No More Aching Back: Dr. Root's Fifteen-Minute-A-Day Program for a Healthy Back

I bought this when my husband was diagnosed with a herniated disk. Dr. Root offers concise explanations of the anatomy of the back and spine, the different types of back injury, and the range of available treatments. Also, the exercises are easy to follow, and now I do them (they are meant for people who don't have a serious injury, but who just have stiffness and minor pain)---and he makes a point of emphasizing care in self-treating and using "alternative" treatments without being dismissive. His views reflect the most up-to-date thinking on back pain--that surgery is rarely needed and exercise can fix most disk problems (like it did with my husband), and he helps you navigate the options (along with your orhtopedist).

I had a bulging disk problem many years ago but had recovered. Recently I had my first serious flair up, and for two weeks none of my standard exercises worked. I got Dr. Root's book, and his exercises immediately started helping. One particular cross-legged exercise helped realign my back so that the other exercises could be more productive. Without this book, I would have had to go back to the doctor and get his help because I was getting desperate. Now I'm on my way to recovery, and I'll be sure to keep doing Dr. Root's exercises so they'll keep my back in shape.

Almost 30 years ago, my back was on a downward spiral. I progressed from annual episodes of "throwing my back out" to almost daily pain that varied from mildly annoying to activity stopping. I consulted doctors and chiropractors. As I was not bad enough for surgery, the doctors had little to offer. One chiropractor gave me an excellent treatment that seemed to cure me for a couple of years. He retired, and I was not helped by other chiropractors.Then I found Dr. Root's book. The latest version is "No More Aching Back", Signet(November 1991), ISBN 0-451-17091-1. I started doing his easy exercises, and my back pain went away gradually over the course of a few months. I've continued doing some of his exercises pretty consistently for almost 20 years, and I have not had a significant episode of back pain in that time.Recently, I went to an orthopedic surgeon for a knee injury. Most of the other patients in his waiting room were being treated for back pain. Some needed weekly physical therapy and drugs to help them through the day. If I did not find Dr. Root's book, I think I would have suffered like them.I've recommended the book to more people than Dr. Root's mother. My back feels great. Good luck.

This book is an excellent source for practical information concerning the health and care of your back, plus it really is a fifteen minute workout of exercises that really work. I have been doing the exercises and no more back stress.

I suffer from 2 herniated disks one at S1L5 (extremely blown) and one at L4 (moderate), I also suffer from spinal stenosis. I have been following Dr. Root's exercise program now for a month,and have had tremendous results with the pain from the disks and the siatica down my leg. I never thought I could be pain free or off of pain medication! This is a wonderful book and program for anyone who suffers with herniated disks!