Our backs are under attack. Back pain is a serious health problem for adults of all ages and professions. Repetitive Stress Injuries (RSI) builds up over time. Relatively minor strains on the muscles and connecting tissues can become serious the longer they go untreated. Often we wait until the pain is too much to bear. 8 in 10 Americans suffer the loss of quality of life, the loss of sleep, and loss of incomes. We spend $100 Billion a year, on average, in lost wages and treatment costs for back pain.
After years in my career I have developed back issues. In my search for better health, I have read articles and books on the subject. Recently, I found Cathryn Jakobson Ramin's book on her experience and personal journey in back pain. She also shares the stories of her fellow travelers she met on her path to healing.
Her book, Crooked: Outwitting the Back Pain Industry and Getting on the Road to Recovery, is an emotional work. My heart ached in reading some of the despair of the people in the book. I found myself thinking about the personal experiences of my friends whose careers were cut short do to back injuries. Cathryn does a wonderful job of bringing light to a dark and painful place for people who suffer with back pain. It is a comprehensive overview of the patient's perspective in the vast world of back pain. It covers success and failures of treatments. I strongly recommend this book for people who are in pain or supporting someone in pain.
Crooked will change your perspective of the treatment of back pain and injury.
