Book Description
A world-renowned clinician's practical and complete guide to understanding and alleviating neurological pain in the lower back, buttocks, and legs.

Sciatica is the feeling of pain, numbness, "electric shocks," or strange sensations in the seat and running down the leg. It will afflict some five million Americans this year. In easy-to-understand terms, Loren Fishman demystifies the relationship between neurological injury and sciatica, explains the most common causes, leads readers to an exact diagnosis, and outlines the options available for lasting comfort and cure. 20 illustrations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Boring, trite book. little of value.
Don't waste your money.

Typical book on this subject. Nothing noteworthy.

Moreover writing style is poor is tough to follow

A top pick for libraries seeking a comprehensive yet easy reference.
Sciatica Solutions: Diagnosis, Treatment and Cure of Spinal and Piriformis Problems may sound technical but it's medical knowledge is most accessible to lay readers, making it a top pick for public libraries because of its ease of reference and because back problems are one of the most common medical conditions affecting the general population. Chapters cover symptoms, the neurology involved in the range of complaints sciatica shows, and identify seven primary causes, differentiating it from its related piriformis problems and surveying the treatment for both. Dr. Fishman holds some thirty years of clinical experience including alternative medicine, so his SCIATICA SOLUTIONS embraces the best of both worlds, making it a top pick for libraries seeking a comprehensive yet easy reference.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch ... Read more

Book Description
Contains the latest information on Sciatica - what causes symtoms, how to best treat them and ways to prevent future problems. Book gives specific facts on all-natural alternative and medical treatments for fast and lasting relief without the use of drugs.

Book is written in easy to understand language and contains numerous illustrations for recommended exercises. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Perfect for the Layman
Sometimes the illustrations in this book are a little silly, but it presents information in a way that is easy for everyone to understand.It gives a good overview of many different kinds of treatment and how they can help the different causes of sciatica.The exercises depicted in the book and excellent.

Superb Common Sense Understanding
Book is simplied with everyday language to help us understand what to do if and when our back or hurting or with pain we are not used to having...

There are an abundance of simple illustrations which make the book easy for us (NON-Doctors) to understand...

Sciatica Relief Handbook
This book is a total waste of time and money.I am glad I bought a used paperback and am only out $5.00!

Buy this one, but there is a better book...
Let me start off by saying thanks to DLEAKELLER who wrote the review that says - try Dr. Sarno's book on healing back pain.THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! If it wasn't for your review I would never have looked at the book seriously.
I had sciatica pretty bad for 1 and 1/2 years. I found some relief from taking 4 ibuprofens once or twice a day (for months), but didn't want to live that way.My local MD quickly diagnosed sciatica with the straight leg lift test - steroids and PT didn't help.The chiropractor managed to move the pain after my first visit (Sarno's book talks about this) - it turned into what felt like electric shocks running down my leg while laying on a bench for some weight lifting and I thought that was a big improvement! He disagreed. Finally I got so desperate I did some online research and ended up here in Amazon.Searched for sciatica, and bought 3 books.Fishman's book and Cunningham's book were pretty standard fare.You know, strengthen your back, do these exercises, don't bend your back while lifting, blah, blah, blah.
Luckily for me, someone else was kind enough to share their knowledge by mentioning Sarno's book in their review of the Cunningham book.I had noticed Sarno's book in the ads off to the side and immediately ignored it. Come on, how can your mind heal your back!Despite the hokey, holistic sounding description, this BOOK CURED ME!!I know, it sounds crazy.Read some of the 213 REVIEWS on the book.I'll just be repeating what most of them have to say.I read the book and I was a classic example (as are probably the vast majority of middle aged, pretty normal/responsible folks with kids, jobs, etc who also have a bit too much emotional stress which can manifest itself as sciatica).
My improvements were dramatic and fast!Within a few days my pain was greatly diminished.Within 4-6 weeks it was 100% gone and I am back doing the rigorous sports I love - weightlifting, handball, tennis, raquetball, snowboarding, windsurfing, skimboarding, catamaran sailing, etc.Hey, I'm not 20 years old either - 50 is pretty close now.
If you have sciatica you owe yourself the risk of spending a few bucks on Sarno's book on healing back pain.Unfortunately, you won't find the technique in this book.
You won't be disappointed.

Not Very Useful
The author has good intentions here and points out that there are very few, if any, books about sciatica available. And he's right.Including this one, I could only find two.His intention is to provide a vast amount of information regarding treatments along with a useful Q & A section about sciatica. But this book lacks specific medical information, and the author doesn't provide a clear path to resolving this pain. It's filled with information about alternative treatments, but the author doesn't offer any definite opionions - only that 'it couldn't hurt to try'.In addition, he does have some recommended exercises for sciatica patients. I tried these exercises and my sciatica flared up even worse.This book may be useful for some people suffering from sciatica, but did not provide the information or solution that I was hoping to find. ... Read more

Book Description
Dr. Loren Fishman, a distinguished clinician and a trailblazer in the treatment of sciatica, believes there's only one road to relief: patients must become partners with their doctors in naming the cause of their pain and in making treatment decisions.

Based on the latest research and on Dr. Fishman's fifteen years of experience in treating patients successfully, Back Pain is filled with pain-saving advice and instructional facts: so many adults suffer bouts of back pain that many doctors consider them normal occurrences, like a cold or flu; more than four days of bed rest can make a back ache worse; patients who choose chiropractors visit them twice as often as those who choose medical doctors; more than 25 percent of people who go to orthopedic surgeons have referred themselves; the initial treatment any doctor is likely to prescribe is aspirin; sciatica is one of the three major causes of back pain. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Sort of helpful
I've read four books on low back pain, and this was third most helpful of the four. The three more interesting ones have their own specific slant, which may or may not be particularly helpful to any individual low back pain sufferer. For what it's worth, here are the four books, in my order of their helpfulness:
1. Treat Your Own Back, by Robin McKenzie. This mostly focuses on one exercize, the Mckenzie "press-up". A few other exercises are mentioned but mostly you hear about the press-up. However, the press-up IS the most-favored exercise by the majority of physical therapists today. The book is too simplistic, but that makes it easy to use by the amateur, which is the point!
2. Back Pain, by Loren Fishman, M.D., and Carol Ardman. This fairly readable book gives a lot of understandable information about back pain causes and symptoms. Particularly helpful to me was the section relating transferred pain symptoms of sciatica to the probable location of lumbar disk hernias. Dr. Fishman is a physiatrist and an advocate of very detailed physical examinations by physicians, but he gives you some self-examination tools as well.
3. Backache Survival, by Robert S. Ivker, D.O. This book is readable and even funny in places. However, the author gives you so many ideas, and so little specific documentation for the research leading to his conclusions, that I was pretty much overwhelmed. I did follow some of his nutritional recommendation. Ivker is a religious practitioner in favor of Tantric Yoga, therapeutic touch, and healing prayers to God. He's also in favor of practically EVERYTHING else except surgery. Ivker is the opposite extreme of simplistic McKenzie--he gives TOO MANY alternatives!
4. Understanding Low Back Pain, by Mario A Gutierrez, M.D. This book gets the booby prize for unreadability and for the complexity of its solutions, mostly surgery.

The bottom line is you're going to have a hard time curing yourself by reading books, but McKenzie comes closest.

It worked GREAT for ME!!!
Put it this way, I haven't finished the book after owning it for 3 years now, but don't feel it necessary.I bought the book because I couldn't sleep due to back pain on a vacation.I read the first few chapters, said this is me and realized how much the mind influences your bodies well being.End of story, haven't touch the book since but highly recommend it to anyone!!!
Thank you Stern for Telling us about Dr. Sarno!!!

Book not worth the money
I go in for surgery for my herniated disk in two days and nothing I read in this book informed me, encouraged me, or discouraged me from my decision. It's a very basic book if you know absolutely nothing about back pain, but as for any practical advice, there's very little. I especially looked for advice on exercises that are safe to do after surgery, but found none. What little info there is also seems very dated. I would have liked to see more than a tiny bit of info on types of surgery, etc. If the authors had spent their time on more research instead of ranting against managed health care, this might have been a decent and informative book. My advice: spend your money on another, more detailed and up-to-date book.

Great book for those in pain
If you are going to read one book about your sciatica or low back pain, this should be it. The book is very well balanced and covers a lot of ground without getting bogged down in details. It covers the medical background of back problems without becoming a medical text. There are also hints on types of treatments available and how to make rational decisions about what treatment is best for your situation. There are many, many back books out there but this is one of the best written.

One of the Best Lower Back Pain Diagnosis Tools Available
After 5 days of journaling my lower back pain signs and symptoms - I was able to use this book and diagnose my back injury as Spinal Stenosis - Due to a major disc herniated at the L4-L5 inside the vertebral canal.For me the diagnosis was not good - immediate surgery, but as I tore through this book with ease, cover to cover within a 24hr period, I can see how this book is a must buy for those who have back problems several times a year and have not diagnosed the true underlying cause of the pain.

The authors are firm believers in a Doctor/Patient team approach with the patient responsible for aiding the doctor with the proper descriptions in order to truly diagnose the underlying cause of the pain. Using a step by step approach - the author gives the reader a true down to earth understanding of how all the bones, muscles, nerves, tendons, ligaments, disc and connective tissue affecting the lower back work together.

They teach the real difference between symptoms and signs, there-by giving the reader an excellent understanding on how to describe and classify the feelings and pain. They also describe all MD specialist that deal with lower backs to aid you on who might be best fit to help in your diagnosis.They even wiz you by non traditional methods.

Only when you ID the true root cause of the pain - can you begin the road to recovery.With the easy to follow muscle information and nerve charts and an unbelievable amount of excellent symptoms and sign diagnosis aids, I am 100% sold on this book.I am back buying 5 copies just to give out to family and friends that I know suffer through annual rituals of severe back pain and have not had success in really understanding the root cause. ... Read more

Book Description
Identifying symptoms and offering solutions to a painful condition, this book describes how to use more than 15 effective complementary medicine approaches including acupressure, Alexander technique, Feldenkrais method, foot reflexology, hatha yoga, osteopathy, qigong, and rolfing. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Relieving Sciatica:Using Complementary Medicine to overcome pain of Sciatica
The author gave many different approaches to treating sciatica.I found the book helpful in this vein, but anyone looking for a specific treatment for sciatica should look elsewhere.

Helpful Advice
This is a good resource for those suffering from sciatica - anything that works for you will certainly be a relief.good Luck.

Good information
A lot of research was done for this book. It is well organized and written. Most people with long term sciatica are probably familiar with most treatment modalities listed.For those who aren't, it could be overwhelming as there are so many options yet in my experience so much depends on the practitioner.But for many sufferers of sciatica, perhaps there is a nugget here. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Save $20 at legitimate listing!
http://www.amazon.com/Sciatica-Relief-Handbook-Chet-Cunningham/dp/1887053093/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-5816848-2821240?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1194572692&sr=8-1

Unscrupulous sellers create unique listings for their products to avoid the price-competition that benefits us buyers.
In general beware of listings that are in all capital letters, have few or no reviews, or have one or very few for sale.No image of the product is also a bad sign.

This book is available for one cent plus shipping at the legitimate listing.

The book has some useful information and exercises that can be helpful. ... Read more

Book Description
A must for the millions who experience lower back pain. A friendly, practical guide to coping with lower back pain--from pinpointing problems to determining proper treatment. The sometimes crippling, often prolonged back pain that afflicts 2.5 million Americans at one time or another is harder to diagnose than it is to cure. Dr. Loren Fishman, a distinguished clinician and a trailblazer in the treatment of sciatica, believes there's only one road to relief: patients must become partners with their doctors in finding the cause of their pain and in making treatment decisions. Back Talk teaches patients which specialist to see, how to talk to doctors responsibly, what a physical exam should entail, and when to consent to diagnostic testing. It offers clear advice about treatment, surgery, and strategies for pain control.

Based on the latest research and Dr. Fishman's fifteen years of experience in successfully treating patients, Back Talk is filled with pain-saving advice and instructional facts:
* most back pain is curable; less than 10 percent becomes chronic
* more than four days of bed rest can make a back ache worse
* patients who choose chiropractors visit them twice as often as those who choose medical doctors
* more than 25 percent of people who go to orthopedic surgeons have referred themselves
* the initial treatment any doctor is likely to prescribe is aspirin. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

I would recommend this book to back pain suffers.
Dr. Fishman is concerned with the "patient" and quality of life.Many doctors view back pain as separate from the person.Dr. Fishman has sincere interest in helping patients and giving sound advice.

Extremely helpful tool in understanding my back pain........
I was very impressed with how this book expained the reasons for my many different back pains. It was very easy to discover why and where my pain was coming from, and what to tell the doctor. I have suffered with backpain for 8 years, and have discovered this to be a very useful tool indealing with the doctors. It is written so wellthat everyone canunderstand it without having to have a medical degree. I would highlyreccomend this book to anyone who suffers from back pain, and would like tofind a better understanding oftheir pain and symptoms. This will be myhandbook for any future reference, as symptoms do change. I gainedconfidence in dealing with my doctor by having a better understanding aboutthe origins of my pain and symptoms. A+++

An excellent book for sciatica sufferers
I found this book to be an excellent educational tool for someone new to low back pain and sciatica.The authors do a good job of explaining the pysiology of the problem, something many doctors fail to do.Subtle causes of pain are dealt with quite well, which to me suggests that the authors know their stuff.I thought it was written with the knowledge of a skilled doctor, but from the point of view of an inquisitive patient. ... Read more

Product Description
Professor Zhuang Lixing, Director of Acupuncture Department at the Acupuncture and Tui Na College of Guangzhou University of TCM

This DVD integrates Chinese medical and biomedical perspectives to evaluate the physiology, etiology and pathomechanisms of sciatica.Also provides thorough diagnoses, as well as the most commonly seen clinical manifestations and breakdown by pattern identification.This is a comprehensive video that answers your questions and helps you master this commonly seen disorder.

Book Description
This is a 3-in-1 reference book. It gives a complete medical dictionary covering hundreds of terms and expressions relating to sciatica. It also gives extensive lists of bibliographic citations. Finally, it provides information to users on how to update their knowledge using various Internet resources. The book is designed for physicians, medical students preparing for Board examinations, medical researchers, and patients who want to become familiar with research dedicated to sciatica.If your time is valuable, this book is for you. First, you will not waste time searching the Internet while missing a lot of relevant information. Second, the book also saves you time indexing and defining entries. Finally, you will not waste time and money printing hundreds of web pages.Download Description
This is a 3-in-1 reference book. It gives a complete medical dictionary covering hundreds of terms and expressions relating to sciatica. It also gives extensive lists of bibliographic citations. Finally, it provides information to users on how to update their knowledge using various Internet resources. The book is designed for physicians, medical students preparing for Board examinations, medical researchers, and patients who want to become familiar with research dedicated to sciatica. If your time is valuable, this book is for you. First, you will not waste time searching the Internet while missing a lot of relevant information. Second, the book also saves you time indexing and defining entries. Finally, you will not waste time and money printing hundreds of web pages. ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from Family Practice News, published by Thomson Gale on October 1, 2005. The length of the article is 838 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Relieving the pain of sciatica.(Exercise Rx)
Author: Willibald Nagler
Publication: Family Practice News (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 35Issue: 19Page: 83(1)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Book Description

The term Alternative Medicine encompasses many forms, and elicits at least as many opinions. This authoritative, objective set is in tune with the subjects that matter to students and researchers, presenting four volumes of current, unbiased information on alternative and complementary medical practices. Covering all aspects of the subjectTherapies, Conditions/Diseases, Herbs/Plants and Peoplethe Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine identifies 150 types of alternative medicine being practiced today, including reflexology, acupressure, acupuncture, chelation therapy, kinesiology, yoga, chiropractic, Feldenkrais, polarity therapy, detoxification, naturopathy, Chinese medicine, biofeedback, Ayurveda and osteopathy. For the practitioner or interested patient, there are current training requirements, listings of organizations, as well as descriptions of treatments.

Book Description
The article is excerpted fromGale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health.
This 5-vol. set provides more than 850 entries covering topics in nursing and allied health written for students and professionals in the field. Alphabetically arranged entries cover topics in body systems and functions, conditions and common diseases, issues and theories, techniques and practices, and devices and equipment. The Encyclopedia covers all major health professions, including nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, respiratory therapy, medical lab technology, emergency medical technology, dental assistance, pharmacology and nutrition. In addition, the set features approximately 400 photographs and illustrations; appendices of related organizations, agencies and associations; and a general index.

Published/Released: November 2001

Book Description

Targeted to patients, their families and allied health students, The Gale Encyclopedia of Neurological Disorders provides in-depth coverage of neurological diseases and disorders, including stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson disease, Tourette Syndrome, Alzheimer's disease, cerebral palsy, vertigo, amnesia and epilepsy. Related topics include communication aids, electric personal assistive mobility devices, medications for treating neurological diseases and conditions, understanding the needs of Alzheimer patient caregivers and more. This two-volume set provides an alternative to resources that either fail to explore neurological disease in any depth and or do so at a level not appropriate for students and general readers.

Book Description
The article is excerpted fromGale Encyclopedia of Medicine.

Consult the second edition of this authoritative, comprehensive, in-depth medical guide for information on more than 1,700 medical topics in language accessible to adult laypersons. Presented in a single alphabetical sequence, articles range in length from one or two paragraphs for minor topics, to several pages or more for major topics. Disease/disorder articles typically cover definition; description; causes and symptoms; diagnosis; treatments; prevention; and more. Test/treatment articles typically cover definition; purposes; precautions; preparation; risks; normal and abnormal results; and much more. This second edition includes more than 200 new entries, 300 updated entries, approximately 650 color images and illustrations, and a comprehensive subject index. New features include biographical and historical sidebars throughout the text.

Disease/disorder articles contain some or all of the following sections:

• Definitions -- brief dictionary-style definition of the disorder
• Descriptions -- overview of the disorder; who gets it and why
• Causes & symptoms -- process, substance or organism that produces the condition; any risk factors that increase susceptibility to the condition; signs and symptoms of the disease
• Diagnosis -- overview of procedures and tests used to diagnose the condition; how the test is done; who should be tested and when; time required; cost; whether it's typically covered by insurance
• Treatments -- overview of conventional methods of care or management of the condition, such as drugs, surgeries, physical therapy, etc.
• Alternative treatments -- overview of alternative/complementary therapies that may be used to treat the condition
• Prognosis -- probable outcome of the disease
• Preventions -- what actions can be taken to prevent the condition from occurring

Book Description
The article is excerpted fromGale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine.
"Gale's products are known to be thorough, well-researched, and good reference tools.This item is no exception...
This is a valuable resource for readers who are seeking information on complementary medicine and herbal remedies. The scope of this encyclopedia is comprehensive, but not definitive. Readers should use this as a supplement,.to professional healthcare consultation. This source has been a long-awaited product for the consolidation of general alternative medicine information."
-- ARBA (2002)

Information on recommended therapies for specific disorders and diseases, medicinal uses for plants and herbs are balanced by conclusions of studies on efficacy and analysis of current levels of acceptance by traditional scientists and doctors. Biographies of pioneers in the field -- including Deepak Chopra, Edward Bach and David Palmer --appear as sidebars through the text. Included are 39 sidebars. Each volume contains a color photo insert containing images of herbs. There are more than 275 disease/condition entries, 300 herb/remedy entries, and 150 therapies. ... Read more

Book Description

The Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health is an alphabetically arranged five-volume set of more than 850 entries written for students and professionals in the field. Topics include body systems and functions, conditions and common diseases, issues and theories, techniques and practices, and devices and equipment. The Encyclopedia covers all major health professions, including nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, respiratory therapy, medical lab technology, emergency medical technology, dental assistance, pharmacology and nutrition, and features appendices of related organizations, agencies and associations.