Phenomenal work. Great for those who work with patients with back issues. I would highly recommend it!

Though longer and harder to read than most exercise books written for the general reader, Stuart McGill's, Low Back Disorders, has such ground breaking information it is well worth buying.

McGill sets out cutting edge research to show, among other things:
1. Why endurance is more protective than strength;
2. Why stability is vastly more important than flexibility;

3. Why usually "preserving the normal low back curve" during exercise causes less stress on the spine than doing a pelvic tilt or flattening the back against the exercise mat;

4. Why back exercises should not be done during the first hour or 2 after arising; and,

5. Why adding repetitions to an exercise is safer and more productive than prolonging the hold during each repetition. Holds should be no longer than 7-8 seconds.

Following these and other specific recommendations makes doing McGill's exercises and those in other books safer and more effective.

McGill says no one exercise plan can fit the needs of every patient so he leaves it up to the therapist to determine the number of sets and repetitions needed to generate endurance. This is fine for therapists but gives inadequate guidance for the non-therapist reader and fails to take into account the needs of all those whose back problems are not so unique as to require a therapist.

By paying attention to the table of contents and the section headings, the reader can probably avoid getting bogged down in the details of the research findings. Or one can simply read the injury prevention primer (pp. 154-156), chapter 10 for the background to the exercises, and chapter 12 for the exercises.

McGill devises several new exercises that build the muscles of the back and torso while placing less stress on the spine. He also revises the way some of the old standard exercises are done.
However, he does not provide enough alternate exercises when his exercises prove too difficult or painful to do.

Because no one book can meet everyone's needs, I also encourage buying:
1. The Back Pain Book by Mike Hage; and,
2. The Multifidus Back Pain Solution by Jim Johnson.

Both books are very easy to read. Hage's book is a comprehensive, well illustrated treasure.

Johnson's book highlights the need for and shows 4 ways to do one key exercise, an exercise that both McGill and Hage (I have the 1992 edition of Hage's book) include but show only one way to do, a way that is painful for me.

In summary, all 3 books provide uniquely valuable information and each one of them has helped me.

Though longer and harder to read than most exercise books written for the general reader, Stuart McGill's, Low Back Disorders, has such ground breaking information it is well worth buying.

McGill sets out cutting edge research to show, among other things:
1. Why endurance is more protective than strength;
2. Why stability is vastly more important than flexibility;

3. Why usually "preserving the normal low back curve" during exercise causes less stress on the spine than doing a pelvic tilt or flattening the back against the exercise mat;

4. Why back exercises should not be done during the first hour or 2 after arising; and,

5. Why adding repetitions to an exercise is safer and more productive than prolonging the hold during each repetition. Holds should be no longer than 7-8 seconds.

Following these and other specific recommendations makes doing exercises found in other exercise books safer and more effective.

McGill says no one exercise plan can fit the needs of every patient so he leaves it up to the therapist to determine the number of sets and repetitions needed to generate endurance. This is fine for therapists but gives inadequate guidance for the non-therapist reader and fails to take into account the needs of all those whose back problems are not so unique as to require a therapist.

By paying attention to the informative table of contents and the section headings, the reader can avoid getting bogged down in the details of the research findings. Or one can simply read the background to the exercises on pages 177-188 and then skip over to the exercises in chapter 12.

McGill devises several new exercises that build the muscles of the back and torso while placing less stress on the spine. He also revises the way some of the old standard exercises are done.
However, he does not provide enough alternate exercises when his exercises prove too difficult or painful to do.

Because no one book can meet everyone's needs, I also encourage buying:
1. The Back Pain Book by Mike Hage; and,
2. The Multifidus Back Pain Solution by Jim Johnson.

Both books are very easy to read. Hage's book is a comprehensive, well illustrated treasure.

Johnson's book highlights the need for and shows 4 ways to do one key exercise, an exercise that both McGill and Hage (I have the 1992 edition of Hage's book) include but show only one way to do, a way that is painful for me.

In summary, all 3 books provide uniquely valuable information and each one of them has helped me.

Though longer and harder to read than most exercise books written for the general reader, Stuart McGill's, Low Back Disorders, has such ground breaking information it is well worth buying.

McGill sets out cutting edge research to show, among other things:
1. Why endurance is more protective than strength;
2. Why stability is vastly more important than flexibility;

3. Why usually "preserving the normal low back curve" during exercise causes less stress on the spine than doing a pelvic tilt or flattening the back against the exercise mat;

4. Why back exercises should not be done during the first hour or 2 after arising; and,

5. Why adding repetitions to an exercise is safer and more productive than prolonging the hold during each repetition. Holds should be no longer than 7-8 seconds.

Because, as McGill says, no one exercise plan can fit the needs of every patient, he leaves it up to the therapist to determine the number of sets and repetitions needed to generate endurance. This is fine for therapists but gives inadequate guidance for the non-therapist reader and fails to take into account the needs of all those whose back problems are not so unique as to require a therapist.

By paying attention to the informative table of contents and the section headings, the reader can avoid getting bogged down in the details of the research findings. Or one can simply read the background to the exercises on pages 177-188 and then skip over to the exercises in chapter 12.

McGill devises several new exercises that build the muscles of the back and torso while placing less stress on the spine. He also revises the way some of the old standard exercises are done.
However, he does not provide enough alternate exercises when his exercises prove too difficult or painful to do.

Because no one book can meet everyone's needs, I also encourage buying:
1. The Back Pain Book by Mike Hage; and,
2. The Multifidus Back Pain Solution by Jim Johnson.

Both books are very easy to read. Hage's book is a comprehensive, well illustrated treasure.

Johnson's book highlights the need for and shows 4 ways to do one key exercise, an exercise that both McGill and Hage (I have the 1992 edition of Hage's book) include but show only one way to do, a way that is painful for me.

In summary, all 3 books provide uniquely valuable information and each one of them has helped me.

This book is a great reference text for anyone who treats low back injuries and works to create lumbar core stabilization. Following the work of Janda and others, McGill has taken core stabilization to the next level. His research based approach is 100% applicable and easy to follow. He presents the science of how the body works and this is great. McGill, also being a Ph.D., does not have a medical, chiropractic, or other bias...he presents things as he finds them through studies. This is a great book and well worth every penny...

For those in the fitness field, I recommend the Ultimate Back Fitness book...very applicable and easier to follow...

Some other reviewers have (directly or indirectly) made it clear that this book is primarily for researchers, doctors, and other health-care professionals, but I would like to re-state this as clearly and emphatically as possible, as some buyers may be seriously misled by claims (not made by the author!) that it is "a book that can be read by almost everyone" or one that "every patient suffering from low back pain should read". Only Part 3 (about specific exercises to do and not do) fits that description. Parts 1 and 2 are highly technical and addressed almost entirely to physicians and academic researchers. For someone without a good working knowledge of anatomy (that's me, in case you think I'm being condescending to the ignorant masses), these parts of the book are impossible to follow. My advice to the sufferer from low-back pain (again, that's me) would be to get the book from a library and concentrate entirely on part 3.

Clinicians who wish to competently evaluate, manage, and rehabilitate low back disorders will find this book indispensable due to its unique content. While other texts cover topics related to examination, differential diagnosis, or specific therapeutics, this text focuses on a thorough, component-by-component research-based review of each part of the human lumbopelvic region for the purpose of providing a comprehensive understanding of how the low back truly functions, how to credibly evaluate its function, and how to properly restore as much normal function as possible. Sufficiently detailed for scholars, yet understandable by virtually anyone, Dr. McGill uses a practical, evidence-based dialogue with the reader to address issues which I have rarely seen adequately addressed by anyone. Just what is the true function of the iliopsoas muscle in relation to the low back? And is there really such a thing as an iliopsoas muscle? And how would one properly rehabilitate a weakened rectus abdomonis muscle, without potentially aggravating a low back disorder? And why is this necessary? And is it possible that many of the exercises currently prescribed for chronic low back pain are actually detrimental to the spine, and why? These are but a few of the many important and practical topics that are covered within this book. Frankly, I don't believe anyone can competently care for low back conditions of any kind without this valuable information. I consider this book a valued and essential part of my professional library.

Clinicians who specialize in spinal injuries, pathology, and pain syndromes will find this book provides exceptional and necessary information on low back function and integrity not covered or inaccurately conveyed in other such texts. While some books may properly cover in-depth anatomy, examination, pathology, differential diagnosis, or specific therapeutics, Dr. McGill emphasizes normal vs abnormal low back function, discussing in detail each separate component of the low back--bony elements, joints, discs, ligaments, fascia, and muscles--and their integration. His contribution to our understanding of low back disorders and their rational rehabilitation is unrivaled.

This book not only tells you what to do to heal your back, it tells you why with exceptionally thorough evidence using test results, photos, measurements, and statistics. It's pretty intense for the lay reader. Hopefully Dr. McGill will come out with a book for the lay reader and dispel a lot of myths about back health and unhealthy ab exercises that are advertised every day on TV.

This book is fantastic. I wish I could thank Dr. McGill personally for this well-researched, well-founded book on rehabilitating the lower back. This book should be required reading for low back pain patients and their care givers. After reading the book, I was able to relieve a tremendous amount of back pain through very careful application of the ideas. It also helped me understand why my symptoms seemed to be aggravated by physical therapy. If you suffer from lower back pain, this is a great way to take better control of your therapy. The "evidence-based" nature of the book makes it invaluable.

This book is fantastic. I wish I could thank Dr. McGill personally for this well-researched, well-founded book on rehabilitating the lower back. This book should be required reading for low back pain patients and their care givers. After reading the book, I was able to relieve a tremendous amount of back pain through very careful application of the ideas. It also helped me understand why my symptoms seemed to be aggravated by physical therapy. If you suffer from lower back pain, this is a great way to take better control of your therapy. The "evidence-based" nature of the book makes it invaluable.

Everyone who deals with backs, either in sports (athletes, coaches, trainers), physicians, therapists, and back pain patients themselves, should read this book. I am a physician who specializes in back disorders and back pain. I have followed Dr. McGill's reseach for many years and it has revolutionized my practice like nothing else. One of my top priorities with back pain patients is to review what exercises they have been given in the past. I invariably stop them from doing several excercises that Dr. McGill's research has proven to be quite harmful for the back. I Substitute the 'big three' excercises that are described in this book, and many of the patients need no further intervention. There is a great deal of misinformation regarding back excercise, and many of the excercise routines used in sports, schools, military, and fitness centers are harmful. That is why this book is so important; not because it gives another fitness guru's opinion, but because it gives good, scientifically based facts on one of the tougher clinical issues from a world renown expert. Thank you Dr. McGill - keep the research coming!
Also check out Dr. McGill's other book "Ultimate back fitness and performance" for a less technically dense description of many of the same issues.

I refer to this book many times over over the years and has helped clear up that tricky patient that is not getting better as fast as they and you the doctor would like. Great source of information for any doctor regardless of how many years in practice. Also highly recommend a book I found to be execellent source for rehabing my patients is called The Backsmart Fitness Plan by Dr.Adam Weiss. A DC who has written a very good and detail source of exercises that patients suffering from back or neck pain can do and make progress. These books add many useful tips to my practice.

This book is full of information that every doctor who sees patients should have in their office. A must have , detail of structure issues and resvoling layout and protocol.Highly recommended. Also recommend The Backsmart Fitness Plan By Dr. Adam Weiss, a book written for pateint care in laymen's term for a complete full body workout.

I have had chronic lower back pain for over 25 years. I have been to back specialists, the Back Institute, Acupunturists, Massage Therapists, and many Chiropractors. In addition, I read many books on my problem. I have a classic case of acute lower back pain - degenerative discs and some arthritis. I followed the Back Institute's regimen of exercises for 20 years and my family doctors for 5 years. I now realize I was given the wrong exercises and aggrivated the situation.

Two acquiantences recommended Dr. Mcgill's exersises in his book "Lower Back Disorders". I started doing the "Curl Ups", the "Side Bridge" and the "Birddog" exercises. For over one and a half years I have been virtually pain free. I can't believe it. In the past, every year the pain would become so severe I would miss work and be flat on my back.

This past year I have been doing extensive renovations around my home and cottage. I have been lifting 70lb. bundles of shingles up ladders, digging trenches, and moving yards of top soil. My back seems very flexible. Generally I feel great. Some days after the extreme physical activity I feel discomfort. This is caused by sore muscles and arthritis in my pelvic region. I have not had any immobility like in the past.

Finding Dr Mcgill's book was a miracle for me. I feel like I was "cured". I have highly recommended it to many of my friends.

I have been using this text in my office for over a year, and rarely a day goes by that I don't reference information from Dr. McGill's wonderful book. It is a scientifically detailed and rich text which translates it's tremendous quantification of the tolerances, characteristics and capacities of the human spine into practicle clinical application that is well understood by the clinician and patient alike. All physical medicine specialists should be required to read this book.

An appreciative reference to psychosocial issues is made, yet, the currently vogue practice of looking purely to psychosocial considerations and de-emphasising the biological/biomechanical components of back injury is challenged. The current approach is a Biopsychosocial one, and Proff. McGill fills this book with concrete reasons not to ignore the physical characteristics of the spine. He makes the point, that is dramatically clear in day to day clinical practice, that with effective care based on sound principles many of the psychosocial issues become much more manageable.

In this text common beliefs and practices are rigorously scrutinized experimentally so as to better understand the clinical rationalle. When strategies for injury prevention are found to be unsound, alternatives commiserate with biomechanical and practicle safety considerations are offered with sound data based reasoning given.

One of the most unique and valuable features of this text is that throughout the Scientific Foundations chapters, which describes the laboratory based biomechanical data in grand detail, are relatively short "Clinical Relavence" sections. These prominent and easy to read sections take the data just described and provide remarkably practicle applications of this knowledge. This feature has been tremendously helpful in my practice as it has allowed me to make strong recommendations to my patients with the ability to educate them as to why. Their understanding has increased compliance and empowered them by adding to their ability to help themselves.

Thank you Dr.McGill for such an in depth scientific analysis of a complex problem that is so remarkably practicle as a resource.

I have been using this text in my office for over a year, and rarely a day goes by that I don't reference information from Dr. McGill's wonderful book. It is a scientifically detailed and rich text which translates it's trenendous quantification of the tolerances, characteristics and capacities of the human spine into practicle clinical application that is well understood by the clinician and patient alike. All physical medicine specialists should be required to read this book.

An appreciative reference to psychosocial issues is made, yet, the currently vogue practice of looking purely to psychosocial considerations and de-emphasising the biological/biomechanical components of back injury is challenged. The current approach is a Biopsychosocial one, and Proff. McGill fills this book with concrete reasons not to ignore the physical characteristics of the spine. He makes the point, that is dramatically clear in day to day clinical practice, that with effective care based on sound principles many of the pschosocial issues become much more manageable.

In this text common beliefs and practices are rigorously scrutinized experimentally so as to better understand the clinical rationalle. When strategies for injury prevention are found to be unsound, alternatives commiserate with biomechanical and practicle sefety considerations are offered with sound data based reasoning given.

One of the most unique and valuable features of this text is that throughout the Scientific Foundations chapters, which describ the laboratory based biomechanical data in grand detail, are relatively short "Clinical Relavence" sections. These prominent and easy to read sections take the data just described and provide remarkably practicle applications of this knowledge. This feature has been tremendously helpful in my practice as it has allowed me to make strong recommendations to my patients with the ability to educate them as to why. Their understanding has increased compliance and empowered them by adding to their ability to help themselves.

Thank you Dr.McGill for such an in depth scientific analysis of a complex problem that is so remarkably practicle as a resource.

McGill's book is a remarkable source of infromation based on solid research and a clear source of prudent advice for preventing back injury and for managing chronic low back problems. Having suffered from an old low back injury for many years I find it the first book that presents data on why and how to manage back problems. Clearly written and extensively documented it should benefit both those who help manage back problems as well as sufferers themselves. As a physician, I highly recommend it to other physicians, phyical therapists and those who want information and cogent advice about one of the bugaboos of life.

I've had 42 years of intense back problems and had fusion of the last three lumbar vertebrae and S-1. Prior to reading the book and applying the recommended exercises, I was bedridden up to 20 hours a day for weeks. After trying the FIRST SET of the "Big Three" exercises, I noticed a slight improvement in the back! Within a week, I was hiking in the mountains and two weeks later skiing! Following the book's suggestions has given me a pain-free life of mobility.

If you are an exercise traditionalist, prepare for a shock. This book turns the world of back exercises upside down! Almost everything I had learned-and I was a coach-was incorrect and would lead to tissue injury according to research. I should have been born in Missouri, because my mantra is "Prove it to me!" My natural skepticism melted away as Prof. McGill presented scientific evidence to bolster his statements. He lists numerous pages of investigative results to give credence to the findings. Illustrations and commentary explain clearly the proper way to exercise to protect the back as you build endurance in the torso. It is written to address the minutia desired by professionals, but lucid enough in explanations to satisfy the "anatomy-challenged."

If you are frustrated with low back pain and its deleterious effect on your personality and living, this book delivers!

This is a superb book that is useful for both clinicians and patients alike. Using methods based on electromyographic measurements published by McGill and his colleagues in many scientific journals, he ascertains which muscles are activated in a variety of exercises. This becomes important for patients who have low back problems and must avoid heavy spine loads both in the fitness center and at work. He lists a variety of commonly prescribed exercises that should be avoided by persons with low back problems: sit ups, pelvic tilts, leg raises, low back extension exercises on machines and hip flexion exercises using the Roman chair. He then recommends a series of exercises that are designed to strengthen back muscles and stabilize the spine while at the same time minimizing spinal compression that could exacerbate back problems: the curl-up, side bridges and "bird dog" leg extensions.

This book should be recommended reading for all physical therapists and strength trainers with clients having low back problems and is a must for those suffering from low back pains.

This wonderful text focuses on the all important role of activity, exercise, and fitness in the prevention and treatment of low back disorders. In particular, the clinical publications emerging from Australia and Denmark are reviewed and balanced by scientific investigation of spinal loads with different activities. Professor McGill's book is highly practical and thoroughly evidence-based.

This new book fills a void as a perfect cornerstone to the biopsychosocial model of patient reactivation recommended by international guidelines throughout the world (AHCPR, CSAG, DIHTA). Most significantly, the patient reactivation model being advocated by evidence-based experts today is made more clinically relevant as a result of this thoughtful and practical presentation of the "tools of the trade" for presecribing physiologically sound reactivation approaches. This is the ideal complement to simple reassuring reactivation advice being recommended for acute, uncomplicated low back pain patients and more involved cognitive-behavioral strategies being recommended for complex, chronic patients. It is most relevant for those subacute patients who are at risk of becoming chronically disabled.

McGill highlights the recent scientific evidence which has unmasked the failure of diagnostic imaging to find the "cause" of back pain. He instead points clinicians towards the often ignored literature about the methods available for establishing the patient's functional diagnosis. This section is of great clinical value since most health care providers perform a limited functional assessment of low back pain patients.

Popular concepts such as stability are defined, quantified, and made practical. The author explains how he determines spinal load profiles of routine activities of daily living and common exercises. In turn, many common beliefs about exercise are revealed as based on myth rather than evidence.

For example he exposes the myths of lifting with a straight back, the pelvic tilt, performing sit-ups with bent knees, and the prone superman exercise. Other popular approaches such as the use of back belts or abdominal hollowing are discussed from a functional perspective.

This book is most valuable to practicing clinicians for his elegant presentation of safe back exercises for subacute back pain patients. These simple exercises are shown along with the evidence demonstrating their safety and value. For instance, the cat-camel, quadruped leg reach, side bridge, and trunk curl are shown as biomechanically safe exercises which can be prescribed as a beginner program for most low back pain patients. Hopefully, randomized, controlled clinical trials will soon follow to further validate such exercises in patient populations.

Many sufferers of low back pain are engaged in ardous sport or occupational activities. The book concludes with a section on more advanced exercises that have preventive and conditioning value, although would be inappropriate for the subacute treatment phase. This is once again invaluable information for practicing clinicians which can help steer patients away from chronic pain, disability, treatment dependency, overmedication, deconditioning, fear-avoidance behavior, and unncessary surgery. Pr. McGill is to be applauded for this utterly brilliant and practical patient information presented in such a humble, small package.

This impressive text sets out with the ambitious task of condensing over two decades of the author's research on the understanding of low back biomechanics. However, this text is not an abstract academic work. Much of Professor McGill's work involves developing conservative rehabilitation programs for individuals with chronic, treatment-resistant, low back pain, with particular focus on ergonomics, posture, and selective exercises.

This well-illustrated text is organized into brief, reader-friendly, chapters that explain the issues surrounding low back disorders, and specific issues of clinical relevance are indicated. Noteworthy is the emphasis placed on developing individual, as opposed to formulaic, strategies for patients. The chapter on epidemiological studies provides findings that argue for the role of both physical and psychosocial factors in the etiology and perpetuation of low back disorders. However, given the author's area of expertise, the text is primarily focused on the understanding of lumbar biomechanics and the impact of different activities and exercises on the low back.

The author examines, and dispels, a number of myths surrounding low back disorders and their care. Some revelations are: lumbar vertebras serve as shock absorbers of the spine as opposed to the discs, the use of exercises that engage hip flexors (i.e. bent knee sit-ups) are likely to aggravate low back disorders, and exercise programs that emphasize spinal mobility or early morning exercise can actually exacerbate low back problems. These and many other discussions within this text are invaluable in understanding why many traditional active approaches to rehabilitation of low back disorders are unlikely to produce results, and may even compound the original injury.

The chapters on evaluation of patients and development of appropriate, patient-specific, exercise programs are invaluable to clinicians. Once the preceding chapters to evaluation and treatment have been understood, the reader is easily able to use the information in these chapters to approach low back disorders with a thorough understanding of the relevant biomechanical issues. More importantly, this understanding allows for explanation to patients why some activities aggravate their low back pain while others do not, and why previous exercise programs failed to produce results. Patients are encouraged to become active participants in their recovery process and to become `experts' in their own particular low back disorder. This seminal text provides a comprehensive and practical overview of current information on management of low back disorders, from a biomechanical perspective, that is simply unavailable elsewhere. Low Back Disorders: Evidence-Based Prevention and Rehabilitation is an invaluable addition to any clinician's library.