Strengthen Your Back: Exercises to Build a Better Back and Improve Your Posture (DK Medical Care Guides) Paperback – Illustrated, November 27, 2018

This book has so much information! And great pictures of back exercises! Great price and great book! Could be a text book for physical therapists!

I can stretch out any part of my bodily easily - has a great index so you can find what you are looking for easily. Had a piraformis injury which led to various other body parts being sore, checked on line as to what areas needed the stretching most for my injury, found super exercises to fit the bill in this book.

I'm really glad to have this book! I have some trouble with lower back pain, sciatica and some hip pain on one side. Swimming laps kept my symptoms at bay for many years. I find now, though, that I need something else and I suspect it might be muscle-strengthening exercises. About once a year, for no reason at all, my back just gives out and I'm on my way to the ER for painkillers.It's so easy to do exercises wrong, so my big question about the book was: Can it give explicit enough directions that you don't injure yourself further? For the most part, this book does. Each exercise has 3-6 photos, depending on difficulty. Each photo might have 1-5 directions around the image of the person, in addition to the step directions. (See photos.) DK is in the business of visual books that impart information, so it's no surprise they're putting out a book like this. Still, I would have liked for purchasers of the book to have a code or link or something to a youtube video or channel with a person doing the exercises and activities accompanied by narration. Or maybe a DVD included in the back of the book.In addition to exercises, the book has very valuable information about the anatomy of the body and how to perform daily movement and activities in a way that doesn't hurt your back: gardening, carrying grocery bags or a laptop, sleeping, turning over in bed, getting up out of a bed or chair, getting in and out of a car, dressing, etc. It even has alternative ways to do these activities if you are impaired already; for example, how to put on shoes if you can't bend over. I was glad to see a segment on healthy eating. I wish it were stronger in language. Excess weight is the driver of so much back, knee and joint pain, but people don't want to hear it.The one thing a book like this can't tell you -- but a personal trainer or a physical therapist can -- is how to personalize these exercises to best suit your situation. In physical therapy, I discovered that I can only do bilateral exercises -- meaning exercises that work both sides of the body at the same time. I can't do exercises that require, for example, an exercise band on one foot and then the other. I wake up the next day with pain so bad I can't get out of bed. I have to do the same thing on the right and left at the same time. So, books are great, but there are times you might need more expert help. This book even describes what happens at your doctor's exam and at a physical therapist's office.

Book describes and instructs a multitude of exercises for people with back pain in a very simple and concise manner and makes them easy to practice for beginners, middle of the roaders, and even more advanced practitioners of warm up stretches and exercises.

Great exercises for strengthening core muscles

Full of information and illustrations to guide your journey with back health

Easy to follow explanations. Love this book as my back was starting to ache all the time. This is super easy to follow and took me through the basics so I don't over stress my back. Not only did I enjoy learning about new ways to stretch but I did not realize how bad my posture was. Truly recommend as when you back hurts; everything hurts.

Helpful and easy to follow.