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Pain Free: A Revolutionary Method for Stopping Chronic Pain
Starting today, you don't have to live in pain.
That is the revolutionary message of this breakthrough system for eliminating chronic pain without drugs, surgery, or expensive physical therapy. Developed by Pete Egoscue, a nationally renowned physiologist and sports injury consultant to some of today's top athletes, the Egoscue Method has an astounding 95 percent success rate. The key is a series of gentle exercises and carefully constructed stretches called E-cises. Inside you'll find detailed photographs and step-by-step instructions for dozens of e-cizes specifically designed to provide quick and lasting relief of:
Lower back pain, hip problems, sciatica, and bad knees
Carpal tunnel syndrome and even some forms of arthritis
Migraines and other headaches, stiff neck, fatigue, sinus problems, vertigo, and TMJ
Shin splints, varicose veins, sprained or weak ankles, and many foot ailments
Bursitis, tendinitis, and rotator cuff problems
Plus special preventive programs for maintaining health through the entire body.
With this book in hand, you're on your way to regaining the greatest gift of all: a pain-free body!
the help of Pete Egoscue's revolutionary program of quick
stretches and strength-building exercises, you can cure
chronic pain, and do it naturally.
Pete Egoscue has shown thousands of individuals, corporations, schools, and championship sports teams how to eliminate pain without investing in expensive ergonomic devices or resorting to surgery or drug therapies. His groundbreaking book, with nearly 50,000 hardcover copies sold, shows readers how to:
Relieve lower back pain
Improve hip problems, sciatica, and bad knees
Relieve migraines and other headaches, stiff neck, fatigue, sinus problems, vertigo, and TMJ
Relieve painful problems, like carpal tunnel syndrome, often misdiagnosed as arthritis
Prevent injuries and maintain health through stretching programs for the entire body
Filled with easy instructions, photos, and line illustrations throughout, this book will provide quick, effective pain relief. -->
That is the revolutionary message of this breakthrough system for eliminating chronic pain without drugs, surgery, or expensive physical therapy. Developed by Pete Egoscue, a nationally renowned physiologist and sports injury consultant to some of today's top athletes, the Egoscue Method has an astounding 95 percent success rate. The key is a series of gentle exercises and carefully constructed stretches called E-cises. Inside you'll find detailed photographs and step-by-step instructions for dozens of e-cizes specifically designed to provide quick and lasting relief of:
Lower back pain, hip problems, sciatica, and bad knees
Carpal tunnel syndrome and even some forms of arthritis
Migraines and other headaches, stiff neck, fatigue, sinus problems, vertigo, and TMJ
Shin splints, varicose veins, sprained or weak ankles, and many foot ailments
Bursitis, tendinitis, and rotator cuff problems
Plus special preventive programs for maintaining health through the entire body.
With this book in hand, you're on your way to regaining the greatest gift of all: a pain-free body!
the help of Pete Egoscue's revolutionary program of quick
stretches and strength-building exercises, you can cure
chronic pain, and do it naturally.
Pete Egoscue has shown thousands of individuals, corporations, schools, and championship sports teams how to eliminate pain without investing in expensive ergonomic devices or resorting to surgery or drug therapies. His groundbreaking book, with nearly 50,000 hardcover copies sold, shows readers how to:
Relieve lower back pain
Improve hip problems, sciatica, and bad knees
Relieve migraines and other headaches, stiff neck, fatigue, sinus problems, vertigo, and TMJ
Relieve painful problems, like carpal tunnel syndrome, often misdiagnosed as arthritis
Prevent injuries and maintain health through stretching programs for the entire body
Filled with easy instructions, photos, and line illustrations throughout, this book will provide quick, effective pain relief. -->
296 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
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December 2, 2020
A MIRACLE HAS HAPPENED!
Let me tell you:
I have had back problems ever since a car accident at age 24. Add to this 2 minor car accidents in later years. Add to this several rock’n roll accidents with amateur partners pounding me forcefully onto the floor and one dropping me onto my head because of a misunderstanding. Add to this a mountain trek with a way-too-heavy backpack. Add to this quite a few other incidents and circumstances damaging my spine.—Did I get treatment for my bad back? Of course, I did. I had physiotherapy treatment series many a time. It always helped a bit, but the improvement never lasted. One wrong move (such as taking a sharp turn, reaching far over a table, or bending down for longer than a second), and I was in agony again, be it with lumbago, a jammed nerve, or even a slipped disc. Besides, when I used the exercise machines at the last physiotherapy center where I was treated, I ended up with a ruptured rotator cuff. I also tried chiropractors a few times, but their treatments only left me worse. There were also some surgeons who wanted to fuse my spine and one who, after all kinds of costly exams and tests, had his secretary phone me to tell me that I wasn’t a good candidate for surgery; he did not give any reason.
And then there was this ordeal, last December (2019), that sent me into pain attacks of severity 11 (using a pain scale of 0-10) and left me a partial nursing case. I won’t tell you how it happened—unless you’ll ask me. So for now, I’ll just say that it started with me accidentally stepping into a little depression in front of our house.—I was hauled to the local ER, where they had to move me with a board (lifted by 4 strong men) from the ER bed to a trolley, to the MRI bed, back to the trolley, to the x-ray bed, back to the trolley, back to the ER bed, where they finally gave me a steroid shot, which eventually enabled me to climb down from the ER bed and sit in a wheel chair, with which I could be wheeled to an ambulance that took me to a better equipped hospital (160 miles away) for emergency surgery. To make it short: The surgeon could not or would not (it was a few days before Christmas) operate. I was told that there was a bleeding risk because I had taken aspirin (which I had already told them at the local ER), and I was instructed to come back for surgery after the holidays.—Again to make it short: I had no confidence in the surgeon who had never bothered to show up at my bedside. So, in early January, I consulted 2 other surgeons (who came once a month to our town to hunt for patients, whom they would operate in a hospital near Salt Lake City) and ended up having no confidence in these surgeons either. They could not precisely tell me how they wanted to fix the problem. Neither did they commit to any clear info about the involved risk. (Mind you, the damage to my spine is a complicated one, I am 80 years old, and due to my asthma, chronic bronchitis, and history of 8x pneumonia, my anesthetic risk is high.) For this reason, I decided to keep looking for a surgeon I might have more confidence in. Yet then came the pandemic, and I would not be caught dead near any medical facility.
So here I was—a partial nursing case! Steroid pills and pain pills enabled me to make it from one room to another with the help of a walker and eventually, but not without risk, without a walker, yet constantly in danger of falling. Had I not been lucky to always get hold of some piece of furniture or a door frame whenever one of my legs gave in, I would have fallen numerous times. Getting up from a chair was a major venture that not only required holding onto some support but, quite often, also required my husband’s full strength to pull me up. It usually ended with a loud scream of pain. And these were firm chairs, which are normally easy to get up from. Sadly, I could no longer use my comfy recliner (nor any couch), as it was impossible to get me out of it again. We tried once. Loooong story. Let me just say: Never again! Yet what was worse: Standing longer than 5-10 seconds (!) at a time caused me agonizing pain attacks that might last for many hours. Thus, my husband had to spend lots of time assisting me in the kitchen, that is, retrieve everything from the fridge, wash all veggies, watch food cooking on the stove, lay the table, take care of the dishes, etc., etc.. All I could do was prepare food, while sitting down at the table. As everyone knows, there is other housework beside preparing meals. And I also needed assistance taking a shower and getting dressed. So my poor husband was terribly overworked. (We eventually managed to get some hired help again, as we have always tried to have hired help, but because of the pandemic, this hired help could only do outside work for us.)
When I decided against surgery, at least for the time being, I had some hope that the body’s natural power of healing might kick in. But there was only minimal improvement until the end of June (6 months after the ordeal with my spine), when finally I started to make some more noticeable progress. I was very happy when by mid of September, I was able to walk for about 100 yards, holding on to a cane or leaning onto a shopping cart. And when I once managed to walk half the length of our local Walmart store without a shopping cart, I felt like celebrating. Yet this had been a risky endeavor. Any 3-year-old could have easily knocked me over.
Then, about 4 weeks ago, the above book fell into my hands. It was in one of my many boxes with unread books. A label on the book showed that I must have picked up this book at a 2nd-hand store, at some time, yet I doubt that I had ever opened the book. I was about to put it down again, as I distrusted the claim in the title, but the book I had wanted to start reading next had yet to be disinfected after arriving in the mail, and I did not wish to start reading any other book. So, out of curiosity, I opened the above book and browsed through it a bit. I read the introduction. It made a lot of sense. And since (many of) the author’s special exercises, which he calls “e-cises", looked so simple, I tried one. It required sitting on a chair (or bench) in a certain position, squeezing a pillow between the knees, and holding this position for 5 minutes. Since I did not have a pillow handy, I just imagined the pillow. And since sitting like this felt a bit uncomfortable, as I wasn’t used to it, I did not hold this position for 5 minutes but only for 10 seconds. Yet I repeated this e-cise throughout the day (still with only an imagined pillow) maybe a dozen times (I did not count), always holding the position for 10 to 20 seconds. Then, at the end of the day, I was surprised to find that I could now rise from a chair without any support and without wailing of pain. I showed my husband, and he was stunned.
The following day, I partially undid my improvement again by driving our truck that has a worn seat, which is bad for my spine. Back home, I repeated the e-cise (still with only an imagined pillow) numerous times, holding the position now for 10-30 seconds, and my improvement returned to what it had been before driving the truck. I was meanwhile also fiddling with a few other e-cises, improvising them, as I was unable to get down onto the floor.
The third day, after again doing this e-cise quite a few times (still with only an imagined pillow and still only for up to 30 seconds at a time), I walked for half a mile without a cane, while my husband repaired a gate. When my husband saw me walking off on the road shoulder, he was worried, but he could not follow me, as he could not let go of the gate. He could hardly believe that I made it back without falling. That evening, I again repeated this e-cise several times, and for the first time, I held the position for 5 minutes, which turned out not to be any problem at all. My husband found me a pillow, but I only used it once, as two of our cats requisitioned the pillow right after. This did not matter, because I am meanwhile rather experienced in imagining the pillow. :-) I also kept fiddling with several other e-cises, still improvising them. I did them while sitting at the table, cutting veggies. And I did some in bed, in the morning. I am sure this is not exactly what the author had in mind when he specified how to do these e-cises, yet I figured that it would be better to improvise these e-cises rather than wait until I was set up to do them in a perfect manner (i.e., on the floor and [some of them] using an exercise cube) .
Today, some 4 weeks later, I not only get up from a chair with ease and without wailing, I can now stand without major problems for up to an hour at a time, and I can even pick up items from the floor (but am careful not to stay bent down very long). I brisk-walk without a cane for a mile and have done so about twice a week. (My goal is to make it 5x a week.) Today, I even brisk-walked for 1 1/2 miles. And when yesterday one of our cats met me on the road and got between my feet from behind, I did not fall over him but found myself sure-footed like a mountain goat. As a matter of fact, I haven’t been as sure-footed in decades.
And there is something else: The only reason I ever enjoyed walking and hiking was to enjoy the scenery. I never enjoyed the exercise of setting one foot in front of the other (probably because it always involved some pain). Yet this has now changed. And it is NOT for psychological reasons. Walking now gives me physical pleasure. It is as if long-dormant muscles in my hips and thighs area were awakened by this e-cise and are now celebrating that they are finally being used. (I am not sure at all whether or not I used these particular muscles when I was doing competition ballroom dancing in my late teens. Sports involve rather specialized movements and, according to the author of the above book, rarely require the use of all muscles that should be used to retain a musculoskeletal balance.)
So how about pain? I am not saying that I am now totally pain free. I still have pain most nights, until my husband massages me in the morning, and occasionally, I still need Aspercreme or pain pills. But I have now much less pain at night than I had before, and I am rather pain free in the daytime, unless I overdo it and stand for longer than an hour at a time. Yet I am, so far, doing only a very few of the e-cises, and I only do two of them the proper way and about half a dozen others in a very improvised way.
I finished reading the book a few days ago, but I still work with it on a daily basis and intend to eventually do most of the e-cises pictured and described in the book. I have since also purchased a dvd to go with the book. (It demonstrates and explains some of the e-cises shown in the book but also quite a few different ones.)
The author has a clinic in San Diego, and there are licensed Egoscue clinics all over America. If it weren’t for the pandemic that keeps me from traveling, I would go to San Diego (or Denver or Las Vegas) to get evaluated and taught e-cises customized for my condition, which I would also have to continue after having returned home. Yet because my husband and I are high-risk for covid-19, I, for now, have to make do with non-customized DIY.
My husband is still pinching himself to make sure he is not dreaming, seeing my miraculous recovery. He says he wonders whether we have entered a parallel universe.
You may find all this unbelievable. If you think I have lost my mind or I am on psychedelic drugs and imagining my recovery, please go to the Amazon website. There you will find 1,207 reviews of this book, and most of them with similar stories of miraculous improvements and recoveries.
If you or any of your loved ones or friends have chronic pain or mobility dysfunction due to muscular, nerve, or joint problems, make sure you read this book and try some e-cises before you (or your loved ones or friends) consider joint replacement or any other surgery to your bones, joints, or tendons. Surgery is not without risk, takes a long time to heal, and does not solve a problem permanently that is originally caused by musculoskeletal imbalance, which seems to be the cause of 95% of all muscular, nerve, and joint pain or dysfunction. So I count my blessings that I didn’t have surgery.
P.S. If you already had joint replacement or other surgery, e-cises can still be beneficial for you. And should you be pain free and have no mobility dysfunction, you might still wish to do some e-cises, as “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.
P.P.S. Dec. 1st, 2020: I, meanwhile, brisk-walk up to 2 1/4 miles without a cane, and this while I still only do some of the e-cises and most of them rather improvised. We no longer take the dog along, because she can't (or won't?) keep up with my walking speed, which is 3+/mph (= 5 km/hour).
Let me tell you:
I have had back problems ever since a car accident at age 24. Add to this 2 minor car accidents in later years. Add to this several rock’n roll accidents with amateur partners pounding me forcefully onto the floor and one dropping me onto my head because of a misunderstanding. Add to this a mountain trek with a way-too-heavy backpack. Add to this quite a few other incidents and circumstances damaging my spine.—Did I get treatment for my bad back? Of course, I did. I had physiotherapy treatment series many a time. It always helped a bit, but the improvement never lasted. One wrong move (such as taking a sharp turn, reaching far over a table, or bending down for longer than a second), and I was in agony again, be it with lumbago, a jammed nerve, or even a slipped disc. Besides, when I used the exercise machines at the last physiotherapy center where I was treated, I ended up with a ruptured rotator cuff. I also tried chiropractors a few times, but their treatments only left me worse. There were also some surgeons who wanted to fuse my spine and one who, after all kinds of costly exams and tests, had his secretary phone me to tell me that I wasn’t a good candidate for surgery; he did not give any reason.
And then there was this ordeal, last December (2019), that sent me into pain attacks of severity 11 (using a pain scale of 0-10) and left me a partial nursing case. I won’t tell you how it happened—unless you’ll ask me. So for now, I’ll just say that it started with me accidentally stepping into a little depression in front of our house.—I was hauled to the local ER, where they had to move me with a board (lifted by 4 strong men) from the ER bed to a trolley, to the MRI bed, back to the trolley, to the x-ray bed, back to the trolley, back to the ER bed, where they finally gave me a steroid shot, which eventually enabled me to climb down from the ER bed and sit in a wheel chair, with which I could be wheeled to an ambulance that took me to a better equipped hospital (160 miles away) for emergency surgery. To make it short: The surgeon could not or would not (it was a few days before Christmas) operate. I was told that there was a bleeding risk because I had taken aspirin (which I had already told them at the local ER), and I was instructed to come back for surgery after the holidays.—Again to make it short: I had no confidence in the surgeon who had never bothered to show up at my bedside. So, in early January, I consulted 2 other surgeons (who came once a month to our town to hunt for patients, whom they would operate in a hospital near Salt Lake City) and ended up having no confidence in these surgeons either. They could not precisely tell me how they wanted to fix the problem. Neither did they commit to any clear info about the involved risk. (Mind you, the damage to my spine is a complicated one, I am 80 years old, and due to my asthma, chronic bronchitis, and history of 8x pneumonia, my anesthetic risk is high.) For this reason, I decided to keep looking for a surgeon I might have more confidence in. Yet then came the pandemic, and I would not be caught dead near any medical facility.
So here I was—a partial nursing case! Steroid pills and pain pills enabled me to make it from one room to another with the help of a walker and eventually, but not without risk, without a walker, yet constantly in danger of falling. Had I not been lucky to always get hold of some piece of furniture or a door frame whenever one of my legs gave in, I would have fallen numerous times. Getting up from a chair was a major venture that not only required holding onto some support but, quite often, also required my husband’s full strength to pull me up. It usually ended with a loud scream of pain. And these were firm chairs, which are normally easy to get up from. Sadly, I could no longer use my comfy recliner (nor any couch), as it was impossible to get me out of it again. We tried once. Loooong story. Let me just say: Never again! Yet what was worse: Standing longer than 5-10 seconds (!) at a time caused me agonizing pain attacks that might last for many hours. Thus, my husband had to spend lots of time assisting me in the kitchen, that is, retrieve everything from the fridge, wash all veggies, watch food cooking on the stove, lay the table, take care of the dishes, etc., etc.. All I could do was prepare food, while sitting down at the table. As everyone knows, there is other housework beside preparing meals. And I also needed assistance taking a shower and getting dressed. So my poor husband was terribly overworked. (We eventually managed to get some hired help again, as we have always tried to have hired help, but because of the pandemic, this hired help could only do outside work for us.)
When I decided against surgery, at least for the time being, I had some hope that the body’s natural power of healing might kick in. But there was only minimal improvement until the end of June (6 months after the ordeal with my spine), when finally I started to make some more noticeable progress. I was very happy when by mid of September, I was able to walk for about 100 yards, holding on to a cane or leaning onto a shopping cart. And when I once managed to walk half the length of our local Walmart store without a shopping cart, I felt like celebrating. Yet this had been a risky endeavor. Any 3-year-old could have easily knocked me over.
Then, about 4 weeks ago, the above book fell into my hands. It was in one of my many boxes with unread books. A label on the book showed that I must have picked up this book at a 2nd-hand store, at some time, yet I doubt that I had ever opened the book. I was about to put it down again, as I distrusted the claim in the title, but the book I had wanted to start reading next had yet to be disinfected after arriving in the mail, and I did not wish to start reading any other book. So, out of curiosity, I opened the above book and browsed through it a bit. I read the introduction. It made a lot of sense. And since (many of) the author’s special exercises, which he calls “e-cises", looked so simple, I tried one. It required sitting on a chair (or bench) in a certain position, squeezing a pillow between the knees, and holding this position for 5 minutes. Since I did not have a pillow handy, I just imagined the pillow. And since sitting like this felt a bit uncomfortable, as I wasn’t used to it, I did not hold this position for 5 minutes but only for 10 seconds. Yet I repeated this e-cise throughout the day (still with only an imagined pillow) maybe a dozen times (I did not count), always holding the position for 10 to 20 seconds. Then, at the end of the day, I was surprised to find that I could now rise from a chair without any support and without wailing of pain. I showed my husband, and he was stunned.
The following day, I partially undid my improvement again by driving our truck that has a worn seat, which is bad for my spine. Back home, I repeated the e-cise (still with only an imagined pillow) numerous times, holding the position now for 10-30 seconds, and my improvement returned to what it had been before driving the truck. I was meanwhile also fiddling with a few other e-cises, improvising them, as I was unable to get down onto the floor.
The third day, after again doing this e-cise quite a few times (still with only an imagined pillow and still only for up to 30 seconds at a time), I walked for half a mile without a cane, while my husband repaired a gate. When my husband saw me walking off on the road shoulder, he was worried, but he could not follow me, as he could not let go of the gate. He could hardly believe that I made it back without falling. That evening, I again repeated this e-cise several times, and for the first time, I held the position for 5 minutes, which turned out not to be any problem at all. My husband found me a pillow, but I only used it once, as two of our cats requisitioned the pillow right after. This did not matter, because I am meanwhile rather experienced in imagining the pillow. :-) I also kept fiddling with several other e-cises, still improvising them. I did them while sitting at the table, cutting veggies. And I did some in bed, in the morning. I am sure this is not exactly what the author had in mind when he specified how to do these e-cises, yet I figured that it would be better to improvise these e-cises rather than wait until I was set up to do them in a perfect manner (i.e., on the floor and [some of them] using an exercise cube) .
Today, some 4 weeks later, I not only get up from a chair with ease and without wailing, I can now stand without major problems for up to an hour at a time, and I can even pick up items from the floor (but am careful not to stay bent down very long). I brisk-walk without a cane for a mile and have done so about twice a week. (My goal is to make it 5x a week.) Today, I even brisk-walked for 1 1/2 miles. And when yesterday one of our cats met me on the road and got between my feet from behind, I did not fall over him but found myself sure-footed like a mountain goat. As a matter of fact, I haven’t been as sure-footed in decades.
And there is something else: The only reason I ever enjoyed walking and hiking was to enjoy the scenery. I never enjoyed the exercise of setting one foot in front of the other (probably because it always involved some pain). Yet this has now changed. And it is NOT for psychological reasons. Walking now gives me physical pleasure. It is as if long-dormant muscles in my hips and thighs area were awakened by this e-cise and are now celebrating that they are finally being used. (I am not sure at all whether or not I used these particular muscles when I was doing competition ballroom dancing in my late teens. Sports involve rather specialized movements and, according to the author of the above book, rarely require the use of all muscles that should be used to retain a musculoskeletal balance.)
So how about pain? I am not saying that I am now totally pain free. I still have pain most nights, until my husband massages me in the morning, and occasionally, I still need Aspercreme or pain pills. But I have now much less pain at night than I had before, and I am rather pain free in the daytime, unless I overdo it and stand for longer than an hour at a time. Yet I am, so far, doing only a very few of the e-cises, and I only do two of them the proper way and about half a dozen others in a very improvised way.
I finished reading the book a few days ago, but I still work with it on a daily basis and intend to eventually do most of the e-cises pictured and described in the book. I have since also purchased a dvd to go with the book. (It demonstrates and explains some of the e-cises shown in the book but also quite a few different ones.)
The author has a clinic in San Diego, and there are licensed Egoscue clinics all over America. If it weren’t for the pandemic that keeps me from traveling, I would go to San Diego (or Denver or Las Vegas) to get evaluated and taught e-cises customized for my condition, which I would also have to continue after having returned home. Yet because my husband and I are high-risk for covid-19, I, for now, have to make do with non-customized DIY.
My husband is still pinching himself to make sure he is not dreaming, seeing my miraculous recovery. He says he wonders whether we have entered a parallel universe.
You may find all this unbelievable. If you think I have lost my mind or I am on psychedelic drugs and imagining my recovery, please go to the Amazon website. There you will find 1,207 reviews of this book, and most of them with similar stories of miraculous improvements and recoveries.
If you or any of your loved ones or friends have chronic pain or mobility dysfunction due to muscular, nerve, or joint problems, make sure you read this book and try some e-cises before you (or your loved ones or friends) consider joint replacement or any other surgery to your bones, joints, or tendons. Surgery is not without risk, takes a long time to heal, and does not solve a problem permanently that is originally caused by musculoskeletal imbalance, which seems to be the cause of 95% of all muscular, nerve, and joint pain or dysfunction. So I count my blessings that I didn’t have surgery.
P.S. If you already had joint replacement or other surgery, e-cises can still be beneficial for you. And should you be pain free and have no mobility dysfunction, you might still wish to do some e-cises, as “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.
P.P.S. Dec. 1st, 2020: I, meanwhile, brisk-walk up to 2 1/4 miles without a cane, and this while I still only do some of the e-cises and most of them rather improvised. We no longer take the dog along, because she can't (or won't?) keep up with my walking speed, which is 3+/mph (= 5 km/hour).
June 18, 2016
I teach Aqua Yoga and water fitness to 'mostly' the old fart generation. ( 'mostly' for fun as it provides a service which I can offer). Aqua Yoga is growing in popularity. It's a wonderful exercise choice for 'seniors'.....and those recovering from injuries.
While raising my own daughters, I taught Physical Education in a private school.....(Phys. Ed. Director for middle school kids). All the kids were taller than me... Not necessarily faster...but all taller.
I grew up as a gymnastic ....a swimmer... a physical kid....who couldn't get enough of
'playing'.
I went to school to see my friends....
If I could have majored in 'fun' at UC Berkeley in 1970...I would have.....but since they didn't approve - Kinesiology was going to have to do.
Little did I know....I had to take organic chemistry and physics.
The only classes that were warming my 'heart' were my English classes. It was the first time in my life that I actually 'loved' the books we were reading.
Classroom discussions were exhilarating!
However, sure I had no business hanging out with readers & writers - ( I was falling in love in a foreign country that wasn't my home)....I remained committed to what I had more experience with: 'the human body'....studying how and why it moves.
Truth is, anyone who studies Kinesiology loves 'the human body' and MOVING!
I have a library of Heath -type book...am a certified nutritional consultant...but have been retired for many years.
I don't spend a lot of my time studying new advance methods of ways to increase the quality of physical health today....( I rather read a novel, hike, or swim)....
but one of 'the ladies' from my water class bought Paul and I this book.
Truthfully ....there is not much new in this book that I don't already know ( spine prevention has been a pet peeve of mine - and the exercises I do and show others are like breathing air to me - simple - easy - but important. ( especially when you consider one out of four adults have back problems). ....I have no back problem. Yet... a spine injury or chronic back pain can be debilitating..( stops life enjoyment). Spine prevention programs ought to be taught to children before they are allowed to participate in sports. I always taught my kids. ( so they took ownership in preventing themselves from getting hurt) ....the best the could of course.
I've read 'many' books of this subject ... and for home use, THIS IS A DECENT USEFUL BOOK!!!
Thankfully... these days... I'm pain free....but Paul still lives with pain from an accident he had almost 2 years ago. He started doing some of these exercises in this book last night... ( helped a little).
If you have pain in any part of your body....back, neck, elbows, ( like Paul), wrists, ( like Paul), hands, ( like Paul), ... fingers, hips, knees, feet, headaches, sports injuries, etc....
this is a useful book to own and follow suggestions insides. There are photos with clear descriptions.
I just checked Amazon - haven't Goodreads yet... to see how most people feel about this book...
Here are the stats: 1,059 people reviewed it.
77% 5 stars
12% 4 stars
6% 3 stars
3% 2 stars
2% 1 star
BOTTOM LINE.....we want to feel good...pain free...enjoy an active life no matter what our ages are. Having a book around the house like this - sometimes inspires!
Cheers to good Heath!
While raising my own daughters, I taught Physical Education in a private school.....(Phys. Ed. Director for middle school kids). All the kids were taller than me... Not necessarily faster...but all taller.
I grew up as a gymnastic ....a swimmer... a physical kid....who couldn't get enough of
'playing'.
I went to school to see my friends....
If I could have majored in 'fun' at UC Berkeley in 1970...I would have.....but since they didn't approve - Kinesiology was going to have to do.
Little did I know....I had to take organic chemistry and physics.
The only classes that were warming my 'heart' were my English classes. It was the first time in my life that I actually 'loved' the books we were reading.
Classroom discussions were exhilarating!
However, sure I had no business hanging out with readers & writers - ( I was falling in love in a foreign country that wasn't my home)....I remained committed to what I had more experience with: 'the human body'....studying how and why it moves.
Truth is, anyone who studies Kinesiology loves 'the human body' and MOVING!
I have a library of Heath -type book...am a certified nutritional consultant...but have been retired for many years.
I don't spend a lot of my time studying new advance methods of ways to increase the quality of physical health today....( I rather read a novel, hike, or swim)....
but one of 'the ladies' from my water class bought Paul and I this book.
Truthfully ....there is not much new in this book that I don't already know ( spine prevention has been a pet peeve of mine - and the exercises I do and show others are like breathing air to me - simple - easy - but important. ( especially when you consider one out of four adults have back problems). ....I have no back problem. Yet... a spine injury or chronic back pain can be debilitating..( stops life enjoyment). Spine prevention programs ought to be taught to children before they are allowed to participate in sports. I always taught my kids. ( so they took ownership in preventing themselves from getting hurt) ....the best the could of course.
I've read 'many' books of this subject ... and for home use, THIS IS A DECENT USEFUL BOOK!!!
Thankfully... these days... I'm pain free....but Paul still lives with pain from an accident he had almost 2 years ago. He started doing some of these exercises in this book last night... ( helped a little).
If you have pain in any part of your body....back, neck, elbows, ( like Paul), wrists, ( like Paul), hands, ( like Paul), ... fingers, hips, knees, feet, headaches, sports injuries, etc....
this is a useful book to own and follow suggestions insides. There are photos with clear descriptions.
I just checked Amazon - haven't Goodreads yet... to see how most people feel about this book...
Here are the stats: 1,059 people reviewed it.
77% 5 stars
12% 4 stars
6% 3 stars
3% 2 stars
2% 1 star
BOTTOM LINE.....we want to feel good...pain free...enjoy an active life no matter what our ages are. Having a book around the house like this - sometimes inspires!
Cheers to good Heath!
November 9, 2012
I'm a mostly healthy guy, in my late-40s, and dealing with the sorts of mobility issues that creep up and become a big deal -- specifically Plantar Fasciitis. I skipped straight to the exercises at the end of the book, and found my fasciitis gradually improving. More significantly, I noticed while dressing that a shoulder "tweak" I'd learned to ignore over the years had disappeared.
Three things need to be said. First of all, I've yet to encounter a fitness/health book that isn't framed with an evangelical my-way-or-the-highway language, and Pain Free is no exception. I find it off-putting. Our species has been around for a few million years, and we're still figuring things out. Discoveries should be celebrated of course, but we're still short one cure for Death. A little humility and a dash of humour to keep things in perspective goes a long way to making palatable prose.
Secondly: good Lord, these exercises are tedious! Nothing a person does can change that: they are designed to do exactly what they are meant to do, and they do it very well. But don't expect any excitement (I'm bench-pressing 200! I got my brown belt! I ran my fastest mile!) to enter into it, ever.
Lastly, a minor kvetch: I'd love to see a version of this book that illustrates the exercises using everyday objects like chairs and phone books, etc. Specially constructed blocks and props are great for the Egoscue studios (which I understand are doing a brisk business). And it's not that difficult for a person of modest intelligence to supply home based substitutes for what she sees in the book. But, corresponding to my first observation, any nudge away from the Fitness Guru penchant for exclusivity would be welcome.
Three things need to be said. First of all, I've yet to encounter a fitness/health book that isn't framed with an evangelical my-way-or-the-highway language, and Pain Free is no exception. I find it off-putting. Our species has been around for a few million years, and we're still figuring things out. Discoveries should be celebrated of course, but we're still short one cure for Death. A little humility and a dash of humour to keep things in perspective goes a long way to making palatable prose.
Secondly: good Lord, these exercises are tedious! Nothing a person does can change that: they are designed to do exactly what they are meant to do, and they do it very well. But don't expect any excitement (I'm bench-pressing 200! I got my brown belt! I ran my fastest mile!) to enter into it, ever.
Lastly, a minor kvetch: I'd love to see a version of this book that illustrates the exercises using everyday objects like chairs and phone books, etc. Specially constructed blocks and props are great for the Egoscue studios (which I understand are doing a brisk business). And it's not that difficult for a person of modest intelligence to supply home based substitutes for what she sees in the book. But, corresponding to my first observation, any nudge away from the Fitness Guru penchant for exclusivity would be welcome.
August 24, 2014
Rather remarkable for severe, disabling Myofascial Pain, Chronic Fatigue, and Sleep Disorders. If you've got Fibromyalgia or related chronic pain conditions, try this method!
It just occurred to me as I was rating another title about chronic pain that I'd never reviewed 'Pain Free,' one of my very favorite titles on the subject. You haven't read enough about anatomical structure and how it relates to your pain until you've read this book! It's been a while since I read it, honestly, and am due for a re-read, but I will say that the 'Pain Free' book, and especially the two Pain Free DVDs are the one thing I tell any of my friends suffering with chronic pain that they cannot live without. Never before have a total of $30 spent on books and DVDs changed my life. Do I still have pain? You betcha. I'm not as diligent as I should be in applying Egoscue's methods, and I have a very severe disabling pain condition. But I will say that Pete Egoscue got me moving, again, and the noticeable drop in my pain levels has almost literally been a lifesaver. The difference between an 8 and a 5 on the pain scale might not seem substantive to a person not intimately familiar with chronic pain, but let me tell you... it is HUGE when you're living with daily pain that affects even your basic standards and activities of life. This is ESSENTIAL reading for any pain management patient or physician.... physical therapists, mental health practitioners dealing with chronic pain with their patients... all of them should read it, as well. This book, and the related dvds, are not to be missed. I've tried everything from yoga to tai chi to very very mild aquatic therapy. I simply don't tolerate it well, as my pain and fatigue levels are just too high, daily. I give it my all, but before long am left with limbs trembling and literally ready to fall down and curl up in a ball. Egoscue may look similar on paper to some other mild exercise regimes, but is DIFFERENT. I don't know how it's different, but rather than that utter exhaustion of limbs, and rising pain levels, I end up a bit energized and certainly in less pain after a go at the exercises. If you suffer with pain... please... try Pete Egoscue's method!!!! The book and the DVDs made such a difference for me, and they just might for you as well. Just trust me.... if you've still got partial function in your limbs, there's no such thing as 'too old' or 'too hurt' to try this method. Obviously, check with your doctor, first... heck, take him/her a copy of the book, because I've been astounded how many exemplary pain management docs have never heard of this one. It is so worthwhile. I've read a good 100 titles on chronic pain/disability/wellness over my nine year struggle with severe myofascial pain and fatigue... 'Pain Free' is the best of them, truly.
Here is my review on the Pain Free DVDs and a link to grab them at Amazon. IMO, you really need those to get the full benefit of Egoscue's method. http://www.amazon.com/review/R2YW3RTD...
November 28, 2010
The premise of the book is that the human body is amazingly designed to maintain itself apart from drugs and surgery and that musculoskeletal pain should be aberrant rather than chronic. Written by an exercise therapist, the book was recommended to me by friends who have had success with the author’s methods, after I began having pain in my ankles during training runs of 7 miles or longer. I agree with what the author has to say about the importance of motion in freeing the body from pain, about how a lack of motion leads to more pain and eventually death, and how proper design motion can lead to increased strength and the ability of the body to function without pain. It just makes sense! I would recommend this book to anyone whose life has been limited (even in small ways, which can lead to big ways) by musculoskeletal pain.
April 15, 2015
Wow. I've suffered from severe pain in my right hip for the past 3 years - since being thrown from an overly-excited and galloping horse. I've tried yoga, massage, kinesiology and so much more to relieve the pain. Nothing stopped it completely. Until I tried the E-cises in Pain Free. And I mean, I felt noticeable changes the same day. Serious relief. I must admit that I was skeptical, but I am a believer in the methods described in this book. If you are suffering from pain, YOU NEED THIS BOOK! I will admit that you must dedicate a fair amount of time, initially, in order to train your body to heal itself. Every minute is worth it. Don't let the time discourage you. You are worth every minute of each E-cise. :)
June 13, 2008
My massage therapist lent me this book to give me exercises for my knees so I can start running again. It is a great philosophy that everything in our bodies work together. So my weak ankles from improper foot placement and shoulder slouching to compensate for my height are hurting my knees.
Pain is a body's warning sign and one should not seek to mask pain but the heal it's source. When our bodies are in pain, we naturally put less strain on that area and let the surrounding parts pick up the slack. Over time the strain on the rest of your body takes it toll. Where you feel pain is rarely the source of the problem.
He gives simple exercise to retrain body parts that are not performing their primary function properly, or performing for muscles that aren't functioning. The exercises almost seem too simple to help. We'll see how I'm doing in a few months although I won't know if it's the exercises or the structural integration work.
Occasionally I was annoyed when the author would say that basically nothing helps but his exercises. I think it's an aspect of healing, but other things help in conjunction. I've been twirling my foot to strengthen my ankle, but that alone has not helped me to run. I concur that bodies need to be healed by training to function properly instead of jumping to invasive surgery as the answer. Sometimes the easiest solution is the best.
Pain is a body's warning sign and one should not seek to mask pain but the heal it's source. When our bodies are in pain, we naturally put less strain on that area and let the surrounding parts pick up the slack. Over time the strain on the rest of your body takes it toll. Where you feel pain is rarely the source of the problem.
He gives simple exercise to retrain body parts that are not performing their primary function properly, or performing for muscles that aren't functioning. The exercises almost seem too simple to help. We'll see how I'm doing in a few months although I won't know if it's the exercises or the structural integration work.
Occasionally I was annoyed when the author would say that basically nothing helps but his exercises. I think it's an aspect of healing, but other things help in conjunction. I've been twirling my foot to strengthen my ankle, but that alone has not helped me to run. I concur that bodies need to be healed by training to function properly instead of jumping to invasive surgery as the answer. Sometimes the easiest solution is the best.
July 8, 2013
What can I say about this book? It made me pain free in few days that I was struggling to get rid of for long time. I read about this book in 4 Hour Body By Tim Ferris. Out of curiosity I visited Amazon and read the reviews. I decided to buy in India where I live. I suffer from Cervical Spondolosys and pain. Gets worst in the morning. Also found I am losing my balance when I climb down the stairs. Plus feel nausiated in moving AC car/Bus. I tried Physio exercises but did not help. Note that I am not typical sedentary cubicle junkie. I do regirous exercises- Interval running, long distance running, weights etc. But postural imbalances has caused lot of damage and pain. Egosque method is based on Yoga- ancient wisdom of mind and body union. I found the 5 exercises given for Neck pain immediately useful. I think the key is in sequence and duration of holding poses (unlike normal Yoga taught today). Because I have tried Yoga on my own reading books and that did not help me the way these poses helped.
I definitely recomend this method to people suffering from cronic pain, postural imbalance etc and urge them to at least give it a try and see if it helps.
I definitely recomend this method to people suffering from cronic pain, postural imbalance etc and urge them to at least give it a try and see if it helps.
October 12, 2012
This is a first-rate book that I've recommended or given to quite a few people. It has greatly helped me recover from disabling plantar fascitis, and I've also used it in coping with and lessening knee pain and lower back problems. The author is extremely knowledgeable and highly experienced in this field and has dealt with a wide number of intractable sports injuries.
I have not finished the book, nor do I expect to do so, as I have that it is most helpful as a reference book. It has to do with injuries that I have never experienced, and those hold no interest for me. However, I find that I am returning to it again and again for problems that flare up from time to time.
I have not finished the book, nor do I expect to do so, as I have that it is most helpful as a reference book. It has to do with injuries that I have never experienced, and those hold no interest for me. However, I find that I am returning to it again and again for problems that flare up from time to time.
July 14, 2017
If you have chronic pain, this book will change your life. Simple, gradual exercises to help ease you out of chronic pain. It's almost too amazing to think it would work. My only gripe is that I'm broke in a lot of places, and it doesn't tell me how to attack multiple body parts at once. He's very strict about the order of the exercises, but various problems require the same exercises. So if I'm going after a couple problem areas, I'm unsure how to combine sets. Still, small price for waking up the first time in 4 months just this morning with no back pain.
June 20, 2017
Let me first say, this is a very optimistic take on body pain. Doing my best to not give a spoiler, but instead provoke you to pick up this book: The author believes that our bodies are built to last forever, but we don't use them the right way which leads to pain. Essentially, today's luxuries keep us from any modicum of natural physical exertion, and this not how evolution has built us. We experience pain because we are not using the "primary" muscles that are there for us to use, but instead using compensating muscles which effect bones and nerves. It's all connected. So this book gets 5 stars, because of the readability of it, the amount of times I pulled myself away and said, "Wow," and the fact that it is simple and makes so much sense. There are really only 15 or 20 diff exercises in this book, so it isn't daunting. Also the same exercises are used for multiple pain locations which is just fascinating, but again makes sense! I'm seriously going to try these exercises and recommend this book to everyone I know experiencing bodily pain. Excellent read and might save me thousands in hospital bills.
January 8, 2011
Clear, simple, logical advice, as always.
October 16, 2020
Update 2020: For people suffering, I recommend also looking into www.kaiutyoga.com - super comprehensive and effective. This is no 'sales pitch', just sharing what's worked for me. Best wishes.
Egoscue's understanding and knowledge is like music to my ears! I've certainly experienced pain and restricted movement - as everyone has at some point, and have lived with someone with chronic disabling pain and increasing immobility (spinal fusion) over my lifetime. It is not easy (which is an total understatement) but Egoscue seems to provide hope.
His approach is that "a little motion goes a long way". I believe this, and he does a good job of providing examples of how pain results from muscoskeletal immobility / lack of full motion of our body rather than structural dysfunction as most medical orientations would have us think. And how the simplest if movements can resolve difficulties. I've heard from others who have had spinal surgeries that using his exercises - E-crises - has helped them eliminate or manage their pain. For myself, I will be uitilizing some of these exercises to help balance and mobilize my body and reduce mounting stiffness at times.
This approach and understanding of the body resonates with me as he has an evolutionary understanding of our physical/structural development; understands the wisdom of pain as a cue to our misalignment and lack of motion, and the general mindfulness he encourages about our bodies communications and our everyday life I.e. how we use, or don't use our bodies. To me, beyond pain, such an attitude and approach to being embodied can have profound healing effects for an individual - to listen and be attuned to ourselves Is a great service.
I also found interesting the connections he details between our motion patterns and sleep, and things such as sinus problems. I'm sure many more 'common' ailments can be traced back to our ever decreasing limited motion in this day and age.
Egoscue's understanding and knowledge is like music to my ears! I've certainly experienced pain and restricted movement - as everyone has at some point, and have lived with someone with chronic disabling pain and increasing immobility (spinal fusion) over my lifetime. It is not easy (which is an total understatement) but Egoscue seems to provide hope.
His approach is that "a little motion goes a long way". I believe this, and he does a good job of providing examples of how pain results from muscoskeletal immobility / lack of full motion of our body rather than structural dysfunction as most medical orientations would have us think. And how the simplest if movements can resolve difficulties. I've heard from others who have had spinal surgeries that using his exercises - E-crises - has helped them eliminate or manage their pain. For myself, I will be uitilizing some of these exercises to help balance and mobilize my body and reduce mounting stiffness at times.
This approach and understanding of the body resonates with me as he has an evolutionary understanding of our physical/structural development; understands the wisdom of pain as a cue to our misalignment and lack of motion, and the general mindfulness he encourages about our bodies communications and our everyday life I.e. how we use, or don't use our bodies. To me, beyond pain, such an attitude and approach to being embodied can have profound healing effects for an individual - to listen and be attuned to ourselves Is a great service.
I also found interesting the connections he details between our motion patterns and sleep, and things such as sinus problems. I'm sure many more 'common' ailments can be traced back to our ever decreasing limited motion in this day and age.
August 19, 2017
I had kind of given up on my sciatica and back pain, but this book has given me some hope. A week into it I'm getting 2-3 hours of relief per day, which is supposed to increase.
As other reviewers have mentioned, the author's tone of "This is the only method that works and all other methods are not only ineffective, they're dangerous!" (paraphrased) is annoying.
A lot of the exercises say "Go back to chapter 2 for a description of this exercise, but don't use a pillow like in the photo, and do it twice as long" (again, paraphrased) -- it would be less confusing to just have a clean description and photo each time a similar exercise comes up in a new chapter. I ended up typing them out so I had my own one-sheet summary. Get the Kindle version from your library so you can copy/paste.
Update: this method never really controlled my pain. Check out Dr. John Sarno - I'm cured.
As other reviewers have mentioned, the author's tone of "This is the only method that works and all other methods are not only ineffective, they're dangerous!" (paraphrased) is annoying.
A lot of the exercises say "Go back to chapter 2 for a description of this exercise, but don't use a pillow like in the photo, and do it twice as long" (again, paraphrased) -- it would be less confusing to just have a clean description and photo each time a similar exercise comes up in a new chapter. I ended up typing them out so I had my own one-sheet summary. Get the Kindle version from your library so you can copy/paste.
Update: this method never really controlled my pain. Check out Dr. John Sarno - I'm cured.
May 11, 2015
I stumbled onto this book after doing some research to try and improve what had become chronic neck, shoulder and back issues. I wasn't aware of how two foot operations changed my balance and gate (which caused problems elsewhere). The exercises presented appear quite simple, but are actually very challenging. I am now keenly aware of how much body misalignment, and lack of motion affect everything from sleep to vision. I highly recommend people of all fitness levels and ages read this book.
January 26, 2015
I'm struggling on whether or not I should add this to my account because I definitely did not read all of it; only the information that was relevant to me. I've been following the back pain program for a few days now and I've noticed a huge improvement.
I'll update later as to whether or not it pays off in the long term.
I really liked the Jack Nicklaus story, by the way.
I'll update later as to whether or not it pays off in the long term.
I really liked the Jack Nicklaus story, by the way.
December 1, 2016
Mostly outdated now, but several oh his theories were in track with what we've come to understand in neurology and therapeutic techniques, though of course several were for wrong reasons, and some didn't pan out. But that's how scientific theories work-- build the best hypothesis with currently known knowledge. Was probably a pretty cutting edge ideas in his time.
January 9, 2015
This is a "must read" if you have back pain. I suffered for years with lower back pain when someone recommended this book. I followed the instructions and within a week I had amazing results. Within three weeks I was pain free.
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December 29, 2011I recommend this book to anyone with any physical pain. it makes sense to me.
June 15, 2016
It doesn't read easily, that's why I give it three stars. But the content deserves five stars.
March 12, 2017
This book is my go-to for any kind of musculoskeletal issues. It has helped me tremendously many, many times, and I keep giving it away and buying it again.
October 2, 2016
Excellent book that provides simple exercises that realign and balance your body. As an older and regular yoga student, I found that certain areas (lower back and hips) would get sore. One of my yoga instructors recommended this book as an alternative to medication. The author's theory is that most folks suffer from a misalignment of the spine that puts pressure on the compensating joints and muscles. Pure and simple, the exercises work. If these exercises can keep me from taking medication or requiring a hip replacement, I'm all for it. The photos in the book could use some updating but other than that, an excellent book that I will keep nearby.
September 15, 2007
For me, it was an "ah-ha" moment explaining how the body and muscles work and how chiropractors, physical therapists, massage therapists try to address aches and pain. There are specific sections on what exercises to do to address pains in particular areas. The exercises themselves are rather mundane, but are a good start.
September 9, 2011
My shoulder has been screwed up for three years and getting worse all the time. I'm a week and a half into the three week program of e-cises to fix it, and I can't believe how much better it is. Even just one session made a huge difference. If all the stuff in the book works as well as the shoulder stuff has worked for me, this guy should get a medal. It's unbelievable.
September 24, 2014
Although I've not exactly finished reading it completely, I have followed the exercises (e-sices) in this book for the past 4+ months and it's helped me tremendously with my pain issues. If you have any pain or chronic pain anywhere--or just want to improve posture and strengthen muscles to avoid injury and pain--I would highly recommend this book. I'm so grateful I found it.
March 26, 2016
5 stars is probably a little strong, but this book helped me stand up straight and take the curve (non-scoliosis) out of my back. It's helped with headaches also. Probably related to the curve in my back.
What this book is, is a bunch of yoga-like positions that you hold for 5 or 10 minutes to get muscles stretched and bones aligned. YMMV.
What this book is, is a bunch of yoga-like positions that you hold for 5 or 10 minutes to get muscles stretched and bones aligned. YMMV.
January 21, 2021
Though I did skip through some and speed read in other areas. My main reason for reading this book was for the exercises. I will be flipping through the exercises again (I did bookmark some pages) to work up a plan for myself to try and get some strength and muscle tone back in areas that have none.
August 22, 2016
A great resource. I don't think I'll ever be done with this book. It is one that you can periodically check back and review the methods and techniques in maintaining a healthy and well tuned body.
July 16, 2017
Excellent book -- a new way to look at the body.
His book helped me save my knees from surgery. Still in good shape 9 years later.
His book helped me save my knees from surgery. Still in good shape 9 years later.
July 1, 2018
Decent postural exercises hyped-up by a ridiculous paleo-ideology.
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