Everyone Has Back Pain

Everyone Has Back Pain - Neuroscience Education for Patients with Back Pain

Everyone Has Back Pain was written by Adriaan Louw, a physical therapist and pain neuroscience researcher who has spent years studying pain and learning the most effective ways to help people treat and manage it. The information provided is based on research showing that you'll feel less pain, move better, exercise longer and experience more success with therapy when you understand what pain actually is and how it works in the body. This back pain book, written for people of all ages who experience back pain, examines some of the typical myths that exist about this common condition and provides simple strategies for lessening the pain.

Everyone Has Back Pain: Neuroscience Education for Patients with Back Pain

Studies show that the more you know about pain and how it works, the better off you’ll be. You’ll move better, experience less pain and have increased ability and interest in healthy movement, which is essential to your recovery. This book provides therapeutic neuroscience pain education to help you understand pain, listen to your body, respond to your body’s messages in a healthy way, and set goals to start getting back to the activities that you find enjoyable and meaningful.

Everyone Has Back Pain includes the following chapters:

• Introduction
• Section 1: Understanding the Difference Between Back Pain and Disability
• Section 2: Understanding What Scans and Medical Tests Tell Us About Back Pain
• Section 3: Understanding Common Myths About Back Pain
• Section 4: Understanding How Pain Works
• Section 5: Understanding What You Can Do To Help Your Back

About the Authors

Adriaan Louw, _{PT, PhD: Renowned Author and Pain Researcher}

Adriaan has taught throughout the US and internationally for 20 years at numerous national and international manual therapy, pain science and medical conferences. He is a Certified Spinal Manual Therapist, Therapeutic Pain Specialist and has authored and co-authored over 50 peer-reviewed articles, books and book chapters related to spinal disorders and pain science. He is the Director of the Therapeutic Neuroscience Research Group – an independent collaborative initiative studying pain neuroscience and is the Program Director of the Therapeutic Pain Specialist and Pain Science Fellowship post-graduate program for Evidence in Motion.

The Why You Hurt Series

Adriaan Louw has created a series of tools that work together seamlessly, whether you’re a clinician who wants to understand pain education and how to teach your patients, or someone with chronic pain who is looking for help.

Timothy W. Flynn, _{PT, PhD, OCS, FAAOMPT}

Expert clinician, researcher and author, Tim has instructed practitioners throughout the US and internationally since 1985. He is also a professor at the Evidence in Motion School of Physical Therapy, South College.

Emilio Puentedura, _{PT, DPT, PhD, OCS, GDMT, CSMT, FAAOMPT}

Emilio Puentedura has been involved in orthopedic manual therapy for over 37 years, working in outpatient settings with a focus on spinal conditions, lecturing and presenting seminars on the various approaches of manipulative therapy. After teaching for 10 years at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, he is now Clinical Professor at Baylor University's new DPT program.

From the Back Cover

Today, as it has been throughout all of history, back pain is extremely widespread. It is the second most common reason people go to the doctor after the common cold, and is even referred to as the “common cold of the muscle-joint system.”

Despite its prevalence, there are unfortunately many myths that exist about back pain. Often, this results in people making poor treatment decisions that do not improve their pain, causing them to suffer unnecessarily.

This book examines some of the typical misinformation that exists about back pain. In addition, it provides a detailed explanation of how pain truly works in the body, as well as simple, easy-to-apply strategies for lessening the pain.

Like the other books in this series, Everyone Has Back Pain follows the philosophy that “education is therapy” and the more we understand our pain, the better we can control it. This is the good news that neuroscience brings us: Back pain is normal―but living with it doesn’t have to be.