Seven-Day Action Plans
I’ve designed the remainder of this book to be used as a
reference. In the following pages, you’ll find clear action plans
for eight different back-pain conditions. Simply choose the
one that applies most directly to you, turn to that page, and
get started.
Before you start, however, let me tell you a little about
these action plans and how they work.
Remember:
Back Pain Can Have
Several Underlying Causes
As I’ve said throughout this book, back pain can be caused
by a lot of things. Problems in the mind, body, and diet all
can contribute.
For long-term relief, we have to figure out and address the
right causes—and all the causes, if possible. If you’ve read the
entire book up to this point, you probably already have a
pretty good idea about what factors are contributing to your
back pain.
Even if you’re still not sure, the good thing about these
action plans is that they’re more complete than any other
approaches I’ve seen out there. Each takes you through a
series of steps; so if one step doesn’t solve the problem, you
still have several more to try.
As you go through each part of the plan, make a mental
note of your progress. You may even want to use a specific
notebook to record your daily observations. Keeping track of
your improvement will help you decide when and if you need
to add another step to your treatment.
Recipes for Pain-Free Living
I like to tell my clients to think of these action plans as
recipes. Each has a set of “ingredients” you’re going to choose
to either add or remove from your personal routine.
For example, everyone is going to start with the first
recommended solution, which addresses the most common
cause of the condition. If you suffer from lower-back pain, for
instance, you’re going to start with Muscle-Balance Therapy,
since muscle imbalances are the most common cause of such
pain.
After a certain amount of time, you’ll want to record your
progress. You may be feeling better, but if you’re not 100
percent pain free, then it’s time to add ingredient #2.
As you add ingredients, you’ll be doing so in a cumulative
fashion. In other words, you won’t get rid of #1 when you
add #2. It’s like making chicken soup. You start with chicken
broth. When you add the vegetables, you add them to the
chicken broth, you don’t throw the broth away.
So, as you add steps, or ingredients, to your treatment, stay
committed to the steps you’re already doing. This helps to
address the variety of causes that may be contributing to your
back pain.
