Ending Back Pain: 5 Powerful Steps
Virtually every American will suffer from back pain at some point. Back pain is the second most common neurological ailment in the United States—only headaches are more common. And, after colds and influenza, it’s the second most common reason Americans see their doctors.
Dr. Stern brings relief to these millions of sufferers (including himself) who literally ache for help. Based on scientific data, Dr. Stern developed a five-step solution with a multidisciplinary, holistic perspective that’s been missing from conventional back pain wisdom. And it may not require surgery or another form of another invasive therapy.
In the book, he explains the six major anatomical sites that often generate pain, while also identifying other potential sources that people (and doctors) can easily overlook, such as commonly used drugs, undiagnosed illnesses or disease, and even depression.
With diagnostic self-tests, checklists to take to your next doctor’s appointment, advice on treatment options, preventative strategies and much more, Ending Back Pain will help you pinpoint the specific causes of your own back pain issues so you can get on the road to healing.
According to Dr. Stern, "Ending back pain begins with you. Diagnosing back pain is a tricky combination of art and science. Indeed, lots of high-tech tools are available to us in medicine, but that doesn’t mean that diagnosing, let alone curing, back pain is a black-and-white endeavor. Unfortunately, it’s very much to the contrary—complex, imprecise, and immensely vexing. So, the more you can contribute to the story of your back pain, the more you can shift your experience to one that’s less reliant on art and more based on science."
My Review
I found this book to be very enlightening. Dr. Stern does not just offer one method over another for how to heal your back. In fact, there is no promotion of surgery. Which I am happy about and don't believe that surgery is the answer to everything. If you listen to your body, it can tell you exactly what is wrong.
That is what Dr. Stern explores in this book. This book is broken out into five different steps to helping readers understand their bodies; particularly their back. While, I did like this book, I did find it at times a bit overwhelming with tons of information. This is not the type of book you just sit and read in one setting or two. It is one that you use as a guidebook.
Step 1: Unlock your back's unique pain code
Step 2: Prepare to work with health care professionals
Step 3: Ensure proper diagnosis
Step 4: Embrace various pathways to healing: A physical and emotional journey
Step 5: Live a life that supports a strong, healthy back
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Jack Stern, M.D., Ph.D., is the author of Ending Back Pain: 5 Powerful Steps to Diagnose, Understand, and Treat Your Ailing Back. He is a board-certified neurosurgeon specializing in spinal surgery, and cofounder of Spine Options, one of America’s first facilities committed to nonsurgical care of back and neck pain. Dr. Stern is on the clinical faculty at Weill Cornell Medical College and has published numerous peer- and non peer– reviewed medical articles. He lives and practices in White Plains, New York.
Comments