I thought this book was great. I didn't have chronic back pain, but my quality of life was definitely affected. I am doing less than half of the exercises recommended in the book and am almost pain free. Highly recommended. Lou

This is the third one of these books I have gotten, or maybe the forth. I give them to back pain sufferers since I know personally how helpful it was to me. Well written and easy to follow. Not for every back problem but for the most common back pain it is right on. I have had far less back pain in the last 15 years than in any of the previous 40 years and am in my 70s now. Arthur (itis) is taking over now but, unfortunately, the book won't stop that.

The book does clearly state that for some people..the extension position might be harmful. That was the case for me. While I ended up on crutches (for the first time due to severe increased pain) I do not blame the book. Just be extremely careful. When I began...I actually felt some relief WHILE in extension at the start, but it would hurt worse as time spent in the position increased. And I hurt worse when I got up. So...it only took about 3 times of that before I became non-amb. w/o crutches. Then it took perhaps 6 mo. with the help of a good chiro. (traction, ultrasound and manipulation at 1x week) before I was out of pain. It's been 2 years since that incident and I've not had any diffficulty since. I totally avoid any extension positions beyond that which occur naturally in walking (even freestyle swimming puts noticible pressure on my LB due to the extension of bouyancy. Back stroke and floating are OK).

Best wishes and prayers to anyone combatting back pain. I'm a fairly strong and positive person. But after being in chronic pain for several months with difficulty and pain in EVERYTHING I did, including breathing, I fully understand the severe depression and mounting hopelessness chronic pain brings. When I began to have thoughts that living like that would be impossible, in spite of having young daughters, a great husband and great job...I became very scared.

Keep searching for an answer. I went through 3 chiropractors and much time before I found the right one. Keep your faith, keep your resolve, keep on praying and keep on trying.

Shelley M.

This is the 4th copy of this book I have purchased or had given to me. I keep lending out copies to people who have back problems. Using the advice in this book I was able to overcome low back pain so well that I became overconfident in lifting heavy things (rock benches for the garden, heavy boxes, furniture) and ended up with a bilateral hernia at the age of 69. Having had that repaired I am back again to picking up whatever I want. The advice includes how you can tell whether your particular type of back pain is amenable to the given treatment, exercises to use at various stages in the recovery, and getting your other joints back into shape once the back pain has been conquered. On the three occasions in the last 25 years when I have been careless and sat with the wrong posture for an extended period (1-2 hours) and had a pain recurrence, I have been able to go back to the book and recover from it again. In my opinion, many back surgeries could be avoided entirely by following its advice.

I bought this book to help with back pain I have had for several years. I performed the exercises as prescribed for about 10 days and started to feel better. Then my feet started tingling and burning which had never happened before. I stopped the exercises and went to a chiropractor that x-rayed and showed many problems I have going on. I think these exercises will work but only if you have certain problems. Only a doctor can identify these. In the end, it has been building core strength and correcting my posture that have helped. It is 4 months later and I still have tingling and burning in my feet.

I was previously familiar with the McKenzie exercises from going to physical therapy. However, this is the first time I really went to the source to read up on the techniques. If you do the exercises faithfully (initially every two hours) you will achieve results and be able to manage your low back issues. Highly recommended if you wish to self-manage any back issues. His neck book is quite good as well.

After reading the book an following the exercises have found relief from pain in my back and leg.

Treating Your Own Back looks at"back pain" from a different prospective. Very interesting book.

I've had severe back pain my entire life. I've had several MRIs CAT scans, I have several herniated discs in my lumbar region. I was given the book a few years ago as a gift but I never really followed the exercises like the book explained and stopped all together about 2 years ago. That was probably the dumbest thing I've ever done. For the last 2 years I've been in horrible pain, doing physical therapy, getting cortisone, taking advil almost daily or hydrocodone and muscle relaxers when my back went out completely. Well I just found the book again a few days ago and resolved to follow it to the letter. Within 2 days I went from a 6-8 level of daily pain to 0-1. I'm so disappointed I didn't stick with this years ago. I'm about a week into the stretches and posture techniques and it's totally changed my life. I hope this helps someone who is looking for back relief. Considering I've spent thousands of dollars of treatments, work missed and dealt with constant pain for over 20 years, I think no matter what it's worth trying for the $8-9. Good luck with your back pain, I hope it helps you to!

Great book! My husband has had back pain for over 20 years and he is religiously doing the exercises in the book and has gone from acute pain down to some soreness and the occasion pain when turning and bending wrong.

I like that it is simple, straightforward and gives you the basics of what to do and why, what to do if the exercises hurts you and how to modify them to adjust. I have S-I joint problems along with Lumbar so many back exerices ie twisting are problematic. Mckenzie exercises are just push up without twisting like doing the cobra in yoga. I have incorporated these exercises into my daily regime and I feel they have helped me

I spent hundreds over the last year at a Naprapath (who was really good) after being diagnosed with a bulging disk. But, even he didn't fix me like the 3-step "Emergency" exercise in this book! That's the only exercise I do daily in this book .... and I've been PAIN-FREE since I did that exercise the FIRST time! It's been 1-1/2 months! And all it cost me was 12 bucks. Who knew?! This doc rocques!!! :)

I am an architect and always wrongfully thought that a spine disk fails as a result of compressive force at the location where it is "squeezed" the most. I could not understand why all problems seemed arised from frontal bending while by logic I could only injure my back by bending backward. It seemed that all the exercises I've done so far were moving me in the opposite direction. Well, now I read this book and I found out why I was wrong.

So far I found myself to be a perfect target audience of this book: I tried everything so far: chiropractors, accupuncture, massage, oral anti-inflammatory drugs, epidural injections, etc. Only injections helped, chiropractor and massage bring a very short-term relieve. Now I am experimenting with an inversion table.

One thing that I think should be added to this book is about a seat. I noticed that horse riding helps me alleviate my back pain (back in the old days when I had time for extravagances like that). I remeber having a terrible pain while on the road for many days, and a horse owner allowed me to jump on back of one of his horses; ten minutes of slow ride worked as a best therapy ever, while he watched me horrified that I will fall down, injure myself and sue him.
The point is that a chair seat should resemble a horse saddle, so that a person can sit on it, maintaining a large (e.g. 270 degrees) angle between thighs and a trunk. I bought a ballchair, threw away its instruction (which inappropriately asks me to sit at 90 degree angle) and sit on it with my knees almost touching the floor. The chair is too wide for that, so I cannot maintain the position for long, but it helps anyway.

Well, like other readers said: I wish that doctors, chiropractors, and other "professionals" provided me with the simple knowledge contained in this book. They did not.

Helpful book but it does not take the place of a good therapist. A person can hurt themselves without the guidance of a knowledgeable therapist, been there, done that.

This book makes a good reference for lower back problems.
My physical therapist used exercises from this book.

This books does exactly what is says it does, help you treat a sore back quickly and effectively, its laso clear on serious conditions it will not address and how to tell which you have. Between lots of road bike riding(30-100) miles at a time, gardening, moving and the other vagaries of life at 51 my back always has had something to say. The basic approach involves attention to posture, stretching and conditioning and when each is appropriate. This book has enabled me to send my back to the minor occasional issue category and not the major show stopper it was becoming. I would highly recommend it.

This book was easy to read and understand. I use some of the exercises daily and they are very helpful. I have had lower back pain (from my sciatic nerve) that has at times extended down my right leg. I would read the entire book and the cautions before doing the exercises. It doesn't take long. I have given a copy of this book to my son-in-law and he finds it useful.

Had micro-discectomy surgery in 1/2006 for herniated disc (L5/S1). Had tried McKenzie stretching pre-surgery, but it didn't help. Surgery eliminated sciatica (thank g-d!) but had recurring numbness in the leg, especially after golf, stretching, jogging or yoga. So I limited these activities significantly.

Bought the book around 2/1/2008, did the prescribed stretching at least once a day (at 10:30 AM then post exercise) for about six weeks and the numbness is totally gone. I've resumed running 1-2 times per week, and did a complete yoga tape (Rodney Yee's excellent Yoga for Athletes) for the first time last night. No numbness this AM and I'm psyched.

Normal caveats apply. Everyone's back is different, don't do anything that causes pain. If you're post-surgery and experiencing periodic numbness, give this book a try. If you're having sciatica type pains pre-surgery (pains shooting down the leg) or numbness or weakness in your feet, give this a try.

I can't believe this simplicity of this system! I have suffered with extreme back pain for about fifteen years. In Dec of 2007 I was doing some kettlebell exercises at the gym, when I felt a terrible pain. After two emergency room trips and week of crawling around my house, I was referred to a wonderful physical therapist who turned me on to some rehabilatative exercise and made me read this book as part of my treatment. After doing the exercises, I bought my own copy. What can I say? I have been religiously doing the program in this book for two months and I am completely PAIN FREE....for the first time in fifteen years!! If you have chronic back pain, this will be the best $10.00 you have ever spent! Guaranteed.

I have had lower back problems for many years. I have spent tons of time and dollars on physical therapists. This book could have saved me lots of time and thousands of dollars. The book is simple to read. The excersizes are even easier. Most of all, the excercizes work.

I used to work in a Rehab Medicine clinic. This book would have been a very valuable aid for the patients. Most back problems, as the book describes, are self inflicted and self treatable. This book has what you need to know.

Smart review of good back mechanics. Good exercises to keep up with every day.

If you have had lower back problems as long as I have you likely already know 99% of what's in this book. It did however serve as a confirmation that I am and have been doing just about everything possible to endure my situation. It's certainly worth the read if you are a lower back sufferer.

I have used this book with great success for almost 10 years; first treating and then preventing serious herniated disc problems. After an MRI indicated several severely herniated discs, my orthopedic surgeon prescribed injections into the spinal area (didn't help) and exercises that were the exact opposite of the simple ones indicated in this book. The book was sent to me by a relative who is a physical therapist. The simple explanations in the book regarding posture, spine alignment, and very easy simple-to-do exercises kept me from having the surgery my doctor said I would need. The relief of severe pain occurred within a few days, and long term daily practice of both the brief exercises and posture suggestions helped the herniated discs to heal enough to not need surgery for now ten years. With herniated disc(s) the key to exercise is to bend the back "backward," instead of forward as many back exercises prescribe (including those provided by my doctor.)
With that said, I can't attest to the effectiveness of this book when the cause of back pain is from a source other than herniated disc(s). The basic information is good to help prevent back problems in general, and for most people shouldn't in any way harm them.
This book is so easy to read, as it is written for the lay person. It also has clear illustrations and photos.
As an RN, I found the information in this book "made sense" and I strongly recommend it.

Excellent book. Quick read and simple to understand exercises. I have been dealing with a bad back for six months when a co-worker recommended this book. After two days of the exercises my back was better and has not bothered me as long as I continue the exercises. Highly recommend this book if have persistent lower back problems.

This is the most valuable back book I have ever read: 72 pages and right to the point. Though, I would highly recommend getting McKenzie's 7-Steps to a Pain Free Life for your neck and Back, if you are serious about getting better. It is updated and has loads of great information about the spine and posture in addition to all the material from his Back and Neck books.
I have had low back issues and pain for nearly forty years. I have done everything and anything you can think of to relief pain, gain range of motion, and get back to my daily functionality. This book was recommended by my PT after a recent flare-up, where he quickly proved the value of this book by testing my back, having me doing some VERY simple McKenzie exercises, then retesting my back - an IMMEDIATELY improvement with a immeasurable reduction in pain. I was sold immediately. I bought this book first, and followed the directions for the exercises explicitly.
Within two weeks of using these exercises and regulating my posture, I am pain free. AND now I know what to do in case of an acute flare-up, and have these VERY simple tools at hand to give to my clients. I am a Licensed Massage Therapist and treat neck and back issues all the time.
McKenzie's book are it, period. If you have sustained a serious injury involving the spine, PLEASE consult with your doctor first before attempting these exercises.

The old adage that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure comes to reality with this book. In practical terms, I now realize that trying to do stretches (touching toes) is a level three activity only to be done after at least a month of healing. That was a painful mistake I won't repeat. Also, the writing of the book is to the point, efficient, and dense with details. For example, when doing the back stretch of the book's cover, the hands need to grab the buttocks to displace the weight. The point of the exercise, as very well developed, is mechanics. The explanations and pictures of exercise variations to center the pain were most essential to getting benefit from the exercises.

This book talks a lot about posture and how it can affect your back. Posture suggestions follow. The exercises recommended for most cases of back pain involve a person bending their spine backwards. These are done in the standing and on-your-stomach positions.

One thing I did notice about this back pain book is that it contains no exercises to strengthen your back- which I think is strange as it is well documented in the back literature that people with back pain have smaller than normal back muscles (Parkkola 1993 and Daneels 2000) when examined with CT scans and MRI's as well as weaker than normal back muscles (Smidt 1983 and Mayer 1985 and Mayer 1989 and Roy 1989 and Cassisi 1993). On this basis, I felt that this book was overlooking this important point and should probably address it with at least one strengthening exercise.

Having said that, I think this book will be most helpful for people with back pain that radiates into one or both legs due to a disc problem. People with spinal stenosis or a slippage of one vertebrae over the other (called a spondylolisthesis) will want to be careful with the backward bending motion as this might actually aggravate their pain. Other fix-it-yourself books readers might be interested in include Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff for those with shoulder pain or a torn cuff.

I would recommend this book for people who have a herniated disc in their low back and have pain radiating down into a leg. Readers with shoulder pain might be interested in Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff.

Of all the reviews I have read, I didn't come across any that point out the need to follow Robin McKenzie's instructions religiously. I am quite certain there are some people who this book will not help. It is not, and doesn't pretend to be, a silver bullet capable of solving the world's back problems.

However, I believe the exercises and, above all, the information on how to proactively take care of your back, will work for the vast majority of people who follow them.

I suffered from an extremely debilitating attack of sciatica nearly eight years ago. My wife had to call 911 to have me transported to the hospital. I spent the next month on crutches and the following two months with a cane, unable to wear anything but soft moccasins due to the nerves that had been damaged in my left foot.

My wife had this book, but when she first showed it to me I thought she was nuts; it looked entirely counter-intuitive. Bending backwards didn't fit my paradigm of how one's back ought to be utilized. After 7 weeks of no sleep, unsuccessful treatment in physical therapy, lots of vicodin, etc., I decided to try it out. What did I have to lose?

After the first session I noticed a lessening of the pain in my foot, especially my left big toe. I decided to give it a try. I have to emphasize McKenzie stresses the need - when first doing the exercises - to repeat them every two hours without exception. This I did. I was able to return to work full-time with the proviso that I would be stopping for approximately 15 minutes every two hours to do my exercises (slow, steady stretching mostly).

It took a couple of months, but by the end of that time I was all but completely recovered. I still have a little numbness and occasional pain in my toe, but my life has essentially returned to normal, including my ability to play golf.

This book also points out the need for sitting properly and the difficulty in actually doing so, due to the poor design of most chairs, seats, and sofas. It also provides simple exercises one can do when it's impossible to do the primary ones. I have used one of them extensively, including on the golf course, to relieve the pain that signals I'm doing something wrong.

I recommend this book without reservation, and I have done so for dozens of people in the last almost eight years. I suspect many of those who have not found this book helpful didn't follow Mr. McKenzie's instructions or are just too enamored of the medical profession to believe there is a simple, natural cure to many of our ills without the need to resort to drugs and surgery.

This has been one of the most helpful books I have ever read. I have suffered with low back pain for several years and have been treated by several pain specialists. The exercises and information in this book have made a great difference. What a relief. I would recommend this book to anyone who suffers from lower back pain.

The method described can be covered in 2 pages. It just takes forever to get to the point.
The method/ back exercise worked for me to some extent in the first week. Not a lasting solution.
This was not an expensive book so I did not feel that bad about buying it.

This book is a treasure for anyone suffering from Back Pain .. And must have

I tried this method and also in physical therapy. My back continued to hurt and as a result of the push-ups in the program, I got carpel tunnel in my hands. I dropped out of physical therapy because they couldn't help me and then I had two problems to deal with. I would recommend Healing Back Pain by John Sarno, M.D.

I tried this approach with a therapist and it was very painful. Basically it involves some use of extension positions like cobra. I stopped doing it after a few weeks of increasing pain and now after a period of rest my back is getting better.

It was reccomeneded to me by my Physical Therapist. The exercises have saved me from constant pain and probable surgery

Since I bought this book I have given it as a gift or recommended it to everybody I know who has back pain of any kind.

My wife included. She adopted one of the recommendations and has essentially solved her problems about pain she used to suffer from her posture while sleeping. We've spent many hundreds of dollars on mattresses and this hint cost virtually nothing but has eliminated her pain.

I bought this book for several people. They found it helpful. But, they also used it along with a licensed medical doctor.


Sonya Armfield

Great book with very helpful advice. His techniques really work!

I was given this book by a physical therapist after I was diagnosed with a bulging disk. The pain was excruciating for several months, and I had to stop running and even driving long distances. Tried painkillers (they put me to sleep), cortisone shots (worked for a couple days but was worse as that only treated the symptom), and when a doctor told me I had to accept my pain as chronic, I refused to believe him. I refused more shots or medication and continued the exercises detailed in the book several times a day for months ... until one day I realized I was actually pain free! I'm 43, in good shape, and I am running again, dancing and sometimes wear high heels. The book seems to be controversial, but it worked for me when nothing else did!

I bought this book on a friends recommendation, after suffering for 2 weeks with a pinched nerve in my lower back. What a blessing! Applying the methods and easy exercises and stretches, eased the pain almost immediately. After 35 years of being a carpenter, I thought the back pain was just something I would have to live with. NOT TRUE! Following the recommendations in this book will not only relieve the aches and pains, but help to prevent future back injuries. My back has never felt better. I highly recommend this book to anyone with back problems.

THIS BOOK HAS GIVEN ME A WAY TO MANAGE MY LOWER BACK PAIN AND HIP PAIN AND MORNING STIFFNESS, I AM A YOUNG 62 AND I GARDEN FROM MORNING TIL DARK I LIFT BIG ROCKS AND MOVE SOME REALLY HEAVY STUFF, I AM ALWAYS SORE SOMETIMES CAN'T STRAIGHTEN UP BY NIGHT AND ROLL AND CRAW OUT OF BED, ROBIN MCKENZIE 'S BOOK IS SO SIMPLE AND REALLY WORKS I DO THE FIRST THREE EXERCISES EVERY MORNING AND THE FOURTH ANYTIME I START TO HURT WHILE BENDING OVER WEEDING, IT'S LIKE A MIRACLE HOW QUICKLY I CAN BE PAIN FREE.

This book is a life saver. I had severe left leg radiculopathy. Spent months with a good chiropractor without relief, took oral steroids, had an MRI which revealed a mild herniation in L4 - L5 and L5 - S1, had an epidural steroid injection which did nothing, saw an accupuncturist who recommended the book "The Mind Body Prescription" which is an interesting read but did not help. I finally tried this book and within two weeks I was much improved and in two months better than ever. The book describes simple exercises that work. It is basically doing 10 half sit ups multiple times a day. Read the book carefully as it is easy to do the half sit ups incorrectly. I now do the excercises twice a day. I also use a swiss ball and my flexibility is better then ever.

This book is a paperback miracle. The perfect gift for any chronic back pain sufferer.

I had an injury at work and was referred to a chiropractor. He had this book in his office and after trying some of the suggested exercises/stretches my pain was much less and I was able to do more of my regular activities. Would recommend this book to anyone with low back painl.

After being out a week from work due to lower back pain, a friend let me borrow this one and the other one: Treat Your Own Neck 4th Ed. They were both very helpful as was gettting in a pool & stretching. By combining the exercises Robin recommends with pool stretching, the pain was relieved within a few weeks.

I have also been using Targus AWE26US Ergonomic M-stand for Notebook Computers at work with my notebook which has eliminated most all of my upper neck pain. Also, walking for 20-30 minutes each day at lunch and getting a better chair really helps lower back pain. Steelcase's Leap chair has been the best one I've used so far. The other thing you hear a lot is not to sit more than 20 minutes without getting up for at least a minute or two. I use this program, "Take A Break", which blinks on my laptop to remind me to do that. It's free from www.download.com.

Hope all this helps. I know your pain.

Wow!! This book has helped everyone that I have given it to.
People with back problems need to read this book. It has great information and exercises to help.

I've read four books on low back pain, and this was third most helpful of the four. The three more interesting ones have their own specific slant, which may or may not be particularly helpful to any individual low back pain sufferer. For what it's worth, here are the four books, in my order of their helpfulness:
1. Treat Your Own Back, by Robin McKenzie. This mostly focuses on one exercize, the Mckenzie "press-up". A few other exercises are mentioned but mostly you hear about the press-up. However, the press-up IS the most-favored exercise by the majority of physical therapists today. The book is too simplistic, but that makes it easy to use by the amateur, which is the point!
2. Back Pain, by Loren Fishman, M.D., and Carol Ardman. This fairly readable book gives a lot of understandable information about back pain causes and symptoms. Particularly helpful to me was the section relating transferred pain symptoms of sciatica to the probable location of lumbar disk hernias. Dr. Fishman is a physiatrist and an advocate of very detailed physical examinations by physicians, but he gives you some self-examination tools as well.
3. Backache Survival, by Robert S. Ivker, D.O. This book is readable and even funny in places. However, the author gives you so many ideas, and so little specific documentation for the research leading to his conclusions, that I was pretty much overwhelmed. I did follow some of his nutritional recommendation. Ivker is a religious practitioner in favor of Tantric Yoga, therapeutic touch, and healing prayers to God. He's also in favor of practically EVERYTHING else except surgery. Ivker is the opposite extreme of simplistic McKenzie--he gives TOO MANY alternatives!
4. Understanding Low Back Pain, by Mario A Gutierrez, M.D. This book gets the booby prize for unreadability and for the complexity of its solutions, mostly surgery.

The bottom line is you're going to have a hard time curing yourself by reading books, but McKenzie comes closest.

Purchased for a friend who was nearly suicidal with pain after injuring her back. Countless trips to Doctors and MRIs did nothing and she was living on pain pills. Well I bought her this book. She began the exercises and was walking and generally feeling better in three weeks. She continues the program and continues to show progress. It literally saved her life.

I had a lumbar laminectomy (L5-S1) in 1990. My neurosurgeon was very aggressive in post-operative treatment and had me in physical therapy after two weeks. This book was one of the first things I was given at the clinic. The advice in this book was invaluable in keeping me relatively pain free today at age 41- 17 years after my surgery. I still follow the advice and exercises in this book because the misery of lower back pain is something I remember vividly and want to avoid at all costs. It covers everything from proper body mechanics, preventative exercise, sources of back pain, kinesiology, specific exercises depending on your particular type of pain, and many other topics.

It's important to mention that there are a minority of surgeons who do not subscribe to the McKenzie method so check with your doctor before buying the book. I don't know what their reasoning is but everyone that I went through p.t. with had positive results as a result of aggressive treatment and the information in this book.

I only wish I had this book before my injury got so bad as to require surgery. Get the book.