Product Description

With a fresh approach to a common problem, this self-help guide to overcoming back pain advocates adopting the natural, healthy posture of athletes, young children, and people from traditional societies the world over. Arguing that most of what our culture has taught us about posture is misguided--even unhealthy--and exploring the current epidemic of back pain, many of the commonly cited reasons for the degeneration of spinal discs and the stress on muscles that leads to back pain are examined and debunked. The historical and anthropological roots of poor posture in Western cultures are studied as is the absence of back pain complaints in the cultures of Africa, Asia, South America, and rural Europe. Eight detailed chapters provide illustrated step-by-step instructions for making simple, powerful changes to seated, standing, and sleeping positions. No special equipment or exercise is required, and effects are often immediate.

8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back: Natural Posture Solutions for Pain in the Back, Neck, Shoulder, Hip, Knee, and Foot is the first book in the series, Remember When It Didn't Hurt. Text is accompanied by 818 color photos, 68 color illustrations, 49 black and white photos, 76 black and white illustrations, 10 drawings and 16 diagrams. Backmatter consists of appendixes, glossary, bibliography and index. Product is soft-cover with French flaps and has lay-flat binding.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5599 in Books
• Published on: 2008-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 244 pages

Review

"The most lucid account I have read of how the human spine works, with handy lessons in how to stand, sit, walk, and sleep free of back pain."  —J. M. Coetzee, Nobel Prize–winner in Literature

"8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back is the best back pain book on the market. I had significant problems with low back pain and sciatica for more than two decades before Esther Gokhale was able to help me. If I had found her earlier, it could have saved me a great deal of pain and grief.”  —Paul R. Ehrlich, author, Human Natures and Population Bomb

"Esther's technique for treating chronic back pain is totally unique and her research really backs it up. This is a great tool for all of us."  —Billie Jean King, winner of 20 Wimbledon titles

"An extraordinary application of ancient wisdom to solve modern back problems."  —Luca Cavalli-Sforza, professor emeritus of genetics, School of Medicine, Stanford University; author, The History and Geography of Human Genes


"Esther Gokhale helped me resolve a five-year injury after nothing else had worked. Her work is unique and thorough."  —Patti Sue Plumer, three-time Olympian, 1992 World Record holder for 1500m and 500m run

"Every year, tens of thousands of patients undergo major back surgery without any benefits. By using Esther Gokhale’s novel techniques, many of these patients can avoid such needless and expensive medical procedures, and quickly return to a pain free life."  —John R. Adler, MD, neurosurgery, Stanford University Medical Clinic

"This book . . . will eventually be recognized by the medical community as the greatest contribution ever made to nonsurgical back treatment in this country."  —Helen Barkan, MD, PhD, neurology, Mayo Clinic

"This is not only a stimulating self-help guide for relief of back pain through healthy posture, but also a work of art that celebrates the grace and poetry of the human body."  —David Werner, author, Where There Is No Doctor

From the Author
For some, a pain-free life is only a memory, but it doesn't have to be. Through my experience in healing my own back pain, coupled with extensive training and research, I have developed a technique to alleviate back pain--the Gokhale Method. It has been a privilege and a pleasure to help thousands of people re-learn the way their bodies were designed to move--gracefully and with ease. I have spent fifteen years teaching the technique, honing it for clarity and efficiency, and am delighted to present it here for general use. Many physicians now refer their back patients to me, and almost all the patients start to improve from the first lesson. In many cases the results are dramatic (see page 24). But then there are the people who can't come to see me, people who call me from the East Coast or the Midwest, perhaps friends or relatives of my patients, who are suffering terribly and need help. For years, I have wished there were a book that I could send them with step-by-step instructions and demonstrations of my technique. And here it is.

From the Inside Flap
Nearly 90% of American adults suffer from back pain, and the number continues to climb. Why does this condition affect so many people in the industrialized world, while in some countries only 5% of adults report back pain? In a quest to find the root cause of back pain, Esther Gokhale studied at the Aplomb Institute in Paris and traveled to parts of the world where back pain is virtually unknown. Her research took her to remote Burkina Faso, rural Portugal, and fishing villages in Brazil. What she learned in each of these places has changed the lives of thousands of people. Preserved in the movements of weavers, millers, and farmers in more traditional societies is ancient body wisdom that prevents pain and enhances health. For the first time, these insights have been brought together in a step-by-step guide designed to help those suffering from back pain re-educate their bodies and regain the posture for which our bodies evolved.

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Customer Reviews

Excellent and Easy to Follow
This is an amazing and easy to use book that gives the experience of taking a workshop on how to sit, stand, bend sleep and walk correctly. It is beautifully written, has wonderful pictures and is a clear guide to a healthier way of living with your body. It requires some time and motivation but if you have that this book can help you to rethink all your movements. I am a Tai Chi Instructor and an ESL teacher. This book, and I've only had it for two weeks, has changed the way I walk, sit, stand and sleep. I am even changing some basic things in my Tai Chi set. I feel fortunate to have this book. I took one lesson with Esther in person and it helped tremendously, but only because I had studied her book so carefully before I went to see her. My presenting problem is pain in the heel of my right foot. I am very encouraged by all the exercises she presents as well as the new way to walk. Everything that is presented is not strenuous or complicated. It just takes practice. Ester's book provides a great service to modern man.

8 Steps to a pain free back
I think the book is based on solid theory, but it is very difficult to explain, even with numerous pictures, the proper postures in a book. This book is based on a hands-on class. It is like reading instructions on how to ride a bicycle.

Incredible book
I purchased this book for my mother who has had problems with back pain for years. She had been to the chiropracter, physical therapist and neurosurgeon with no improvement. After working her way through the book she is markedly improved. Wonderful pictures, easy to follow. I recommend it for all with this problem.