Today in the United States 6 1/2 million persons are suffering back pain severe enough to keep them in bed. Yet most of them could have avoided not only the loss of work but the pain by taking reasonably good care of their backs.

Over 10,000 copies sold!!

This book was reviewed by Robert A. Carabelli, M.D., Cheif Rehabilitation Medicine Services, St.Lawrence Rehabilitation Center.

This is what he had to say:

"The "Twenty Minute a Day Program to Keep Your Back Healthy" is a program that most patients can live with".

"The book, while being easy to read, is not insulting to the patient. It is down-to-earth, yet informative. The physiology of pain is described, including several theories, including the specificity theory, pattern theory, and gate control theory".

"All in all, I felt this book to be a welcome addition to the pain practitioner's library. This is a book which many back pain patients can read and learn from. I would go as far as to describe this book as " a back school you can read," and have found it to be one of the better books on the topic".

 

Backache is one of the most widespread and persistent of human maladies. Each year the number of afflicted persons grows larger. According to medical statistics, four out of five persons in the United States can anticipate a back problem at some time in their lives. Astonishing as it may seem when one thinks of the prevalence of the "common cold", back pain, not the cold, is the most common reason people miss work, and the most frequent complaint brought to medical attention.

The human and social costs are huge. When our backs hurt, our general well-being, physical and mental, suffers. Without a strong and healthy back, we can't fee! or look our best or function at our optimum level at work, in recreation, in lovemaking. More: back pain is, on the average, the most expensive disease one can get.

Not only are the financial costs to the stricken individual high, but the economic costs to society are staggering. The number of work days lost in our industrial community because of low back pain result in major financial losses. It has been estimated that, in the United States, more than 200 million working days are lost each year due to back disorders.

Yet most cases of backache and even of back disability need never occur if the person involved has a little basic knowledge of how the back works and how to use it and care for it.

The purpose of this book is to help you recover from back pain if you are affected, and to keep you well if you are not. First of all we will describe the physiology and the psychology of pain and its function, then we will show you how your back is structured and the conditions under which back pain arises. When you understand how the remarkable mechanism of the human back works, you will see better how to use it well, how to avoid abusing it, how problems can arise, and how they can be dealt with.

We will show you exactly what you can do to improve the use of your back by your posture and movements, by your exertions and relaxations in the course of normal daily activities, of sitting, standing, walking, lifting, bathing, sleeping, making love, driving, traveling in planes and trains, shopping, doing housework, yardwork, and gardening. We will teach you a variety of preventive exercises. We will alert you to the importance of recognizing the first symptoms of a back problem before it develops into an ailment that requires professional care. About 60% of normal persons who develop back problems could have prevented them with ordinary care.

A word of caution: this is not a book that encourages you to bypass medical advice. When you are in pain, it is always best to seek a competent specialist to get an accurate diagnosis before embarking on any program of self-treatment. Chapter 7 lists the precise symptoms which should prompt you to call your doctor for Individual advice for your particular back and your particular back problem.

Most of us take our backs for granted. If we are healthy, we tend to assume that our backs will always perform as we want them to. And if we have back problems, we tend to assume that we must resign ourselves to our miseries, instead of seeking professional advice and effective treatment.

Both, those assumptions are false. The healthy person's optimism is not borne out by statistics. Almost all of us (70-80% of the normal population) will have back trouble at some time in our lives. And most of those now afflicted with back problems are unaware of the new techniques for treating aching backs. Most can be relieved quickly by proper care. This usually means only conservative measures, and very rarely means anything so drastic as traction or surgery.

We will describe the various types of treatment you may expect to receive should you need professional care to relieve your back pain. These treatments may include therapeutic exercises similar to the preventive exercises we describe in Chapter 6, or they may include bed rest and positioning, TNS (transcutaneous nerve stimulation) ultra-sound, diathermy, hot packs, cold packs, electrical stimulation (iontophoresis), biofeed back, medication, acupuncture, meditation, traction, chemonucleolysis, and others.

When back pain results in the individual being disabled on the job, complicated legal questions are apt to arise. We address these problems in Chapter 9, and discuss the basic structure and laws on which workmen's compensation is based. We advise you as well on how to get the most you are entitled to from your insurance.

And finally, we show you the practical, everyday lifestyle that is most conducive to a healthy back: things you should know about stress and tension, about shoes, clothing and furniture, about sports and exercise, about safety and taking care.

To repeat, the vast majority of back problems can be prevented by ordinary care and maintenance, and by being alert to signals of trouble. We suggest that you pay attention to any pain, and at the first ache or twinge, apply the knowledge and techniques given in this book to stay free of back troubles for the rest of your life.

The only book in physical therapy for the treatment of low back pain, which is evidence based and scientifically sound. The authors are aware that using these techniques can provide more than 90% percent relief to the patient and less surgical intervention.

Dr. Nelson, PhD, PT, FAPTA, distinguished chairman at NYU says, “It’s an honor to be a contributor to this seminal work that outlines a most comprehensive review of effective care for those with lumbar pain syndromes.”\

Dr. John Basmajian, MD., D.Sc. Professor Emeritus, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario says, it should strengthen the hands and minds of several branches of the healing professions while clearing the debris of dubious techniques. Both teachers and practitioners must learn from its lessons.

Dr. Elmer Pinzon, MD, Spine Specialist, Spine Knoxville (Knoxville, TN), Reviewed in Pain Management, March 2008, says this book presents a thorough dissertation on the etiology, pathogenesis, diagnoses, and treatment of mechanical disorders of the lumbar spine related to intervertebral discs. It is a refreshing look at the current theories and management of these common problems in spine-related medicine and will be useful to physical therapists and physicians treating low back pain patients.”

As a physician who studies and practices in the musculoskeletal and spine-related field of medicine, I found that the in-depth evaluation of the anatomic variations and biomechanics of the spine—noted in chapters two through four as the vertebral column, muscles and ligaments of the lumbar spine, and inter-related joints of the lumbar spine—was a pleasant review of the key elements involved in the functioning of the lumbar spine.”

Overall, as a spine specialist, I was pleased with the thorough and extensive review of these important topics in the field of mechanical disorders of the lumbar spine as they relate to the intervertebral discs.”

This book can be bought at Amazon.com and Barnes and Nobles

• ISBN: 978-1-60264-066-5 (soft)
• 978-1-60264-067-2 (hard)

Dr. C. Kumarlal Fernando, internationally knows physical therapist and expert on pain, has been treating low back pain patients for over 40 years and has written and lectured widely on physical therapy, pain, and low back pain. He is currently the Executive Director of Forest Hill Institute for Back Pain, Inc. and the President and CEO of Island Rehabilitation Center in Marco Island.

A Fulbright Scholar and graduate of New York University, he was awarded the Founder’s Award at New York University for scholastic achievement. Dr. Fernando was Senior Physical Therapist at the Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, New York University. He was an Assistant Professor at Downstate Medical Center, State University of New York, Brooklyn and then University of Illinois in Chicago. Dr. Fernando was also the Director in Chicago of the Department of Physical Therapy at Schwab Rehabilitation Center, at Mount Sinai Hospital Medical Center, and Johnston R. Bowman Center and Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Home Health Care Unit. His professional association include; member of the Board of Directors the Biofeedback Certification Institute of America. Dr. Fernando is an international authority of back pain, lecturer, writer and researcher. Nationally and Internationally, Dr. Fernando has taught courses in pain management, low back pain and biofeedback. Presentations have been made to American Physical Therapy Association meetings, World Confederation of Physical Therapy Meeting, Australian Physical Therapy Association meeting in Singapore, European Physiotherapy Association in Monte Carlo and various hospital and various hospitals and Universities in U.S., Europe, and Asia. Dr. Fernando is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Pain Management and is on the Editorial Advisory Board for the Jurnal of Pain Management.