Back mechanic
by Stuart McGill · first published 2015
100% recommend
Why HN recommends it
Helps readers self-diagnose back pain and choose exercises, including the big 3 core moves, while avoiding spinal flexion. Suits people with disc issues, sciatica, or chronic pain who want to talk to providers.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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If you're willing to read a book, I can recommend Back Mechanic: https://www.amazon.com/Back-Mechanic-Stuart-McGill-2015-09-3... It gives you a lot of information so you can a) intelligently talk about your pain to your providers and b) build up strength and flexibility…
on “Ask HN: How can you buy high quality healthcare?” ↗Build core strength while avoiding spinal flexion as explained in Stuart McGill's book "Back Mechanic".
on “Ask HN: What did you do to recover after a herniated spinal disc?” ↗…incompetent instructor shoved my back when I was not expecting it. Feldenkrais helped with recovery a lot after that. A few years later, floor pilates helped as well. Now, it's been Stuart McGill's 'Back Mechanic' book, which helps one do some self diagnosis, and select a set of corrective exercises for your individual set of symptoms. McGill may not be the final word on the topic, but he is a good one, with a…
on “For back pain, the subtle moves of the Feldenkrais Method can help some people” ↗No discussion of back pain is complete without mention of Stuart McGill (see, for example, his book "Back Mechanic" - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FKSGJYC/ ). He's a professor emeritus @ UWaterloo, and spent years studying the biomechanics of the back. As a consequence, he's developed exercise techniques…
on “Back pain is a problem which is badly treated” ↗…suffering from Sciatica for the past 10 years or so due to bulging disks - If you haven't come across Stuart McGill's work already, he is the best when it comes to back health. I would recommend his book "Back Mechanic"[1]. It mostly targets disk related issues, not sure how much crossover it has with SI related sciatica, but I'd bet you could benefit from core-focused exercise. 1. https://www.backfitpro.com/books/back-mechanic-the-mcgill-me...
on “How to deal with extreme physical pain” ↗…back pain in particular, which can become more of a problem if you are sedentary as so many programmers are: if you have chronic back issues you owe it to yourself to at least check out Stuart McGill's Back Mechanic (https://www.backfitpro.com/books/back-mechanic-the-mcgill-me...). It's very much in line with this post; in particular the idea that you just have to deal with back pain as a fact of life is--for most…
on “The Aging Programmer [video]” ↗Very interesting. I’ve been battling a herniated disk. It’s the most pain I’ve ever been in. Debilitating. Stuart McGill’s “Back Mechanic” is an illuminating read. The “big 3” exercises have become my staple and they seem to mask the pain long before the underlying injury heals, which takes about a year. So the ideas in this article resonate…
on “A built-in 'off switch' to stop persistent pain” ↗After reading "Back Mechanic," I've had a profound shift in my understanding of -- what used to be -- my own back pain: the usual cause is muscle imbalance. Something to the tune of: our back and torso muscles are responsible for…
on “Chronic lower back pain linked to atrophy in pain-related brain regions” ↗…may be feeling the most excruciating pain of your life. This makes it hard for people to empathize with which further fuels the mental health decline. If you have back problems, I recommend the book "Back Mechanic". This book really helped the person I know.
on “How Doctors Die (2013)” ↗…addressing very down to earth issues like how best to sneeze, tie your shoelaces or or lift light objects from the floor in the best way possible for your back. He's got some books, I've got the one called "Back Mechanic" which I highly recommend and you can find him mentioned in various blogs and YouTube channels. He also does work with high end athletes, powerlifters etc. which may be of interest to some, but I found…
on “Ask HN: How do you guys prevent back problems?” ↗"Back Mechanic" was by far my favorite, but he has a lot of own articles and also certified specialists in his area of expertise, with specific techniques and advice. The "secret" was to know your body to the point…
on “Packing a backpack (2014)” ↗McGill is the man. I suggest his book Back Mechanic to anyone dealing with back issues. I blew my back out last year. I assume it was either a very bad bulge or herniated completely. I could barely walk for 2 weeks, excruciating sciatic pain every time…
on “What This Professor Wishes People Knew About the Real Causes of Low Back Pain” ↗…super practical level advice to avoid pain and injury, simple tests to see exactly what is causing your pain, and excercises to build up specific muscles. https://www.backfitpro.com/about-us/ His book Back Mechanic is aimed at ordinary people, but he's worked with athletes as well, so you can find some stuff on that kind of topic. Walking is a simple and underated cure when you're already in the pain stage.
on “Ask HN: How do you deal with neck and back pain?” ↗Endorsing Back Mechanic as a great book for fixing back issues, at least for my own experience. Referenced a copy after I first threw out my back. Took months of regular McGill exercises to get back to normal (could barely even…
on “The Aging Programmer [video]” ↗I recommend McGill's Back Mechanic book, which is an end-user focused distillation of his academic work. It suggests simple tests to discover exactly where your pain is coming from and then appropriate exercises to mechanically strengthen…
on “A built-in 'off switch' to stop persistent pain” ↗