Back Pain and Back Injuries:
Ten Questions Answered

©2008 Lawrence Gold
certified practitioner
The Dr. Ida P. Rolf method of Structural Integration
Hanna Somatic Education^®

REF: "What You Can Do about Your Own Back Pain"
SELF-HELP RESOURCE: "Free Yourself from Back Pain":

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FREE SELF-CARE VIDEO INSTRUCTION:

Twelve-Minute Emergency Back Self-Care

17-Minute First Aid for Back Pain

EXPLANATIONS OF
BACK PAIN TERMS

What causes the sharp, sudden pain of a back injury?

What causes back spasms (technical explanation)?
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What causes tingling or numbness?

My doctor has used certain terms (e.g, "bulging/herniated disc") to describe my condition. What do they mean?

What are common methods of back therapy?
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According to some physical therapists, what is the success rate of common methods of therapy?

How does somatic education differ from standard therapeutic modalities?

What can I do to control my own back muscle pain?

What causes sciatica? How does somatics help control it?

What about psoas muscle pain?

INTRODUCTIONS TO NINE SOMATIC EXERCISES
TO END BACK PAIN

Spine Waves

Lazy 8s

The Folding Seesaw & The Kite

The Wiggling Jig

The Yoga of the Reclining Buddha
The Twist That Untwists

In-Bed No-Stretch Stretches

The Rising Sphinx

The Mortar and Pestle
from Free Yourself from Back Pain

Read about clinical somatic education (short statement of principles).

For a technical discussion of clinical somatic education and its history, refer to "Clinical Somatic Education - a New Discipline in the Field of Health Care," by Thomas Hanna, Ph.D.

EXPLANATION

Fine points for relaxing spastic muscles to recover comfort and free movement. Gentle somatic back exercise for lower back pain, from LESSON 1, The Cat Stretch.