Take Your Back Back - by Christine Goertz (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A comprehensive whole-health guide to healing low back pain from a leading researcher in lower back pain at Duke University School of Medicine.

Back pain is the leading cause of disability in the United States--yet misinformation about its causes and treatment is rampant. Too often, people default to medications or surgery, even though these approaches can be unnecessary, ineffective, or even harmful.

Christine Goertz, PhD, leading researcher in low back pain at Duke University, was looking for a book to recommend to patients and clinicians but couldn't find one that encompassed all the most up-to-date research and treatments. So, she decided to write the book herself.

Blending clinical expertise, patient examples, and the in-depth research, Take Your Back Back empowers you to take control of your healing journey. Dr. Goertz explains the physical and psychosocial causes of back pain, debunking common myths, and clarifying pain mechanisms. She explores a wide range of treatment options that start with a holistic, self-care and whole-care approach (including acupuncture, massage, yoga, exercise, spinal manipulation, and cognitive behavioral therapy) before medications and medical procedures. Throughout, she provides questionnaires, charts, and photographs of easy-to-implement exercises in a step-by-step program to help you find what works best for you. She also takes you through finding the right clinician, advocating for yourself, and building a personalized action plan in this "required reading for any person with acute or chronic low back pain" (Chris Shaffrey, MD, chief of the Duke Spine Division).

Review Quotes

"Take Your Back Back by Dr. Christine Goertz is an important and unique book grounded in a "Whole Health" approach to treating low back pain, one of the most common and disabling health concerns worldwide. Dr. Goertz offers a straightforward rebuttal to a purely biomedical approach to managing low back pain and strongly asserts the value of a broader, multidimensional, multipronged approach. Building on this foundation, the early sections speak directly to readers with lived experience of low back pain, guiding choices in assessment and treatment that are likely to optimize outcomes and minimize risks associated with overreliance on medications and other medical interventions. Most of the book provides an easy-to-digest, scientifically informed discussion of a range of nonpharmacological approaches that can be included in an individually tailored plan for prevention, management, and recovery from low back pain. The bottom line is that this book by Dr. Goertz is a powerful resource for people experiencing low back pain and for those who provide support and care. I highly recommend this book and congratulate Dr. Goertz on this important contribution." --Robert D Kerns, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Yale University, Senior Research Scientist, Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine

"As a practitioner and healthcare leader for more than 60 years, Take Your Back Back is the refreshing, practical roadmap needed by thousands of patients with low back pain facing a confusing assortment of choices about what to do. Research shows that choosing the wrong clinician can radically affect patient outcomes and increase the risk of an unsatisfactory result. Take Your Back Back is a practical guide that helps patients navigate the complex world of treatment options and choose what's best for them. This is a must-read for anyone and everyone who, at some point in their life, becomes afflicted with low back pain. Knowledge is truly power when dealing with this prevalent and often debilitating condition." --Louis Sportelli, D.C., President, NCMIC Foundation, Inc

"Dr. Goertz is uniquely qualified to bridge the gap between mainstream medicine and complementary and integrative approaches. This book provides the back pain sufferer with superb advice about self-care and wise guidance about the choice of health care professionals." --Josephine Briggs, MD, Emeritus Director, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, National Institutes of Health

"I have a shelf full of books written by experts in spine-related disorders, written for people who are seeking information on how to manage back pain and decrease its impact on their lives. This new addition by Christine Goertz is by far the most informative, scientifically accurate, easy to read, and comprehensive of any prior attempt to inform patients and clinicians on the topic. Although written primarily for people with back pain, it should be required reading for all clinicians who see patients with this debilitating, often frustrating, and depression-causing condition." --Scott Haldeman, DC, MD, Ph.D., FRCP(C). President, World Spine Care

"With this empowering debut resource, Goertz, a musculoskeletal research professor at Duke University, offers a holistic approach to healing low back pain....Comprehensive and reassuring, this offers much-needed agency to individuals limited by chronic pain." --Publishers Weekly

"Solidly grounded in the latest scientific evidence, this book empowers readers with proven strategies to reduce pain, restore function, and regain confidence, becoming active participants in their recovery. This book also helps patients navigate the often confusing array of medications, imaging tests, injections, surgery and complementary therapies by explaining when they approaches are--and are not--supported by evidence" --Carolyn M. Clancy, MD, MACP, former assistant undersecretary for Health, Veteran Affairs

"Required reading for any person with acute or chronic low back pain. Dr. Goertz deftly synthesizes years of clinical research and expert opinion into an easily understandable and actionable game plan. She covers the entire range of operative and non-operative treatments for low back pain and gives practical advice on the advantages, potential risks and likely outcomes of each of these various treatments. An invaluable resource." --Chris Shaffrey, M.D., chief of the Duke Spine Division, professor of neurosurgery and orthopaedic surgery at the Duke University School of Medicine.

About the Author

Christine Goertz, DC, PhD, is a professor in musculoskeletal research and vice chair for Implementation of Spine Health Innovations in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Duke University School of Medicine. She founded the Spine Health program, a clinical care pathway within the Duke University Health System that optimizes treatment for low-back pain patients. Dr. Goertz has received approximately $45 million in research grants and has been rated in the top ten in NIH funding within a Medical School Department of Orthopedics by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research. Dr. Goertz received her Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Northwestern Health Sciences University and a PhD in health services research, policy, and administration from the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota.