Back sufferers unite. There’s a new technique in our arsenal of pain management and it comes in the form of a book titled The End of Back Pain: Access Your Hidden Core To Heal Your Body by Patrick A. Roth, M.D.
We all know about the importance of “strengthening your core” during your workouts and, usually when people talk about their core they are referring to the rectus abdominis, the external obliques, the internal obliques and the transverses abdominis. These are the muscles that run from your breastbone to your pelvis and from your ribs to your hips. But, as Dr. Roth explains, the muscles of the back are an integral – and often overlooked – part of our core (hence his term “hidden core”) that once developed, can stabilize the spine and reduce back pain.
Yes! I’m a believer! For years I’ve been saying that exercise is the true Fountain of Youth. When I hit the gym regularly, my chronically bad back becomes stronger, goes into spasm less often and, when it does, rebounds more quickly. Problem is, how does a sufferer with a bad back overcome the pain in order to be able to exercise?
Dr. Roth says this is a function of a mind/body connection or what he calls “embodied cognition.” “Once we decide to take the leap of faith to action, the state of our physical body can rewire our brain. … This concept is critical to anyone trying to build the confidence to adopt a new lifestyle – in this case, to adopt the Hidden Core Workout. Pushing your body, even when it’s uncomfortable, can actually cause your mind to believe that you’re something other than – and more capable than – a victim of pain.” (I don’t know about you but, for me, these are words to live by.)
Neurosurgeon Roth fills The End of Back Pain with facts about pain, the brain and the back’s anatomy – and while that may sound dull, it is anything but. Once you understand how the back, the brain and your perception of pain work together, fear of pain begins to dissipate, enabling you to begin the Hidden Core Workout, a step-by-step plan devised to strengthen your hidden core and end your back pain.
I’ve been plagued with a back bad since my teens and I’ve sought medical treatment for it for about as long. I’ve been to every type of doctor who treats back pain – and then some – and I’ve received more prescriptions for pain meds than I care to think about. For the most part, except in the case of severe spasms, they remained unfilled and were summarily discarded. Which brings me to one of Dr. Roth’s “Hidden Truths” that dot the book throughout and are terrific sources of information: Pain Medication Causes More Pain. Dr. Roth points to scientific evidence that while pain medication is necessary to allow for activity, in the long run, it creates more pain. He then outlines the pros and cons of the various pain meds available, surgical options and hands-on therapies.
Dr. Roth’s book refutes most of what you know about back pain and offers a non-invasive, detailed program for eliminating it from your life. And, to backtrack just a bit, Dr. Roth, a bad back sufferer himself, used to work out on a Roman Chair, also called a hyperextension machine, when he was in high school. He found that hyperextensions alleviated his back pain although, at the time, he didn’t understand why. (They strengthen the hidden core, aha!) My first experience with a hyperextension machine was about twenty-five years ago when I experimented with one at my gym. The relief from pain was immediate and, at the end of each of my workouts, I’d “treat” myself to a session on the Roman Chair. A little while later I switched gyms and my new gym didn’t have a Roman Chair, despite my best efforts to convince the owner to buy one. To this day, I miss that machine.
I think it’s fairly obvious that I cannot recommend Dr. Roth’s book, The End of Back Pain, enough. Dr. Roth’s words, while based on solid scientific and medical information, are uplifting and motivating. If you’re ready to say “enough” to back pain, get this book. It helped me understand my pain, gave me the tools to overcome it and motivated me to strengthen my hidden core so that my bad back won’t take over my life.
About Dr. Patrick A.Roth
Dr. Patrick Roth, author of The End of Back Pain: Access Your Hidden Core to Heal Your Body, is a board-certified neurosurgeon in New Jersey and the chairman of neurosurgery at Hackensack University Medical Center. He is the director of the neurosurgical residency program and is dedicated to the teaching and training of future neurosurgeons. He is a founding member of the North Jersey Brain & Spine Center.
For more information please visit http://www.patrickrothmd.com and follow the author on Facebook and Twitter.
Ed. Note: I received an advance copy of The End of Back Pain for review but that didn’t sway my opinion in any way at all. In fact, my dog-eared and well-read copy attest to my true feelings about the book. It’s a keeper and one that anyone who suffers from back pain should read.
Want to read The End of Back Pain yourself? You can get it here …
And here for Kindle:
And don’t forget to enter EverBeautiful.com’s Giveaway for a chance to win either an IlluMask Anti-Aging or Anti-Acne mask. It’s a great Giveaway. Click here for the info on how to enter.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
Walk Like You Think You’re Beautiful – Tips for Good Posture
Need Stress Relief? You’ve Come to the Right Place!
My Pet Peeves – Some of Them, Anyway
I can appreciate a physician with good intentions regarding the specific exercises and goals from the individual who has written this book. Strengthening the core muscles are vital when addressing back pain. It is equally, if not, more important to have a thorough and complete evaluation regarding what is causing the back pain. Without obtaining an evaluation and knowing the true cause of the pain, if you go right into exercising ( with good intentions) you could very well end up doing more harm than good. I speak from personal life experience. I can work at core strengthening and flexibility all I want, however, that will not do anything except cause more pain unless I first get the surgery to correct the structural spinal problem in my back. Once a car is broken down and requires replacement parts, doing regular maintenance work instead of replacing the parts would be a waste of time and money. Replace the parts first and then faithfully do the regular maintenance.
You are absolutely right – and Dr. Roth writes – that a thorough evaluation is necessary when dealing with back pain. There is a chapter devoted to surgery and includes choosing a surgeon, talking with your surgeon, deciding which surgery (if any) to have, getting a second opinion, follow up after surgery and the various types of surgeries that are used to correct back problems. Dr. Roth proposes being your own advocate regarding your back pain and he gives the reader many tools to be able to do that. Of course, one should always be cleared for exercise, any exercise, to make sure that the person is healthy enough to engage in it. Truly, when it comes to back pain, surgery is not always the answer. There are other modalities that work as well, if not better, than surgery and Dr. Roth proposes exercise as one of them. I am a case in point. I have a congenital disc problem that, as I aged, became five disc problems, 80% stenosis and degenerative disc disease. I have been going to orthopedic surgeons since I was 16. They have always, without exception, wanted to operate. I wanted to find other ways to fix my back. I went to orthopedists who prescribed pain meds instead of surgery. I went to physical therapists who advocated exercise. Chiropractors manipulated my back. Different modalities for different medical specialities. I found that exercise, and specific ones targeted at my back or what Dr. Roth calls the hidden core, helped me. When my muscles become weak, my back goes into spasm much more often and recovers much more slowly. It’s difficult to stay strong when I’m in pain but I believe that’s the best thing for me. If I feel pain when I exercise, I stop. I have learned how to read my body’s signals and believe I know what is best for it. Exercise works for me. The right exercise, done at the right time and in the right way is my answer to surgery. I did not mean to imply that Dr. Roth dismisses surgery. He does not and recognizes that it is necessary in certain situations. His book is extensive, not a simple program of exercises. I’m sorry if that didn’t come through in my review.