The Wharton's Back Book [Paperback]

Jim Wharton (Author), Phil Wharton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 23, 2003

Don't just rehab your back--PREhab it!

Father-and-son training team Jim and Phil Wharton have served as physical therapists to everyone from Olympic medalists to Broadway and Hollywood stars. Now they're here to relieve your back pain quickly, easily, and permanently. Their methods not only target and resolve current conditions, they also can help you PREhab your back, to prevent any future pain or disability. With this book, you will:

Understand how the back works and why back problems can often be traced to injuries in other parts of the body

Ease pain and keep your back strong with a simple 20-minute routine that meets your lifestyle

Identify the source of current hurt and follow a short-term program to relieve pain and restore flexibility

Understand the latest diagnostic tools with an overview of cutting-edge treatment options

Reverse or completely cure back problems stemming from more than 50 conditions, activities, and sports-related injuries

Relieve back-related troubles caused by anything from extra pounds to osteoporosis, work, tension, or the way you sleep

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

About 31 million Americans experience back pain, and the Whartons are on an enthusiastic mission to help sufferers approach injuries "not as a patient, but as an athlete" and get back in action, pain-free. For a book on back pain recovery and prevention, this is a surprisingly entertaining read, with anecdotes from the authors' New York City physical therapy practice-and even some celebrity name-dropping. The book is so crammed with information that it could be overwhelming, but readers can select applicable sections. Following a detailed introduction to the back, the authors include sections on what they call PREhab ("that is, helping our athletes prepare properly so that injuries never happen"), stopping the pain, protecting the back, stress and slumber, and situations and solutions. They explain and apply their unique Active-Isolated method, suggest exercises (with helpful demonstrative photos) and provide real-life case studies throughout. The Whartons believe every part of a person's lifestyle can impact the back-and they cover it all.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"I was certain that nothing was ever going to cure the pain in my neck and give me range of motion. Meeting with Phil Wharton was an absolute godsend. I have the utmost respect for the Whartons."--Barry K. Schwartz, founder of Calvin Klein, Inc., and current chairman of the New York Racing Association

"[The Whartons'] stretching and strenghtening programs that take 15 to 20 minutes a day cured my 5-year problems. I finally made the 2000 Olympics, injury-free, and broke 3 Irish records en route. This could not have been possible without the Wharton Performance team."--Mark Carroll, Irish national record holder in track and field

"Jim and Phil Wharton are engagd in an important public initiative to keep America on the go with freedom from common back ailments. This book can change the health of a nation."--Stephen Holt, M.D., author of The Antiporosis Plan and the best-selling The Soy Revolution

"While performing in films and training for marathons, I suffered disk herniations. I was a mess--pain, atrophy, weakness, numbness. Once Wharton Performance got their hands on me, I was right back on my feet. I was blown away by the knowledge, passion, and commitment that Jim and Phil have for what they do."--William Baldwin, actor

"With the Whartons' program, there's no limit to what you want to do. You can improve as much as you want in the areas you'd like, and you can tailor the program specifically to your needs."--Chris Martin, former coach of the Great Britain national swim team and the U.S. Olympic and national swim teams, including an Olympic-gold-medal-winning swimmer

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 389 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books (August 23, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579547036
• ISBN-13: 978-1579547035
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 10.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #147,352 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #29 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Aging > Back Pain
  • #71 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Disorders & Diseases > Musculoskeletal Diseases

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It works, if you work it!, January 21, 2004

By 

David Smith "a consumer" (Rochester, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Wharton's Back Book (Paperback)

If a person with back problems reads and follows the advice in this book, their situation will improve. There is no magic fix for back pain, but the vast majority, regardless of the diagnoses, will be reduced or even eliminated by correcting the imbalances in the hips. This book tells how to do this. The imbalances were developed over many years, so it will take some time to overcome them. If you want a healthier back, this is the answer, provided you are willing to put in the time and effort.

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Positive review, September 11, 2003

By 

"mkarten" (Roslyn Heights, New York USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wharton's Back Book (Paperback)

I and my wife are physicians. She suffers from lower back problems. This book contains easy to follow picures and directions for the exercises. I was very pleased to see their balanced (and truthful) comments regarding durgs and alternative therapies. I agree with their advice toseek professional opinions as other diseases can mimick lower back problems.
A well written and illustrated book.

36 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A Waste of Money, May 12, 2004

By 

Singlemalt "Singlemalt" (Tokyo, Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wharton's Back Book (Paperback)

I bought the Wharton's Stretching book and liked it, finding it very useful as a martial artist. This book, however, merely rehashes everything in the Stretching book, but in an inferior manner. Although it has photos instead of drawings, the Wharton's Stretch book clearly shows acceptable ranges of motion for each stretch. In addition, the Back Book has a section on training with weights that bordered on ridiculous. The author's clearly know little about neither weight training as therapy nor weight training for strength and flexibility. This book was a real disappointment. Buy their first book, avoid this one.