The Wall Street Journal
"After three months, the results have been striking: 80%… reported that their pain was reduced by at least half"

Ellen Barkin
"[Dr. Vad’s] holistic approach can work for anyone willing to put in just a little time and positive thought."

Don Aspergen, Sports Medicine Division, the PGA Tour and Senior PGA Tour
"Back Rx has been medically proven to have significant positive effect on low back pain caused by disc pathology."

Book Description
From a noted pioneer in sports medicine comes a breakthrough regimen for stopping back pain once and for all—without surgery. Eighty-percent of Americans suffer some form of low-back pain—usually due to a herniated disk—but long-term relief is rarely achieved. As a physician specializing in treating athletes, Dr. Vijay Vad has spent years researching how to cure back pain using medical yoga and Pilates. Profiled in The Wall Street Journal, his program requires just fifteen minutes a day for eight weeks to restore flexibility and prevent future injuries. Offering a proven alternative to invasive surgery, Dr. Vad’s Back Rx provides the best of mind/body medicine by giving readers three step-by-step exercise series, demonstrated in 130 precise photographs, for implementing his popular program at home. Even readers with severely limited mobility will rejoice in Dr. Vad’s gentle introductory workout. Progressing through his self-paced program, they will discover a new range of exercises, breathing techniques, and tips for self-massage. For those who want to go even further and use this program for more than the treatment of a single injury, an advanced workout is included that puts readers on the road to peak performance. The perfect combination of modern medicine, Pilates innovations, and ancient yoga postures, Back Rx builds important new fundamentals for lifelong freedom from pain.

About the Author
A lifelong yoga practitioner, Vijay Vad, M.D., is a sports medicine specialist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. He also serves as the official back-care advisor for the Professional Golfers Association tour and two major tennis tours. Hilary Hinzmann is a freelance editor whose projects include Use What You’ve Got by high-profile New York City realtor Barbara Corcoran.

FROM THE CRITICS

The Wall Street Journal

After three months, the results have been striking: 80%￯﾿ﾽ reported that their pain was reduced by at least half.

Library Journal

Many Americans suffer from some form of lower back pain, and these two consumer health guides aim to relieve their discomfort. Vad (sports medicine, Hosp. for Special Surgery, New York City), a back-care adviser for the Professional Golfers' Association, incorporates the best of allopathic and integrative medicine in his well-organized, three-part book. In Part 1, he reviews the workings of the back and explains "why it hurts." In Part 2, he presents exercises-standard, proven rehabilitative kinds as well as yoga and Pilates for those wanting or needing more than the basics-with excellent graphics; clear, step-by-step instructions; and three levels of rehabilitation and their sequences. Then in Part 3, Vad looks at various nonsurgical and surgical treatments and future trends in back care. He notes that his program requires just 15 minutes a day for eight weeks. Oxenhandler, a medical doctor and acupuncturist specializing in chronic pain, seeks to "educate laypersons and healthcare practitioners about pelvic tilt/short leg syndrome," one of the six failed lower-back syndromes that he argues is responsible for chronic lower back pain. Most of the 24 chapters (plus an epilog) are dedicated to diagnosis and therapeutic options, including exercises, for pelvic tilt/short leg syndrome. While Oxenhandler's book presents interesting and potentially useful information, it suffers from poor organization and editing. Back Rx is highly recommended for all consumer health collections because of its unique incorporation of allopathic and integrative medicine. The Humpty Dumpty Syndrome is recommended, but with reservations, for its in-depth coverage of a topic not commonly addressed.-Howard Fuller, Stanford Health Lib., Palo Alto, CA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

[Dr. Vad's] holistic approach can work for anyone willing to put in just a little time and positive thought. — Ellen Barkin

Bill Norris

[His] innovative research on the professional tennis and golf tours and the practicality of Back Rx make it suitable for professional athletes and weekend warriors, as well as couch potatoes. — athletic trainer, Association of Tennis Professionals Circuit

Don Aspergen