Customer Reviews

Say Goodbye to Back Pain

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm recovering from being disabled with back pain, and have been amazed to find a program that starts so easily and gently that I can do it without discomfort. It builds very logically --it's a six week program, and you stick with the easiest movements for two weeks before adding difficulty. It utilizes breathing, relaxation, and very simple movements. The dvd case reads "This program is the result of the pioneering work of Hans Kraus, M.D., creator of the exercise system prsented by the YMCA as "The Y's Way to a Healthy Back", and the instructor on the DVD,Alexander Melleby, is National Director and Chief Instructor for the YMCA program. I should also mention that the tape starts with tips on good habits for sitting, lifting, etc, in order to avoid back injury.

Back pain is mostly due to poor or little muscle use on a daily basis. Weak abs make your back work harder, poor posture puts strain. This course was done with over 1,000 people in the YMCA in the 1980s. Over 80% were pain free within 6 weeks. Only 2 % got worse & 5% felt no difference.

This comes with a nice booklet with many b&w photos so once you are used to it, you don't have to go through the dvd to get what you are looking for.

This is done on a stage with Dr. Alexander Melleby, M.S. teaching with 2 women in leotards & 2 men in shorts & tube socks demonstrating.

This was redone in 2005 for dvd with many chapters for the intro, who Dr. Melleby is, the reserach, the Kraus, M.D. study, what causes back pain, the YMCA study, self-evaluation, the 6 Kraus-Webber tests & 3 chapters for each of the 2 weeks of the 6 week program.

You can see video clips at their site backpaindvd com

I was diagnosed with a degenerative disc disease years ago. I have had flare ups of back pain that kept me from life and work. I have always dealt with stiffness and discomfort. It was a common occurrance to have pain when I'd bend forward and when I first got up in the morning. I am in week 3 of this program and I have been feeling much better. I have a lot less discomfort than when I began this program. This program is very relaxing at first, then gradually steps it up in intensity. I was very skeptical and afraid of hurting myself more by doing this program. Needless to say my fears were for nothing. I highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for a gentle, relaxing way to reduce or eliminate their back discomfort. I can hardly wait to get home every day so that I can "do" my exercises. Thank you Dr. Melleby!

In our household, we call this the "miracle video". We've been using this video for as long as I can remember - maybe 20 years or so. We have it in VHS and I'm going to get it in DVD. I bought two VHS copies because I was so worried that something would happen to just one and didn't ever want to be without it! It seems so simple and obvious - and yet the gentle, systematic program that builds so sensibly and gently over time is just the best ever. Having had quite a few episodes of back problems - from acute to moderate - over the years, I can speak from experience with this video. It has been a lifesaver many times over. It is excellent and wise.

I have a L5-S1 herniated disc. This is the program recommended to me by my orthopedist. It's worked for me. Since using I've only had minor flare ups every 3-4 years. Check with your doctor before using.

However, after using for twenty four years I have developed a numbness in one leg which was diagnosed as an L4-L5 impingement. Physical therapy did not help but I discovered that if I discontinued daily use of these exercises the numbness went away. Unfortunately my lower back pain returns. So I now do the exercises about once every three days.

This DVD does not have a menu. It is very difficult and time consuming to navigate to the exercises on the DVD. While the results may be worth the investment in this DVD, the quality isn't. In this age of high technology I expected a quality DVD in exchange for my money.

I was going through a terrible bout of sciatica - three months with no relief in sight. I had tried everything - including just about every pain medication out there. Vicodin, darvon, oxycotin, percocet. Nothing touched the pain. A friend recommended getting an exercise program and this one seemed to have the most glowing reviews. It arrived on Friday morning and I immediately did the first set of excercises. I repeated the first set later that night and when I went to bed that night - I was pain free. I still can't believe it. I thought there was no way these simple exercises would do anything. I have never been so happy to be wrong!

I ruptured a disk in my lower back in a sporting event in my mid 40's and was given a typical course of physical therapy which provided little improvement in my situation. Toward the end of the physical therapy and due to the lack of any significant improvement, I began the procedures outlined in this DVD. At this point in time, I was experiencing great back discomfort, was dragging my foot, and had no ability to move my toes. After two weeks of using the DVD and on the day I was to schedule back surgery with my orthopedist, I was able to barely lift my big toe. The orthopedist suggested we postpone the surgery for several weeks in hopes of further improvement. Over the course of the six week program, I experienced continual improvement. I regained almost full mobility in my foot and leg and my back surgery was cancelled. It has now been 15 years since my injury, and I am totally pain free and experience no adverse effects due to the injury; but in order to remain pain free, I have had to continue the back exercises from the DVD on a daily basis (about 15-20 minutes each day). I highly recommend this DVD to anyone who is willing to do the exercises and who would like to avoid back surgery. There is certainly no guarantee that back surgery can be avoided, but I wanted to do everything in my power to give myself the option to try to avoid it.

Awesome product. Works better than anything else we have tried for lower back pain. Also, the trippy 70's video style, haircuts, leotards and bad visual effects only add to the overall enjoyment. Seriously though - this really works!

This is a program developed by the YMCA about 20+ years ago and remastered on video disk. Smile at the Jazzercize outfits! This is a great program as it has helped me immensely. The program focuses on muscle relaxation to alleviate back pain in order to allow the surrounding muscles that try to protect from you pain to loosen up enough for the backbone to slip back into place. I was expecting some kind of a strength workout and was skeptical to say the least at first. But I did the program and still do the program and my back has gotten better sooner than usual. I have suffered with my back going out 2X year for several years.