Heal Your Aching Back: What a Harvard Doctor Wants You to Know About Finding Relief and Keeping Your Back Strong (Harvard Medical School Guides) [Paperback]

Jeffrey Katz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 19, 2007 | Series: Harvard Medical School Guides

Take back your health, your fitness, and your life

This authoritative and comprehensive guide, written by a Harvard doctor who has struggled with back pain himself, will help you find the real cause of your problem--and the smartest way to treat it. This simple step-by-step program will show you how to:

• Get the right diagnosis for your type of back pain
• Find the most effective treatment, including complementary therapies
• Control pain through specific exercises, massage, and yoga
• Avoid surgery, prevent reinjury, and strengthen your back for life

Dr. Katz also gives you the most up-to-date information on chiropractic care, new pain medications, alternative physical therapies, and back surgery.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dr. Jeffrey N. Katz is an associate professor of medicine and orthopedic surgery at Harvard Medical School, codirector of the Brigham Spine Center, director of the Orthopaedic and Arthritis Center for Outcomes Research at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and deputy editor of the journal Spine.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (January 19, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071467653
• ISBN-13: 978-0071467650
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #201,034 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #45 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Aging > Back Pain
  • #92 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Disorders & Diseases > Musculoskeletal Diseases

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a wonderful book, March 21, 2007

By 

Back pain sufferer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heal Your Aching Back: What a Harvard Doctor Wants You to Know About Finding Relief and Keeping Your Back Strong (Harvard Medical School Guides) (Paperback)

Dr. Katz thoroughly covers the many aspects of back pain in a straightforward, easy to understand manner. At times, it seems like he is sitting with you explaining the material. I particularly liked the sections on the reasons for having pain, how to navigate the health care system and partner with your doctor, the review of medications, a honest review of the evidence for nontraditional treatments, and the strong support for nonsurgical options.

This book beautifully accomplished the goal of a self-help book: it puts knowledge of the problem and treatment options and a "take charge" attitude into the hands of the people who need it most, in this case the person with back pain. This book has something for everyone who suffers with back pain. Regardless of whether you are new to back pain or someone who has dealt with it for years, this book will help you maximize your health while managing your back.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Can-do guide to curing your backache, October 25, 2007

By 

Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Heal Your Aching Back: What a Harvard Doctor Wants You to Know About Finding Relief and Keeping Your Back Strong (Harvard Medical School Guides) (Paperback)

Chances are excellent that someone close to you suffers back pain. Few people manage to avoid completely the pain of wrenched, twisted, strained or pulled back muscles. Most of the time, back injuries are minor and the pain eventually dissipates. But millions of people suffer relentless, agonizing back pain that prevents them from living normal lives. They go from specialist to specialist, frustrated by different diagnoses and unable to escape the pain. Back in 1984, Harvard University's Dr. Jeffrey Katz realized through his own experiences with back pain that the medical profession knew little about how to treat it. He decided to specialize in musculoskeletal problems and to dedicate his career to helping those who suffer back pain. Katz has done all the heavy lifting for his readers. His book is easy to understand and helpful, with clear illustrations and charts. We highly recommend it to those who already suffer from back pain and want a head start at the doctor's office.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All you need to know about your back pain, April 10, 2007

By 

golfer (Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heal Your Aching Back: What a Harvard Doctor Wants You to Know About Finding Relief and Keeping Your Back Strong (Harvard Medical School Guides) (Paperback)

Explains all causes and all treatments including alternative medicine and exercising without any of the biases normally found with differnent practitioners. A good discussion of pain management. Pain management is a team effort of anti-inflamatories, pain meds, exercise and mental outlook. As a 7 year survivor of back fusion, I find his information right on.