This Month's Featured Book
Treat Your Back Without Surgery
Stephen Hochschuler MD and Bob Reznik MBA
Published by Hunter House
ISBN 0897933729/9780897933728
Review by Grant Henderson, McTimoney Chiropractor, from the Summer 2008 edition of Talkback, the journal of BackCare, the charity for healthier backs:
“This is a fascinating book on many levels; both for people with back pain and professionals specialising in back care. A thorough examination of the many causes of back pain; how it affects the body, how people can help themselves and surgical and non-surgical ways of 'curing', it is also a fascinating insight into the American medical health system. The authors describe the anatomy of the spine and its mechanics showing how damage to muscles, bones, discs or nerves causes different types of back pain. They discuss the many causes of that damage and how it can be avoided and look at how different non-surgical treatments can help, covering every part of the spectrum. From the conservative medical approach of rehabilitation and physiotherapy through mainstream techniques like chiropractic, corsets and cortisone to magnets, healing - and 'mind control'. There are also excellent sections on posture, ergonomics and many pages of back strengthening exercises. On the whole I feel that the authors have written an extremely useful and well-balanced book both for professionals and those with back pain. As a chiropractor, I was pleased about their even-handed descriptions of all the non-surgical options (not always the case in such books). And remember, 80% of back and neck pain will disappear without surgery, Europeans have 50% less back surgery than Americans and you are 60% more likely to have back surgery in Texas than in California!”
