On occasion nearly everyone experiences short-term back pain from sore or strained muscles. But for many who come to treat their back gingerly because they fear further "injury," a cycle of worry and inactivity results; this aggravates existing muscle tightness and leads them to think of themselves as having a "bad back." Even worse is the understandable but usually counterproductive assumption that back pain is caused by "abnormalities"-bulging disks, a damaged spine, and so on. However, these abnormalities are frequently found in those who have absolutely no pain whatsoever. In reality, most backs are strong and resilient, built to support our bodies for a lifetime; truly "bad backs" are rare.
Drawing on their work with patients and studies from major scientific journals and corporations, the authors "of "Back "Sense-all three are former chronic back pain sufferers themselves-developed a revolutionary self-treatment approach targeting the true causes of chronic back pain. It is based on conclusive evidence proving that stress and inactivity are usually the prime offenders, and it allows patients to avoid the restrictions and expense of most other treatments. After showing readers how to rule out the possibility that a rare medical condition is the source of their problem, "Back "Sense clearly and convincingly explains the actual factors behind chronic back pain and systematically leads readers toward recapturing a life free of back pain.

Reviews

Both clinical psychologist Ronald D. Siegel and market research consultant Michael H. Urdang have suffered from chronic back pain. They learned to treat their pain by using a new system of integrative medicine (a combination of East and West) and by staying physically active. In Back Sense: A Revolutionary Approach to Halting the Cycle of Chronic Back Pain, Siegel and Urdang team up with physician Douglas R. Johnson, a specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation, to dispel misunderstandings by both sufferers and medical practitioners about the cause and treatment of back pain, based on their extensive research and success in treating thousands of patients. Agent, Ira Silverberg, Donadio & Olson. ( Apr. 17) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

"I highly recommend this wonderful book to everyone with back pain. The first of my patients who read it got out of bed and off narcotics for the first time in months. We're both thrilled."
-Christiane Northrup, M.D., author of "Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom" and "The Wisdom of Menopause"

""Back Sense" is a well-researched, well-written, and approachable book. I can testify to its efficacy, both as a patient and a practitioner: this approach works."
-David K. Urion, M.D., Associate Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School