The Back Pain Helpbook

An estimated 8 million Americans require medical care or time off from work because of back pain each year. Despite advances in modern medicine, there is no cure for back pain and the most commonly prescribed remedy for this painful and debilitating condition is long-term self-management.A self-care program for better living, The Back Pain Helpbook includes mind-body methods for relaxation such as breathing and meditation techniques, strategies for combating the depression and fear that often accompany chronic pain, a comprehensive program for fitness including strengthening and stretching exercises, recommendations for prescription and over-the-counter drugs to ease back pain, advice for when to see your doctor and how to get the most out of those visits, tips for engaging in daily activities from sleeping to working to sex, and guidelines for avoiding flare-ups or managing them when they occur.

James E. Moore, Ph.D., is a Clinical Psychologist in the Section of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, WA and a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Kate Lorig, R.N., Dr.P.H., directs the Arthritis Self-Management Patient Education Project at the Stanford University Arthritis Center. Michael Von Korff, Sc.D. is a Senior Scientific Investigator at the Center for Health Studies at Grouop Health Cooperative of Puget Sound in Seattle, WA, and an Affiliate Professor in the Departments of Health Services and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Virginia M. Gonzalez, is a Health Educator at the Stanford Patient Education Research Center. Diana D. Laurent, M.P.H. is a Health Educator at the Stanford Patient Education Research Center.