Making Your Bad Back Better, with The O'Connor Technique: How You Can Become Your Own Chiropractor [Paperback]

William T. O'Connor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2000

MAKING YOUR BAD BACK BETTER WITH THE O'CONNOR TECHNIQUE, HOW YOU CAN BECOME YOUR OWN CHIROPRACTOR is a unique spinal pain relief educational treatise and self-help manual that begins by describing the state-of-the-art with respect to back pain management and briefly elaborates on historical, contemporary, practitioner-mediated and self-administered back pain therapies, comparing all with The O'Connor Technique's method of backache management. It then reviews the anatomy and pathology of the spinal intervertebral discs (so as to educate the reader in the standard terminology necessary to understand the concepts) followed by a previously unpublished and elsewhere unavailable physical means to self-diagnose the source of back pain, neck pain, and backache. Then, through an instructional set of principles it carefully explains the mechanical forces that naturally act on the spine and how these forces can be controlled and capitalized upon to relieve and prevent spinal pain. Foremost, it advances an unique and revolutionary method of spinal pain therapy and spinal pain prevention by teaching individuals with the most common forms of back and neck pain how to manipulate their own spinal intervertebral disks to achieve pain relief, restore lost range-of-motion, avoid surgery, and prevent future pain and disability. It finishes by specifically targeting many of the activities of daily life which are especially associated with back pain and the author's perspective on optional therapies available.

The book and especially the self-administered physical therapy aspect was written to be read from a back pain sufferer's perspective, in lay language; however it was also intentionally written with sufficient technical detail so that a physical therapist, massage therapist, Chiropractor, or physician can apply the identical principles to patients in order to diagnose back pain or neck pain, relieve backache or neck ache, and prevent their back pain or neck pain from re-occurring.

No other existing back pain therapy, backache therapy, or neck pain therapy offered by the medical establishment, or available to the public through any media, approaches the successfulness of The O'Connor Technique in its ability to not only address immediate, acute back pain or chronic backache; but, over the life of the individual, it teaches how the painful biological process of degenerative disc disease can be avoided and, this previously believed to be relentless process, prevented from advancing at the rate it otherwise might.

In the universe of back pain books, one book could not relevantly address or specifically hope to treat every form of back pain. The O'Connor Technique (tm) is based upon the uniquely determined clinical understanding that the overwhelming majority of back pain originates from spinal mechanical problems in which the fibro-cartilaginous material of the intervertebral disc has been physically displaced or herniated. Often, this condition is correctly diagnosed as Mechanical Back Pain, Acute Back Pain, Chronic Back Pain, Functional Backache, Spinal Soft Tissue Injury, Connective Tissue Injury, Low Back Sprain, Back Strain, Lumbar Strain, Lumbar Sprain, Ligamentous Strain, Ligamentous Sprain, Lumbar Ligament Strain, Lumbar Ligament Sprain, Lumbar Disc Degeneration, (Lumbar Disk Degeneration), Low Backache, Chronic Backache, Acute Backache, Spinal Disease, Disc Disease (or Disk Disease), Intervertebral Disc Disease (or Intervertebral Disk Disease), Slipped Disc (or Slipped Disk), Spinal Disc Disease (or Spinal Disk Disease), Herniated Disc (or Herniated Disk), Herniated Intervertebral Disc (or Herniated Intervertebral Disk), Spinal Disc Protrusion, (or Spinal Disk Protrusion), Degenerative Disc Disease, (or Degenerative Disk Disease), Pinched Disk or Pinched Disc, Acute Neck Pain, Chronic Neck Pain, Cervical Disc Herniation, Cervical Disk Protrusion, Cervical Ligament Sprain, Cervical Ligament Strain, or Sciatica.

However, too, many times it is incorrectly diagnosed as Spinal Arthritis, Spinal Facet Joint Disease, Spinal Misalignment, Spinal Malalignment, Spinal Subluxation, Spondylosis, Facet Syndrome, Facet Arthritis, Degenerative Facet Disease, Spinal Osteoarthritis, Sacroiliitis, Muscle Sprain, Muscle Strain, Pulled Muscles, Muscle Spasms of the Back Muscles, Fibromyalgia, Fibrositis, Pinched Nerve, Nerve Root Syndrome, Radiculopathy, Shoulder Pain, Wry Neck Syndrome, Whiplash, Torticullis, Sacroileitis, Lumbago, or Scoliosis. Persons with these diagnoses should make an attempt to confirm or discount these diagnoses by engaging The O'Connor Technique (tm) of self-diagnosing your disk (see excerpt below).

The prospective reader can rapidly determine if their particular back pain is most likely caused by a disc problem amenable to The O'Connor Technique (tm) as well as quantify for themselves the probability of benefit by taking tests provided in the book. The book as well as its companion web site start off with a written test (see excerpt below) that selects for those whose back pain or neck pain problems most likely can be helped by The O'Connor Technique (tm) and largely eliminates those persons who probably will not benefit by it. The more a reader's back problem correlates with affirmative responses to the written test, the higher the probability they will receive back pain or neck pain relief. Too, the book describes a physical method in which back pain sufferers themselves can, by making specially designed postural movements, confirm the nature of their problem with a self-performed physical diagnostic test (see excerpt below). Once the reader is convinced that this book addresses their problem, a self-manipulative method, similar to chiropractic, but exceeding it in efficacy, is described to relocate the displaced disc material and prevent it from dislocating again, without tiring, repetitive, exercises or expensive devices.

Of note is the fact that it is not necessary for the reader to digest the entire 400 pages, the book may be used compartmentally, allowing the reader to go quickly to the sections pertaining to their specific pain area, without reading the entire manual; however, since most low back pain sufferers eventually have pain in other segments of the spine, the neck and the thorax are also treated individually. The over 110 illustrations and 220 photographs in the book help make the concepts and directions, although novel, easy to understand and perform.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"For years, my back pain episodes were so bad that, at times, I couldn't function. With the last event, about a year ago, I was nearly bed-ridden. Within twenty minutes of trying Dr. O'Connor's technique, the severe pain was gone; and I could move freely. The next day, I returned to work, largely pain-free; and I have had no recurrences of low back pain since that time because I understand the source of the pain and followed his easily understood principles. Then, my neck suffered an auto-accident whip-lash. I couldn't turn it without extreme pain nor get relief after two visits to my HMO doctor. It dawned on me to try his book's neck pain maneuvers. During a few simple movements, I felt my neck "click," and the pain instantly resolved." -Carolyn Anderson, R.N., CA Lic. # 491896 "Two years ago, I had back pain and considered going to a chiropractor; instead, I used Dr. O'Connor's technique. There is no doubt in my mind that it worked because the pain went away instantly. Since then, every time I get pain , I just do a "maneuver," I hear the "pop" of my back going "in," and the pain stops. -Suzanne Gerhart, Campus Supervisor "Having been frustrated by the problem of treating back pain as a primary care physician for over 30 years, Dr. O'Connor has made my job much easier--I simply refer the non-surgical patients to him because, if he can't make them better with his method, I doubt that anyone can. I have personally observed sufficient numbers of patients who experienced relief after being introduced to Dr. O'Connor's technique to say: I believe he has, indeed, 'built a better mouse trap,' and the world of back pain sufferers should be 'beating a path to his door.'"

-Samuel Whitson, M.D., Physician and Surgeon, CA Lic. # C-7013 I personally presented Dr. O'Connor with a patient who reported three months of unremitting back pain so severe that he was caused to walk slowly, carefully, and hunched forward while taking every opportunity to support his weight by holding on to furniture. Within twenty minutes, without being touched, and simply having his movements directed by Dr. O'Connor, the patient was standing painlessly upright and repeatedly swivelling his hips like a hula dancer, describing himself as a "happy camper." As a physician trained in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation with additional fellowship training in spinal cord injury, I consider myself knowledgeable of the state-of-the-art in back pain management and was literally amazed by what I witnessed. I was so convinced that The O'Connor Technique (tm) constitutes a valuable contribution to medicine that I instantly bought an autographed copy of his book. -- Carolyn Anderson, R.N., CA Lic. # 491896

"Having been frustrated by the problem of treating back pain as a primary care physician for over 30 years, Dr. O'Connor has made my job much easier--I simply refer the non-surgical patients to him because, if he can't make them better with his method, I doubt that anyone can. I have personally observed sufficient numbers of patients who experienced relief after being introduced to Dr. O'Connor's technique to say: I believe he has, indeed, built a better mouse trap,' and the world of back pain sufferers should be beating a path to his door.'" -- Samuel Whitson, M.D. , Physician and Surgeon, CA Lic. # C-7013

"I am awed by the straight forward and understandable approach, absolutely an incredible writer, excellent insight, clear biomechanical explanations. -- Jill Bischel, Independent Review 5/6/00

I personally presented Dr. O'Connor with a patient who reported three months of unremitting back pain so severe that he was caused to walk slowly, carefully, and hunched forward while taking every opportunity to support his weight by holding on to furniture. Within twenty minutes, without being touched, and simply having his movements directed by Dr. O'Connor, the patient was standing painlessly upright and repeatedly swivelling his hips like a hula dancer, describing himself as a "happy camper." As a physician trained in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation with additional fellowship training in spinal cord injury, I consider myself knowledgeable of the state-of-the-art in back pain management and was literally amazed by what I witnessed. I was so convinced that The O'Connor Technique (tm) constitutes a valuable contribution to medicine that I instantly bought an autographed copy of his book. -- -Augusto Sychukok, M.D., Physician and Surgeon, CA Lic # C-40952

From the Publisher

Excruciating back pain is so seemingly unique and awesome an experience that the suffering individual often assumes that they are the subject of a rare event or perhaps one of the few persons to ever sustain such a degree of agony. Surprisingly enough, recurrent back pain is the most common complaint among adults approaching their physicians. It is second only to the common cold as a reason for office visits to primary care physicians. Low back problems affect virtually everyone at some time during their life. Surveys indicate that in any given year, 50% of working-age adults have back pain symptoms, but only 15-20% seek medical care. In one recent study, 41% of enrollees in a group health plan reported having back pain within the last six months. By the age of 70, 85% of the population will have had an episode of back pain. At any given moment, 15% to 20% of the adult population have low back pain. Back pain is the leading cause of disability in persons younger than 45 years, and the third leading cause among those older than 45. A number of studies have indicated that 40% of all adults will experience sciatica (back pain with radiation down the leg) some time during their life. In the U.S., 13.7% of all persons have back pain lasting more than two weeks. Lastly, back problems are the second most common reason for non-surgical hospital admissions among adults under age 65. As unbelievable as it may seem, the author's clinical experience, leads him to conclude that the majority of these acute and chronic backache and neck pain problems can be successfully addressed using the methodology described in this book.

Specifically, this book can be expected to treat, more effectively than any other published method or management plan currently in the armamentarium of the medical community, the following non-surgical diagnoses or conditions: Acute Back Pain, Chronic Back Pain, Mechanical Back Pain, Acute Neck Pain, Chronic Neck Pain, Functional Backache, Spinal Soft Tissue Injury, Connective Tissue Injury, Low Back Sprain, Back Strain, Lumbar Strain, Lumbar Sprain, Ligamentous Strain, Ligamentous Sprain, Lumbar Ligament Strain, Lumbar Ligament Sprain, Lumbar Disc Degeneration, (Lumbar Disk Degeneration), Low Backache, Chronic Backache, Acute Backache, Spinal Disease, Disc Disease (or Disk Disease), Intervertebral Disc Disease (or Intervertebral Disk Disease), Slipped Disc (or Slipped Disk), Spinal Disc Disease (or Spinal Disk Disease), Herniated Disc (or Herniated Disk), Herniated Intervertebral Disc (or Herniated Intervertebral Disk), Spinal Disc Protrusion, (or Spinal Disk Protrusion), Degenerative Disc Disease, (or Degenerative Disk Disease), Pinched Disk or Pinched Disc, Spinal Misalignment, Spinal Malalignment, Spinal Subluxation, Cervical Disc Herniation, Cervical Disk Protrusion, Cervical Ligament Sprain, Cervical Ligament Strain, Muscle Sprain, Muscle Strain, Pulled Muscles, Muscle Spasms of the Back Muscles, Wry Neck Syndrome, Whiplash, Torticullis, as well as certain forms of Scoliosis and Sciatica.

If money spent on a problem gives some measure of its extent in our society, the staggering costs and lost productivity are sufficient to convince the back pain sufferer that they are, indeed, a part of something big. The annual costs of disability and treatment of back pain increased from $14 Billion in 1976 to $30 Billion in 1986. By 1989, just the medical costs of back pain alone generated $14 Billion per year in the United States. The latest and most recent quote for the yearly costs related to back pain comes from the authors of the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research's publication. They estimate it costs the health system upwards of $20 BILLION PER YEAR. In the U.S., back pain is responsible for an average of 12% of all sick leave, rivaling the common cold as a leading cause of absenteeism from work. Back pain results in the loss of more than 93 million work days each year. It has been estimated that the yearly medical costs for treatment of just Lumbar disc disease is nearly $5 Billion. In the automobile industry, as much as 5% of a car's price pays for back injury claims, and among postal employees, 1 in every 25 cents of postage pays for back problems. Tragically, back pain disables as many as 4 million persons in the United States per year.

Misery may love company, but delineating the magnitude of the problem offers small consolation for the individual back pain sufferer in the throes of agony. However, as Karma would have it, if spinal pain were not such a ubiquitous, inadequately addressed, problem in our society, this book probably would never have reached the market due to existing competition. This book has a high probability of wide-spread acceptance in the medical community, insurance industry, Workman's Compensation field, physical therapy realm, and even Chiropractic Therapy precisely because The O'Connor Technique (tm) and the principles elaborated therein promise to favorably and dramatically alter the above statistics.

There is every reason to believe that, if put into wide-spread practice, The O'Connor Technique (tm) has the potential to revolutionize the contemporary management of spinal pain. By arriving at both a novel understanding of spinal mechanics and the development of a mechanism to physically alter them, most back pain can be successfully managed earlier and better than ever before. Prior to the onset of irrevocable damage, the deleterious consequences of neglecting spinal mechanical principles can be prevented, human movements can be directed to rectify anatomical discrepancies, and the environment can be altered to accommodate spinal anatomy rather than the inverse. Even though the evidence is not available to fully prove this claim, there is every reason to believe that practicing The O'Connor Technique (tm) regularly throughout the ageing process can prevent the crippling effects of kyphosis (the bent-forward posture of old age) and probably scoliosis, especially the compensatory type. Finally, by applying the knowledge presented in this book, its readers can expect to extract themselves from otherwise contributing to the horrific aforementioned back suffering statistics.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 402 pages
• Publisher: Aegis Genomics Corporation (February 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966499115
• ISBN-13: 978-0966499117
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,357,617 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The very best technique, April 4, 2000

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Jacqueline (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Making Your Bad Back Better, with The O'Connor Technique: How You Can Become Your Own Chiropractor (Paperback)

Have you ever woken up one day and were unable to move because of this terrible strain on your middle and lower back. So you go to the doctor and he'll tell you how you have slept wrong, and maybe you have! However later on in life you keep feeling this stupid pain. That's when this book comes in. William T O'connor uses special stretching and bending techniques to cure all of those problems forever. At one time he will make you bend your back forward and spin your hips around slowely like you're swinging a hula hoop. And the crazy thing is that it really works. It actually takes the pain out of your lower and middle back and makes you feel a lot better. Not only that but the excercises make you fell much fitter.