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One of my favorite books to recommend to patients suffering from chronic back pain is “Crooked.” Written by New York Times bestselling author and investigative journalist Cathryn J. Ramin, “Crooked” details her personal journey with chronic back pain and uncovers the fascinating and sometimes dark corners of the $100 billion back pain industry. The book was researched over the course of 6 years. It provides an impressive amount of information regarding the effectiveness of popular treatment options derived from research studies, personal interviews with stakeholders from all corners of the industry, as well as her own anecdotal accounts of what worked for her after experimenting with nearly every sort of treatment available.
After all of Ramin’s research and attempts to try out everything the industry has to offer, what she felt helped her the most on the road to recovery was hard work, sweat, and consistency with corrective exercises and postural awareness. This is the same feedback I hear from patients in my experience as a physical therapist specializing in chronic pain. I loved that she experimented with different types of movement experts from physical therapists to personal trainers to Feldenkreis practitioners to Iyengar yoga gurus. As she states in her book, “back whisperers” can come in different forms and with different credentials; but it is of the utmost importance that those with back pain come to find someone that they can trust to identify movement dysfunctions and teach them how to reach the right balance of strengthening the appropriate muscles without aggravating the existing pain.
Although what worked for Ramin certainly won’t work for everyone, I recommend this book to all those suffering with chronic back pain as an informative and practical resource for the breadth of options available to them and the kind of people that may be able to help them along their way to recovery. Ramin does an excellent job explaining the latest research on the neurophysiology of pain and how pain education by itself can actually reduce pain by reshaping the way our brains interpret signals from our body.
If you are suffering from chronic back pain, grab this book for an excellent perspective on how to navigate the back pain industry on the way to finding the right “back whisperer” for you.
Dr. Angel Young, PT, DPT, is a physical therapist and owner of Bodylove Physiotherapy & Pilates, a mobile and virtual physical therapy practice serving Bastrop and Smithville, Texas. She specializes in treating chronic pain through a variety of modalities including Clinical Pilates, Dry Needling, Myofascial Manipulation, Manual Therapy, and Redcord method. She is passionate about helping people feel strong, capable, and wonderful in their bodies.
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