8 steps to a pain-free back Natural posture solutions for pain in the back, neck, shoulder, hip, knee, and foot

Esther Gokhale

Book - 2008

Demonstrates the Gokhale method--a technique for alleviating back pain--using eight steps, and includes illustrations, exercises, and tips on how to deal with issues that might arise while learning each step.

Saved in:

2nd Floor Show me where

617.564/Gokhale
3 / 3 copies available
Location Call Number   Status
2nd Floor 617.564/Gokhale Checked In
2nd Floor 617.564/Gokhale Checked In
2nd Floor 617.564/Gokhale Checked In
Subjects
Published
Stanford, Calif. : Pendo Press c2008.
Language
English
Main Author
Esther Gokhale (-)
Other Authors
Susan Adams, 1944- (-)
Physical Description
xvii, 227 p. : col. ill. ; 28 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (p. 223) and index.
ISBN
9780979303609
  • Foreword
  • Preface
  • Foundations
  • Back Pain
  • What We Blame
  • Standing Upright?
  • Sedentary Lives?
  • Stress?
  • Weight and Height?
  • Age?
  • The Real Cause
  • Loss of Kinesthetic Tradition
  • Influence of the Fashion Industry
  • The Effect on Our Backs
  • Moving out of Misery
  • How it Works
  • What does Good Posture Look Like?
  • Anteverted Pelvis
  • A Gently Curved, Elongated Spine
  • Every Bone in its natural Place
  • Using Muscles More than Joints
  • Muscles Fully Relaxed When not Working
  • Breathing as a Therapeutic Exercise
  • It Works!
  • Orientation
  • Follow the Lesson Sequence
  • Herniated Disc
  • High Impact Activities
  • Bending Activities
  • Allow time to Change
  • Know what to Expect
  • How Quickly Can I Expect Results?
  • How Long Should Each Lesson Take?
  • How Difficult are the Lessons?
  • Understand How the Lessons are Organized
  • Recognize Your Progress
  • Barriers to Success
  • Lesson 1. Stretchsitting
  • Benefits
  • Instructions
  • Indications of Improvement
  • Troubleshooting
  • Feeling Overly Stretched
  • Unable to Stretch the Spine
  • Discomfort at Point of Contact
  • Inadequate Chair
  • Further Information
  • Shoulder Repositioning
  • Comments on Lumbar Cushions
  • Sitting in a Car
  • Fashioning a Backrest
  • Checking Your Position
  • Recap
  • Lesson 2. Stretchlying on Your Back
  • Benefits
  • Instructions
  • Indications of Improvement
  • Troubleshooting
  • Feeling Pain or Discomfort in the Low Back
  • Feeling Pain or Discomfort in the Neck
  • Feeling Discomfort at a Point of Contact with the Bed
  • Snoring
  • Feelings of Exposure
  • Further Information
  • Beds
  • Pillows
  • Cervical Pillows / Rolls
  • Recap
  • Lesson 3. Stacksitting
  • The Wedge
  • The Anteverted Pelvis
  • Benefits
  • Instructions
  • Indications of Improvement
  • Troubleshooting
  • Pain in the Low Back
  • Soreness in the Low Back
  • Wedge Not Available
  • Inelegant Movement
  • Changed Line of Vision
  • Further Information
  • Conflicting Guidelines
  • Distinction Between Tipping the Pelvis and Swaying the Back
  • Chairs
  • Floor
  • Recap
  • Lesson 4. Stretchlying on Your Side
  • Benefits
  • Instructions
  • Indications of Improvement
  • Troubleshooting
  • You Can't Fall Asleep
  • Your Body Doesn't Hold the Position Through the Night
  • You Are Uncomfortable in This Position
  • Further Information
  • Sleeping on Your Stomach
  • What to do With Your Legs
  • Recap
  • Lesson 5. Using Your Inner Corset
  • Benefits
  • Instructions
  • Indications of Improvement
  • Troubleshooting
  • Swaying the Low Back
  • Difficulty Breathing
  • Further Information
  • Lengthening by Contracting
  • Jumping
  • Reaching above Your Head
  • Protecting Your Neck
  • Using an External Corset
  • Recap
  • Lesson 6. Tallstanding
  • Benefits
  • Instructions
  • Indications of Improvement
  • Troubleshooting
  • Unable to Contract the Foot Arch
  • Difficulty Shifting Weight onto Heels
  • Problems Aligning the Shoulders
  • Inability to Sense Your Vertical Axis
  • Further Information
  • Arm Position
  • Weight on the Heels
  • Natural Arches of the Feet
  • Bare Feet
  • Pregnancy
  • Insoles
  • Shoes
  • Spine Contour Confusion
  • Recap
  • Lesson 7. Hip-Hinging
  • Anatomy of a Backache...
  • ... and How to Avoid It
  • Benefits
  • Comparing Different Bending Styles
  • Instructions
  • Indications of Improvement
  • Troubleshooting
  • Bending is Painful
  • The Groove in Your Low Back Disappears as You Bend
  • The Groove in Your Low Back Gets Deeper as You Bend
  • Further Information
  • Hamstring Flexibility
  • Bending for Extended Periods
  • Bending While Sitting
  • Extra Weight
  • Hip-Hinging for Athletic Advantage
  • Training Children to Hip-Hinge
  • Recap
  • Lesson 8. Glidewalking
  • Benefits
  • Instructions
  • Indications of Improvement
  • Troubleshooting
  • Feeling That You are Leaning Forward
  • Tendency to Tuck or Lead With the Pelvis
  • Unable to Coordinate Buttock Contraction and Forward Thrust
  • Difficulty Leaving Back Heel on the Floor
  • Losing Track of Your Posture
  • Cannot Coordinate all the Elements of Glidewalking
  • Further Information
  • Walking on One Line
  • Getting Extra Power in Your Stride
  • Running Like a Kenyan
  • Recap
  • Appendix 1. Optional Exercises
  • Strengthening the Torso Muscles
  • Strengthening the Abdominal Muscles
  • Strengthening the Deep Muscles of the Back
  • Strengthening and Stretching the Muscles in the Shoulder Area
  • Strengthening the Neck Muscles
  • Stretching the Neck Muscles
  • Stretching the Key Muscles That Connect the Torso and Legs
  • Stretching the Hamstrings
  • Stretching the External Hip Rotator Muscles
  • Lengthening the Psoas
  • Strengthening Key Muscles Used in Walking
  • Strengthening the Arch Muscles
  • Strengthening the Gluteus Medius Muscles
  • Strengthening the Tibialis Anterior
  • Troubleshooting
  • Stiffness or Pain
  • Lack of Improvement
  • Failure to Exercise
  • Further Information
  • Appendix 2. Anatomy
  • Glossary
  • Bibliography
  • Index
  • Summary Guide
Review by Library Journal Review

After suffering major back pain and undergoing unsuccessful surgery, Gokhale attended classes in France and at Stanford University on posture-modification techniques. Here, she explains how she came to develop her own method for back health, incorporating words, illustrations, and lush photographs to demonstrate eight lessons on sitting, lying down, standing, lifting, and walking. Each lesson contains goals and objectives, step-by-step instructions, indications of improvement, troubleshooting tips, and further information. Photos illustrate correct and incorrect movements. Appendixes provide additional exercises, anatomical drawings, a glossary, and a bibliography. Testimonials from some physicians and satisfied patients pepper the book, as do a few promotional ads for Gokhale's clinic, web site, and products. Gokhale's advice to bend straight down from the hips to pick up low items will make many physical therapists shudder; some recommended movements may be too subtle for readers to execute without professional guidance. Still, Gokhale's point about bad posture causing back problems is valid. Recommended to supplement larger collections.-Janet M. Schneider, James A. Haley Veterans Hosp. Lib., Tampa, FL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.