 "Got rid of my sciatica and back spasms!" | 2009-09-20 |
| - Reviewed By User: AB5O5NYHPYST1 |
I remember my first true back spasm in college: I bent down to get something out of a drawer and for no apparent reason, my back "snapped." I was walking crooked for days. I tried laying still, struggling through some sit ups (I recalled a friend in high school who had been given such "back strengthening" exercises for his back pain) and just hoping it would go away. From time to time, my back would "go out" again and I'd suffer for a few weeks as it slowly healed and I tried to take it easy. One time, my back hurt so bad, I had to take several minutes just to get out of bed!
In 2005 I was vacationing at my parents'. I spent many hours on the floor playing games with my brothers and my kids. I noticed a slight numbness in my leg.At first I thought it was constantly falling asleep from being cross-legged on the floor for hours. It gradually grew and traveled down my leg until I had full blown sciatica (with lower back pain too)! One day, browsing at Barnes & Noble, I was looking for some sort of book about back pain and how to get rid of it. I found this book. I read through it quickly and a day or two after I finished it, the sciatica was completely gone. It has never come back and the worst I ever get is a "stiff" back which is easily dealt with through the principles of the book.
The essential thesis is this: Back pain (as well as several other ailments) is caused by an unconscious denial of blood to a certain part of your body. Your brain does this subconsciously to take you away from dealing with the things that are actually causing stress, anger and anxiety. This is NOT saying that the pain is "all in your head." It's an acknowledgment of real pain. But that pain has a cause. The essential steps for dealing with the pain are: (1) Living, working, acting normally as if your back is not injured, that is, not favoring it, "going easy" on it, etc. and (2) identifying what is causing you anger or stress and dealing consciously as necessary with the issue.
After I read that, I actually could trace the beginning of my pre-sciatica numbness to an email I had gotten regarding work which had really made me angry. Once I realized what I was really upset about, the pain was gone. In the days since I've read this book, my back has only once or twice really "snapped" and I immediately began going through the events and frustrations of my mind. The pain is usually gone within a day. Even that is quite rare now and whenever I have a stiff back, I simply do the same thing: run a mental catalog of stressful or anger-inducing items while doing nothing to favor or "baby" the back and the pain fades.
The author, Dr. Sarno, describes this important mind-body connection in a way that poles some fun at current medical practice (so many ways to treat a bad back? Why? Because who knows what will work? The problem isn't the back! It's the things causing your brain to mess with your back!). Dr. Sarno can get a little Freudian sometimes and even recommends deep Freudian therapy to bring out the worst of the issues that your brain might be trying to block. But other than that, I think his thesis is a solid one. It's certainly attested to by others but I have the best evidence of its truth: It worked. Plain and simple. I no longer get nasty back spasms that leave me walking crookedly for weeks on end. And when my back does get stiff, then that is now a signal that I need to run a mental check and deal with the things that are bothering me that my mind is avoiding.
I've read and used the book. It's worked for my wife. The principles have been useful with the kids ("growing" pains) and I've ordered and given copies to friends. Call it bunk if you like but the thesis sounds good to me and it works! |
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| "Absolutely recommended if you want the "truth"!" | 2009-09-18 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3NG1PCGEEGIH0 |
I am so impressed by this author, John E. Sarno, M.D.!!! Everything he writes about is right on the money!!! After you've been to the chiropractor and physical therapist, and the back surgeon who wants to operate, and sat in the spinal institute's waiting room listening to people talk about their countless surgeries, and here they are again...for the surgeon to "practice on" some more-----I had had it!!!
Sure the epidurals helped and pain pills were nice, but that road came to a dead end.
Everyone wants a "quick fix", but you need to be patient and let your body heal itself. Using a back massager like Homedics has on this site is helpful! And an occasional Motrin IB.
And then, I happened to see "Healing Back Pain" on Amazon and read hundreds of review. Bought it, read it, and followed his excellent advice. You will not regret getting this book if you're like me--very distrustful of these doctors who want to cut cut cut!!
Be well! |
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| "Good, but becareful!" | 2009-08-19 |
| - Reviewed By vetroxl |
| This did the trick for me... I did have real physical pain with tingling and numbness down my leg... what this book did is help me heal my mind after the body healed itself. I think alot of people mis-understand what he's trying to say... this is for chronic back pain... I had intermittent painf for 5 years... then it healed and went away and I was scared to resume activities... but this book gave me the confidence I needed to continue on with my life. I now do 2 hour mountain bike rides once or twice a week... I did this with the supervision of a doctor of course... |
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| "Most useful information" | 2009-08-18 |
| - Reviewed By asyt |
My sports medicine doctor told me to read this book and it was
the best advice I have gotten from any doctor. About 75% of my
chronic pain in the neck, shoulder and lower right hip went away
within days of reading this book. The remaining pain and discomfort
in my back also are going away with physical therapy and
chiropractic treatment.
Thank you Dr. Sarno for writing this book and others to help patients
like me.
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 "Works for some, but not all." | 2009-08-02 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1GJ20ERIK7WCU |
| I give this book 4 stars because it has obviously worked for so many people, as evidenced by these reviews and the TMSHelp forum online. I also personally know 2 people who have used this book to overcome chronic back/knee pain. However, it must be noted that on occasion, this book will not do the job of ridding you of pain. Elsewhere a reviewer states that she felt like a failure because she subscribed to the book so thoroughly but it didn't work. What did work was back surgery, and this is the case with me as well. I gave the book 4 hard months of psychological work, including psychotherapy and several self help books on anger and anxiety. By the end of those 4 months I felt like a crazy woman. Every member of my family and every good friend was quietly hoping I would come to my senses and get surgery, though they all were very good about not interfering with my psychological "treatment". Finally, a point was reached that required some new course of action, so I called the surgeon a friend had recommended. The surgeon was a jerk. He saw me for about 3 minutes and said "let's fix this". I was so upset, but a combination of factors allowed me to go ahead and schedule the surgery. For the three weeks leading up the surgery my gut said NO, but my logical brain persisted. Three 3 days after surgery, I was not on pain meds for the first time in a year. Now, three weeks later, it is still apparent that the surgery worked. I also know 5 other people for whom surgery worked (and I had been thinking they were having a placebo effect). Sometimes instincts are not reliable. I am so grateful to the person who posted her review (maybe it was a he) stating that surgery worked. I would have probably delayed even longer if not for that. What the difference is between the people for whom this book is successful or not, I cannot even begin to guess. One thing to note, however, is that during my entire 13 months of persistent, sometimes almost unendurable pain, I didn't give up most activities. I picked up my two small children, I kayaked, mountain biked, snowshoed, hiked, sat for long periods, etc. I didn't do yoga, jump on a trampoline, or, after initial attempts, cross-country or skate ski. So, if you have given up all activity, maybe the first thing to do would be to resume all activity within reason (not jumping on a trampoline seems reasonable, however, skiing should be tried, at least). If you persist with that and the pain continues, try surgery. Even if it is a placebo, I'll take it. |
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 "Dangerous misinformation" | 2009-07-13 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1ZM7TIB3QOLQJ |
| Wow! Does this quack work for Kaiser or what? This story sounds familiar. Tell patient the problems resides in their head so you don't have to order potentially expensive diagnostic tests. Unfortunately I had to live this drama. Only after I educated myself and became my own advocate (and obtained different health insurance) did I receive an MRI which revealed, surprise, a massive disc herniation. The disc herniation was severely compressing the right L4 nerve root at the foraminal level causing what could have become permanent nerve damage (oh, you mean actual physical injury happens with great frequency?). After 18 years of misinformation to my parents initially, then to myself, I finally had validation. A minimally invasive microsurgical discectomy was performed by an extremely skilled orthopedic spinal physician more than 4 years ago and surprise, no more pain. This is not an isolated instance. I work with patients who experience this bs all the time. I have no pain or limitations to activity since the surgery was performed. Although the athletic desires of my teenage years and 20s were eliminated by quack medicine, I now feel great and have a rewarding career as a result. Save your money on this myth propagator, and demand improved healthcare instead! |
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