award in 1998 for their "... many contributions severally and together to the wider understanding of general semantics as authors, editors, teachers, leaders."

Recognized today around the world for his authoritative knowledge of Alfred Korzybski's life and work, Bruce spent seven years researching and writing this first book-length biography which contains many never-before-told details of Korzybski's extraordinary career. A physical therapist in Pasadena, California, Bruce also wrote Back Pain Solutions and Dare to Inquire.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great source of information and help, August 19, 2002

By 

Harold McFarland (Florida) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Back Pain Solutions : How to Help Yourself with Posture-Movement Therapy and Education (Paperback)

In "Back Pain Solutions" author Bruce Kodish presents easy to follow techniques for helping with back pain problems. After a brief introduction into Posture-Movement Therapy he provides a section on how your back works, the physiology of the spine, discs, joints, etc. and how this relates to your posture, movement and back problems. Bruce Kodish covers everything that you need to understand in order to safely use the techniques on yourself.

For myself, I was having some problems with discomfort in my upper back and used the appropriate technique in the book. I found that I was able to completely relieve the problem. I would have liked more specific techniques and specific excercises for different situations, but then again it had all I needed to help myself so maybe it is complete. If you are having back pain problems and are tired of the constant regimen of pain-killers or the regular onset of back pain you owe it to yourself to read this book and see if it can provide the same benefit to you that it did to me.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Primarily on the psychology of motivation to develop proprioception of good back posture., August 25, 2010

By 

Verbosely Laconic (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Back Pain Solutions : How to Help Yourself with Posture-Movement Therapy and Education (Paperback)

Pros:
-Good verbal description of proper back posture for anyone with a normal spine.

Cons:
-About 260 pages of content, but the helpful parts could have been written in 3 pages or less.
-Though well documented, endless psychological studies described and cited that are scarcely applicable for the person taking the time to read the book.
-Only 4 exercises diagrammed in the whole book, and they're diagnostic more than therapeutic.
-Mention given of various parts of back that can hurt, but only solution for anything is posture.
-Almost no mention given of any special causes of back pain (example:relationship between mattress and back pain gets no more than a very general mention that firm mattresses are better)
-No mention of special conditions or treatment needs, such as being under 4'6", over 6'5", or having a malformed lumbar.


Summary: The emphasis and description of good back posture may help many people with healthy backs who suffer regularly from back pain during the day. It is good to be reminded of the need for good posture. However, little or no mention is made of special back conditions or other causes or practically applicable solutions for back pain. This book won't be of much help to someone who has any sort of special back condition, which would typically be the person who would buy such a book and take the time to read it. If you're an average person with a healthy back but suffer daytime back pain and don't mind reading 260 pages of mainly remote topic studies, this book may help you; any other situations, I wouldn't recommend this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book I've yet to find on back pain, July 31, 2006

By 

Jay Kennedy "Postured kid" (Berlin PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Back Pain Solutions : How to Help Yourself with Posture-Movement Therapy and Education (Paperback)

As a back pain sufferer and doctor this is as complete and valuable resourse as I've ever found. Highly recommended.