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The Back Sufferers' Bible
Take steps to keep your back healthy and pain-free with down to earth advice from one of Australia's most high profile physiotherapists. This completely revised and updated edition, written for sufferers and practitioners alike, provides all the information you need to play an active part in your own treatment.
The human spine is not well suited for our way of life and as a result back pain is pandemic - there is hardly anyone who has not been bothered by it at some time. Advanced as we are in other areas of science, with fixing backs we are little further ahead.
This book breaks new ground, and is written for sufferers and practitioners alike. In layman's language it charts a new, easy-to-understand model for the way the human spine breaks down, starting off with commonplace and totally reversible conditions (which 90 per cent of us have), and progressing to the more difficult ones.
The Back Sufferers' Bible describes clearly how each stage of back pain manifests, and sets out a logical course of treatment programs. It explains when you need medication and when you need to rest in bed. It explains all the exercises - how to do them and the common pitfalls with each one. It gives you all the information you need to play an active part in your own treatment. For practitioners, there is a new section of comprehensive source material and further reading.
Now you can understand what has gone wrong with your spine and take steps to keep your back healthy and pain-free.
The human spine is not well suited for our way of life and as a result back pain is pandemic - there is hardly anyone who has not been bothered by it at some time. Advanced as we are in other areas of science, with fixing backs we are little further ahead.
This book breaks new ground, and is written for sufferers and practitioners alike. In layman's language it charts a new, easy-to-understand model for the way the human spine breaks down, starting off with commonplace and totally reversible conditions (which 90 per cent of us have), and progressing to the more difficult ones.
The Back Sufferers' Bible describes clearly how each stage of back pain manifests, and sets out a logical course of treatment programs. It explains when you need medication and when you need to rest in bed. It explains all the exercises - how to do them and the common pitfalls with each one. It gives you all the information you need to play an active part in your own treatment. For practitioners, there is a new section of comprehensive source material and further reading.
Now you can understand what has gone wrong with your spine and take steps to keep your back healthy and pain-free.
- GenresNonfictionHealth
258 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 22, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 4, 2015
This is an atypical book for me me to read/review. For years I’ve suffered from lower back pain, on and off. Normally it resolves itself within a few weeks, but it has lingered this time. So after trips to the physiotherapist (diagnosis: tight hamstrings), doctor (diagnosis: ‘it’ll probably sort itself out, take some of these…) and a second physio (diagnosis: general wear and tear) I was struggling to find a view I liked the sound of. That is, until I bumped into my octogenarian neighbour who told me he’d resolved his own long standing back issues by way of advice gleaned from this book. Five minutes later I was immersed in a well fingered copy of this self-help manual.
Key’s espoused view is that the usual origin of back pain is:
The stiffening of a disc-vertebra union at the front of the spine. As the disc dries and gets harder and the vertebra on the top loses mobility, the segment becomes sluggish, like a stiff link in a bicycle chain.
In her opinion, these stiff links are present for most of us and that they can eventually become so stiff it becomes painful, prompting common or garden backache. She goes on to explain how there are various stages to this problem and goes into a great deal of technical detail with regard to the sequential phases of the breakdown. In effect, she says, if it’s not addressed early it could get a lot worse.
The good news is that some simple exercises (sometimes aided by pain killing medication and/or professional physical intervention) can nip the problem in the bud and actually reverse the degenerative process. The exercises are typically gentle rocking and stretching motions which should be used in combination, as part of an ongoing regime.
There is a good deal of technical information in this book – certainly too much for some. That said, it does give some credence to the logic behind her general observations and recommendations. The exercises are explained in detail, together with instructions which help the reader to assess which groupings are most appropriate for their personal situation.
It’s early days for me so I cannot yet vouch for the veracity of the text, but I do believe my neighbour’s story. So here goes, wish me luck. I’ll come back to report progress at some future point… that is unless it’s a load of hokum and it accelerates my problem to the point I can no longer use my fingers to type!
Key’s espoused view is that the usual origin of back pain is:
The stiffening of a disc-vertebra union at the front of the spine. As the disc dries and gets harder and the vertebra on the top loses mobility, the segment becomes sluggish, like a stiff link in a bicycle chain.
In her opinion, these stiff links are present for most of us and that they can eventually become so stiff it becomes painful, prompting common or garden backache. She goes on to explain how there are various stages to this problem and goes into a great deal of technical detail with regard to the sequential phases of the breakdown. In effect, she says, if it’s not addressed early it could get a lot worse.
The good news is that some simple exercises (sometimes aided by pain killing medication and/or professional physical intervention) can nip the problem in the bud and actually reverse the degenerative process. The exercises are typically gentle rocking and stretching motions which should be used in combination, as part of an ongoing regime.
There is a good deal of technical information in this book – certainly too much for some. That said, it does give some credence to the logic behind her general observations and recommendations. The exercises are explained in detail, together with instructions which help the reader to assess which groupings are most appropriate for their personal situation.
It’s early days for me so I cannot yet vouch for the veracity of the text, but I do believe my neighbour’s story. So here goes, wish me luck. I’ll come back to report progress at some future point… that is unless it’s a load of hokum and it accelerates my problem to the point I can no longer use my fingers to type!
June 17, 2017
Quite technical at times but excellent in helping me understand what's going on with my back and how I can prevent pain from reoccurring. I follow my physio's treatment however, which is different from the one recommended here - I do more of a Pilates routine which works great for me so won't change that. Definitely recommend reading this though to anyone suffering from back pain.
January 31, 2021
Книгата на Сара Кий - „Библия на хората с болки в гърба“, е изключително ценно четиво за всеки от нас, който изпитва някакви болки в ставите. Тя е физиотерапевт с над 30 години стаж. От 1983 година е физиотерапевт на кралица Елизабет II и нейното семейство. Преподавател и практик.
Дори и хора с малко познания по химия и биология, могат да разберат всичко написано в книгата. Предлага на ясен и достъпен език за начина, по който едни здрави стави се рушат и започват да болят. Дава и система от упражнения за преодоляване на тези болки. Има богат снимков материал с обяснение за всичко, касаещо състава и структурата на ставите или подходящите видове упражнения.
Много от нещата, предложени от нея могат да се направят без излишен разход на време и пари. За да има успех лекуването трябва да се спазват препоръките ѝ в книгата. И постоянство в упражненията. Дано съм заинтригувал тези, които имат нужда, а те не са малко със сигурност.
Дори и хора с малко познания по химия и биология, могат да разберат всичко написано в книгата. Предлага на ясен и достъпен език за начина, по който едни здрави стави се рушат и започват да болят. Дава и система от упражнения за преодоляване на тези болки. Има богат снимков материал с обяснение за всичко, касаещо състава и структурата на ставите или подходящите видове упражнения.
Много от нещата, предложени от нея могат да се направят без излишен разход на време и пари. За да има успех лекуването трябва да се спазват препоръките ѝ в книгата. И постоянство в упражненията. Дано съм заинтригувал тези, които имат нужда, а те не са малко със сигурност.
March 29, 2019
Pretty technical and well argumented but sometimes the message gets lost. I’m not convinced this book actually served its function to empower the reader into taking the control over their health. Sometimes the author would get overly involved in the tech jargon, while at other times her worldly analogies will leave the reader without a clear idea of the structures involved and the mechanisms at play in a certain pathology.
February 24, 2023
Five stars because it is so helpful.
BUT it is very hard to read - unless you have a particular fascination for very detailed medical explanations. I finally recorded myself reading it and then listened to the recording of the pertinent parts highlighting the directions and tips concerning self-treatment.
BUT it is very hard to read - unless you have a particular fascination for very detailed medical explanations. I finally recorded myself reading it and then listened to the recording of the pertinent parts highlighting the directions and tips concerning self-treatment.
February 7, 2026
I found this book extremely helpful in helping 2 family members with spinal/back disabilities. Sarah Key is a physiotherapist but her book is written is easy to understand, every day wording, not medical-ese.
September 5, 2017
Good book with straightforward language and helpful exercises
April 5, 2018
Some of the information was very helpful: exercises, drawings of the spine and adjacent structures, anatomy and physiology
June 2, 2021
Highly recommend for anyone who gets back trouble. Which is most people, right?
February 23, 2021
I would recommend this book anyone who suffer from the proverbial "bad back" I suffered for years until I read this book , followed her advice, religiously did the exercises. I have mostly been pain free for the last five years.
July 18, 2014
This book is way too technical for the average reader with back problems. But even doing some of the exercises in my gym routine has helped, and I don't suffer from chronic pain.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews