8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back: Natural Posture Solutions for
pain in the back, neck, shoulder,
hip, knee, and foot
ESTHER GOKHALE, Pendo Press,
$24.95 (244p) ISBN 0-9793036-0-5
Intelligent and beautifully illustrated,
8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back shows
readers how to overcome back pain
through better posture. Gokhale’s
revolutionary approach features a
highly original blend of user-friendly
instructions, physiological expertise,
and in-depth historical analysis. Users
will not only experience pain-relief;
they will also understand why they feel
so much better. The potential
applications of this book are enormous.
Because the Gokhale Method is a
holistic program for returning the body
to its natural posture, her system
reaches out beyond the epidemic of
back pain to address dozens of other
musculoskeletal maladies including
repetitive stress injuries and pain of the
neck, foot, knee, shoulders, and hip.
The book guides the reader
through a series of disarmingly simple
changes in posture. Lessons on sitting,
walking, sleeping, and bending involve
an anteverted pelvis and use the
muscles to decompress the spine,
support motion, protect the joints and
bones, reduce stress, and improve
circulation. The relief comes right
away. Unlike most back-pain books,
this one does not require any special
equipment, physical exercises,
expertise in Yoga or Pilates, or
changes in diet or daily routine.
Instead, the steps are designed to
integrate easily into everyday life. One
can perform them while driving, sitting
in a meeting, standing in line, or
bending over to pick up an object.
Gokhale sets the stage by
asking why the epidemic of back pain
has been largely confined to adults
living in Europe and North America
during the twentieth century. Using
history and anthropology, she leads her
readers through a series of key factors
that have led to unhealthful posture,
culminating in the 1920s fashion that
encouraged a tucked pelvis and
habitual slouching. To show how far
we have veered from the ideal, she
includes and analyzes over a thousand
photographs of young children, of pre industrial
artworks, and of men and
women from Africa, Asia, South
America, and rural Europe who have
not forgotten how to use their bodies.
These images, along with many
anatomical drawings, provide
convincing evidence of the author’s
fundamental claim that a return to the
body’s natural posture offers the only
permanent way out of back pain.
8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back will appeal to an enormous readership,
including those who deal with back
pain in their daily practices:
neurologists, physical therapists,
physiatrists, general practitioners, and
yoga and dance instructors. Above all,
it should prove invaluable to people in
pain—professional and weekend
athletes, frequent flyers, computer
users, construction workers, gardeners,
and anyone who has an aching back.
Their numbers are legion.
8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back:Natural Posture Solutions for
pain in the back, neck, shoulder,
hip, knee, and foot
ESTHER GOKHALE, Pendo Press,
$24.95 (244p) ISBN 0-9793036-0-5
With a fresh approach to a
common problem, this self help
guide to overcoming back pain
advocates adopting the natural,
healthy posture of athletes, young
children, and people from
traditional societies the world over.
Arguing that most of what our
culture has taught us about posture
is misguided—even unhealthy—and
exploring the current epidemic of
back pain, many of the commonly
cited reasons for the degeneration of
spinal discs and the stress on
muscles that leads to back pain are
examined and debunked. The
historical and anthropological roots
of poor posture in Western cultures
are studied as is the absence of back
pain complaints in the cultures of
Africa, Asia, South America, and
rural Europe. Eight detailed
chapters provide illustrated step-by-step
instructions for making simple,
powerful changes to seated,
standing, and sleeping positions. No
special equipment or exercise is
required, and effects are often
immediate.
Esther Gokhale, LAc, is the
founder of the Esther Gokhale
Wellness Center, a licensed
acupuncturist, and the creator of the
Gokhale Method™, a revolutionary
approach that helps people achieve
better health through better
structure. Susan Adams is a writer
and editor specializing in
biotechnology and computer
technology.
School Library Journal, Janet M. Schneider, Feb.. 15, 2008
After suffering major back pain and undergoing unsuccessful surgery, Gokhale attended classes in France and at Stanford University on posture-modification techniques. Here, she explains how she came to develop her own method for back health, incorporating words, illustrations, and lush photographs to demonstrate eight lessons on sitting, lying down, standing, lifting, and walking. Each lesson contains goals and objectives, step-by-step instructions, indications of improvement, troubleshooting tips, and further information. Photos illustrate correct and incorrect movements. Appendixes provide additional exercises, anatomical drawings, a glossary, and a bibliography. Testimonials from some physicians and satisfied patients pepper the book, as do a few promotional ads for Gokhale's clinic, web site, and products. Gokhale's advice to bend straight down from the hips to pick up low items will make many physical therapists shudder; some recommended movements may be too subtle for readers to execute without professional guidance. Still, Gokhale's point about bad posture causing back problems is valid. Recommended to supplement larger collections.
Foreword Magazine, Whitney Hallberg, Nov 2008
A vast majority of Americans experience lower back pain at some point in their lives. Esther Gokhale developed the Gokhale Method for eliminating back pain after studying posture in France, attending anthropology and medical school courses at Stanford University, and interviewing people in Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America who do not suffer from pain. In 8
Steps to a Pain-Free Back (Pendo Press, 978-0-9793036-0-9), she makes her method available to all.
“Until the twentieth century, debilitating back pain was not common in our society,” Gokhale writes. “Today
back pain is more than twice as common as it was in 1950.”
Using instructions and photographs, she instructs readers on good posture, which is the key to eliminating pain. Photos of babies and people who live in rural areas away from desk jobs and designer furniture show that the pelvis is meant to tip forward, the shoulder blades should be positioned behind the spine, and feet should point slightly outward when standing. Gokhale’s lesson on “glidewalking” demonstrates that walking properly utilizes the leg and gluteus muscles and is not merely a “series of forward falls blocked abruptly by the forward leg.”
By Robin L. Dennis, MD
“8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back” is a step in the right direction
A personal experience with back pain and surgery was the genesis for Esther Gokhale’s 8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back. She describes the root cause of back pain as a posture drift (improperly tucked pelvis, slouched shoulders, and protruding neck) away from the naturally intended alignment.
Gokhale proposes two reasons for this adverse posture: the disruption
of kinesthetic tradition passed from generation to generation
and influences from the fashion and design industry. Her method details how to reestablish
natural posture and movement patterns. Her key postural point is attaining and maintaining
an anteverted pelvis, which places all other bones in appropriate posture, with the weight
bearing bones aligned over the heels. Everyday activities (sit, sleep, stand, walk, bend)
are opportunities to practice the corrected postures.
The eight lessons cover stretch sitting, stretch lying, stack sitting,
stretch lying on your side, using your inner corset, tall standing, hip hinging, and glide
walking. Lessons are separated into three sections: background information and importance,
step-by-step instruction, and indication of improvement with troubleshooting. Pictures
and diagrams demonstrating proper and improper posture assist the reader in understanding
and achieving the correct posture. A glossary and anatomy diagrams round out this reference.
Overall, 8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back is a highly accurate analysis
of natural postures and movement patterns (kinetic chain mechanics) involving functional
activities. It shows how deviating from them can result in back pain, along with degenerative
changes that needlessly age so many of us too quickly. Gokhale’s Method is a comprehensive approach that should alleviate pain if patients practice it regularly and maintain awareness of correct postures.
I think this is a great book for someone who is serious about achieving
a pain-free back and willing to work to reach that goal.
It could be recommended by an orthopedic surgeon to patients looking for alternative treatments
for back pain. Some of the step-by-step instructions are difficult to comprehend, although
the accompanying pictures are helpful.
Many patients express their sincerity to be pain-free, but lack the
discipline and patience to practice on their own until they realize lasting results. All “how-to” books suffer from this human shortcoming; if treatment takes time and does not guarantee instant benefits, it clashes with our fast-paced “fix-it-now” mentality.
This book is ideal for the back-pain sufferer who has already bought
into the belief that poor posture (and not age, weight, work, genetics, or some other reason)
is the main cause of chronic back pain and is willing to accept that relief can be achieved
without a pill, masseuse, chiropractor, new mattress, or passive modalities in physical
therapy.
Foreword Magazine, Alex Moore, June 25, 2008
Health. 8 STEPS TO A PAIN-FREE BACK: NATURAL POSTURE SOLUTIONS FOR PAIN IN THE BACK, NECK, SHOULDER,
HIP, KNEE, AND FOOT by Esther Gokhale (Pendo Press, 818 color photographs, 68 color illustrations,
100+ b/w 100 illustrations, 8 x 11, 244 pages, soft cover, $24.95, 978-0-9793036-0-9):
biochemistry student at Harvard and Princeton as well as licensed acupuncturist
and posture expert presents ancient body wisdom that prevents pain and enhances health; topics
include stretchsitting for decompressing the spinal discs, hip-hinging for keeping the back
straight, and glidewalking for limiting the amount of stress in the weight-bearing joints
noting the women of Burkina who walk daily with pronounced lumbo-sacral angles, developed
buttock muscles, and straight necks.
