Treat Your Own Back (Paperback)

by Robin A. McKenzie (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Help yourself to a pain-free back. This easy-to-follow book presents over 80 pages of education and clinically-proven exercises. The simple and effective self-help exercises in Robin McKenzie's Treat Your Own Back have helped thousands worldwide find relief from common low back and neck pain. This book helps you understand the causes and treatments, along with a system of exercises that can help you relieve pain and prevent recurrence.

From the Publisher
Now in its seventh edition, Robin McKenzie's patient book has probably helped more patients achieve freedom from back pain than any other publication. The McKenzie Method is a conservative treatment protocol that provides daily changes to patient posture, ergonomics and exercises.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Orthopedic Physical Therapy Product; 7th edition (January 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0959774661
• ISBN-13: 978-0959774665
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (122 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #25,594 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #13 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Aging > Backache
  #13 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Disorders & Diseases > Musculoskeletal Diseases
  #43 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Aging > Pain Management

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

127 of 128 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth a try., November 8, 2007

By	a trainer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Treat Your Own Back (Paperback)

This book talks a lot about posture and how it can affect your back. Posture suggestions follow. The exercises recommended for most cases of back pain involve a person bending their spine backwards. These are done in the standing and on-your-stomach positions.

One thing I did notice about this back pain book is that it contains no exercises to strengthen your back- which I think is strange as it is well documented in the back literature that people with back pain have smaller than normal back muscles (Parkkola 1993 and Daneels 2000) when examined with CT scans and MRI's as well as weaker than normal back muscles (Smidt 1983 and Mayer 1985 and Mayer 1989 and Roy 1989 and Cassisi 1993). On this basis, I felt that this book was overlooking this important point and should probably address it with at least one strengthening exercise.

Having said that, I think this book will be most helpful for people with back pain that radiates into one or both legs due to a disc problem. People with spinal stenosis or a slippage of one vertebrae over the other (called a spondylolisthesis) will want to be careful with the backward bending motion as this might actually aggravate their pain. Other fix-it-yourself books readers might be interested in include Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff for those with shoulder pain or a torn cuff.

68 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Author of self-help book gives McKenzie book to patients., September 1, 1999

By	Robert Uppgaard ([e-mail]) (Pequot Lakes, Minnesota) - See all my reviews

"I first became acquainted with McKenzie's Treat Your Own Back in 1984 when, as a practicing dentist, I was completely incapacitated with low back pain and sciatica and unable to work. This easy to understand book enabled me to get well and remain well to this day. As a dentist who treats TMJ Disorder, I have recommended this book to hundreds of my patients. Why? Because people who suffer from TMJ Disorder (also called TMD) must understand that proper body alignment, posture and specific exercises are an essential part of their treatment plan. In my recently published book, Taking Control of TMJ: Your Total Wellness Program for Recovering from Temporomandibular Joint Pain, Whiplash, Fibromyalgia and Related Disorders, MeKenzie's work is emphasized. I continue to give copies of Treat Your Own Back to friends and patients who are suffering the crippling effects of low back pain. A friend who recently had suffered back pain and sciatica for weeks sums it up so well:"It's just like magic; relief was almost immediate, in three days I was totally without pain."

126 of 147 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So good, I'm mad., January 6, 2001

By	Randy A Hausner (Phoenix, Arizona United States) - See all my reviews

The title of my review may confuse you. Let me explain. I found this book to be so effective in eliminating my back pain and actually helping me do it without medication or injections or surgery, that I am mad that every doctor does not recommend this book or at least the concepts and exercises to everyone suffering from low back pain.

I've been diagnosed with a focal disc protrusion in l5-s1. After even 1 hour of work, I would go to extremely painful and moving like I was 98 years old. Sitting was torture too. I couldn't stand, yet I couldn't sit, and I was in agony.I then discovered this book. ( Actually, a physical Therapist recommended I read it.) So, during my routine day, when the pain and discomfort became extreme, I would sneak off by myself, and do these exercises. It was like a shot of pain killer each time I did. At first, it only alievated the pain for about an hour or 2. I was admittedly repeating the exercises about 8 to 10 times a day. Then, the effects became more and more permanent. Today, I worked and only needed to do them twice. I'm on my way to a full recovery. So there you have it. I was suffering BADLY for about 2 months with no noticable improvement. After 3 weeks of doing what this book told me, I not only see the light at the end of the tunnel, I feel the bright rays shining on me. One more thing... I am in no way paid for saying this, and have no connection with the publishers/authors of this book. I'm just a person so happy to be feeling a lot better, that I want to spread the word. . .