Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11096 in Books
• Published on: 1993-08-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Customer Reviews

A real wake up call
Prepare for a shock. The posture you may have thought was ok for years, you will probably discover is full of imbalances and misalignments. But cheer up! All these imbalances, even the ones you knew were there but just put down to your particular body shape, they're probably all correctable.
Pete Egoscue has been specialising in the human musculoskeletal system for more than two decades. He has worked with athletes as well as those of us who just want to get around without too much trouble. He has worked on every musculoskeletal pain human beings could devise for themselves. And he has developed a system of exercises to correct the posture and restore the body's natural power to protect and rejuvenate itself.
He has an unconventional, and very simple way to explain the joint and muscle mechanics of the body. As a true layman in this area, I had no difficulty in understanding the interdependent working of the joints and the way that imbalance in one joint will have a knock-on effect on the balance of all the other joints and their connecting muscles.
He also explains in words of one syllable how we get ourselves into such an unbalanced mess in the first place. Don't expect any punches to be pulled here. One of Pete's central themes is the need for each of us to take responsibility, so he tells it like it is.
Once we are ready to take responsibility, Pete describes for us 4 basic bodily conditions, and shows us how to diagnose ourselves. And once the diagnosis is complete, we are given a system of exercises which, if we choose to follow, will allow us to correct ourselves and, in turn, allow the body to begin to repair whatever cartilage damage or other pain is being caused by the condition. Needless to say, perfection is condition 4, and there is a system of exercise designed to maintain that too.
Pete then takes us through a question and answer session covering the most common things he has been asked by patients over the years, and finally he takes a look at individual sports.
I found the book refreshingly frank, easy to understand and, in terms of my own body and posture, very illuminating. I had no difficulty in self-diagnosis, and the exercises themselves were easy to follow, if a little time consuming, but that depends on how eager you are to take responsibility for your own progress.
Most important of all, the exercises worked! My posture was indeed corrected and, a hidden benefit, the improved suppleness and strength had an immediate knock-on effect on my ability with all other forms of exercise I happened to be doing at the time.
This is one wake up call you can be grateful for.

Gave me back my active physical life.
For most of my adult life after 40 I had suffered from low back and hip pain. I reluctantly accepted the fact that I would have to stop or cut back on some athletic activities. Also, heavy yard work and the like. My typical routine was to see a chiropractor every two weeks and get an adjustment. Three years ago my back went out so severly that I could not even lie down comfortably for treatment. My third chiropractor, one recommended by a friend, changed my life. After examining me he informed me that my muscular-skeletal system was so misaligned that an adjustment wouldn't be enough. The chiropractor recommeded I pick up "The Egoscue Method of Health Through Motion", and proceed with the level 2 exercises/stretches. Within one week I was literally a new man. It also gave me more motion in my shoulders and neck. I incorporate a few of the stretches everyday now. I have not been back to a chiropractor since and I have never felt better. I have recommended this book to many people. Those that take the time to do the stretches always have gotten positive results. I am now 55 years old. I lift weights. I mountain bike. The important thing is I have complete confidence in my bodies ability to recover from any strenuous activity. I have been given a new lease on life do to this amazing book.. Thank you Pete Egoscue.

Straightforward, practical approach to pain relief & fitness
The Egoscue Method is a dead-on assessment of how a mostly sedentary lifestyle can ruin your health and cause chronic pain of various types as well as other ailments, even in professional athletes! It is also explains exactly how to diagnose and remedy these problems through a series of fairly simple exercises that really work. I am a computer programmer and have suffered for years from severe chronic lower back pain and occasional leg, hip, upper back, and neck pain as well. While undergoing physical therapy following an "episode" of extreme lower back pain I heard about this book from a friend whose orthopedic surgeon had recommended it as an alternative to back surgery. Within one week of reading it and trying the exercises I was pain-free. The book's clear illustrations and explanations helped me understand just how my lifestyle was causing my pain. The exercises are easy to learn and do and take from 20 to 60 minutes a day. This may seem like a lot of time, but for someone with chronic and/or severe back pain, it is completely worth spending. This book is "must" reading for anyone suffering from pain or anyone who just wants to feel better. There are no gimmicks, no products to buy, just real, practical advice and solutions. Even if you are in "great" physical shape, you can probably benefit from reading this book.