Maggie's Back Book: Healing the Hurt in Your Lower Back

I have been to lots of back doctors and have gathered different opinions and beliefs and I must say that this book is the missing link to what the back really needs. In my view most back sufferers(including myself)have pain due to the lower back being compressed over time without ever having a way to decompress. No wonder I have had back pain since I was 16 due to lifting to much weight(military press). I am 48 at the time of this writing. But pain no more! Yahhhoooo!!! Now I can play endurance golf :)

In 1970 (yes, I'm somewhat of an old fart) I suffered from an acute case of lower back pain. Luckily, Maggie's Back Book was then widely available. It didn't hurt that at that time Maggie also had her PBS show "Maggie and the Beautiful Machine", and thus was well known (certainly, here in Cambridge). I read it while in bed, on my back, and in pain. I decided to resist the doctor's recommendation for a spinal fusion operation. The injury healed over time, with the help of Maggie's good advice.Nowadays, I have learned to feel and control my lower back's posture (as well as the rest of my spine). I've added basic Pilates to Maggie's recommended exercises. I'm extremely healthy, with strong and supple posture. I count my blessings when I shudderingly consider where I'd be today had I given in the the orthopedic surgeon's recommendation.

If you are having back problems, read this book. I read an earlier edition a long time ago and have followed the recommended exercises ever since. The result: very few episodes of serious back pain in 16 years. Maggie was one of the first people to publicize the importance of exercise for dealing with and preventing back pain.

This is an amazingly comprehensive series of vignettes on living with and overcoming the spoiler that a bad back becomes.Some of its beauty is in its simplicity which the drawings make very clear.Every move one makes that causes back pain can be altered to reduce or remove the pain.It covers standing, walking, sitting, sleeping, sex and even constipation.Now how thorough is that!

For most back pain suffering which you feel is the result of 'pulling' a muscle, this book can offer a wealth of rewarding advice. The same applies if you feel your discomfort has been brought about by either stress or muscle spasm. Your back pain may be nerve related or the result of, for example, a car accident in which case professional advice is called for. For the rest of us...usually those like me who are carrying more weight than recommended...this book will do you much good to help you over those times when doing anything with your back brings tears to your eyes. For example, when my back is killing me, the thought of leaning over to brush my teeth is gruesome. You think if you lean over you will just keep falling forward. Maggie's Back book offers priceless advice about a wide variety of issues. I have used it since its original publication (1976) and have just ordered three more replacements to use as loaners to friends in need. They are rarely returned but that's okay since I know they have been put to good use. Definitely five stars. John H.