Treat Your Own Neck

I rarely write reviews. I should, just don't have/make the time. But this book changed my life after nothing else worked and I was literally minutes from surgery. I had injured my C7-T1 disk such that it was significantly herniated and pressing on the C8 nerve root. For 3 months, I went to physical therapy, slept in a chair every night in a weird position that provided some relief, and saw various pain specialists, neurologists, neurosurgeons, and orthopedic surgeons. When nothing helped I scheduled a keyhole laminectomy with a world-renowned neurosurgeon. At the same time, a family member who had neck issues (he is also a radiologist) urged me to try this book before getting surgery. Having had 2 lower back surgeries in the past, I was familiar with the greatly unpleasant process of recovering from spinal surgery and was willing to anything to avoid it. But I was risking permanent nerve damage by delaying much further. So I kept my surgery date and started the McKenzie Method immediately and with all my vigor as soon as the book arrived. To me, this book was worth, literally, at least 1,000 times its price (considering just the costs of surgery and physical therapy, and not including all the pain and suffering it saved me). It explains in the perfect amount of detail exactly what is happening and why, allowing the reader to understand the problem and how the exercises work to treat the problem, helping the reader visualize the cure while doing the exercises. After 2 weeks of doing the exercises, my pain had subsided considerably, but I still showed up for surgery because it was not entirely gone, and I felt that the dexterity and strength I lost in my left hand due to the nerve compression had not returned. I was in the pre-op room at the hospital, in my gown, nurses and anesthesiologist coming in and prepping. Then my surgeon walks in with a team of med students behind him, eager to observe the procedure. He runs through the series of simple tests we had done during office visits (squeeze his fingers to test strength, etc.), and then he tells me that the surgery is off. He said I had shown such great improvement in such a short amount of time that it is clearly evidence of recovery that he expected to continue without risking further nerve damage. I refer to it as the best surgery I never had, and I truly believe that I owe it to the McKenzie Method. Thank you, thank you, thank you Robin McKenzie. This was over 3 years ago. Although I made a full recovery without surgery, I have had occasional (maybe once every 6 months) minor relapses (pain in the neck and shoulder blade, sometimes a little numbness in the pinkie). Immediately upon onset of the pain, I use the exercises in the book and the pain goes away (usually within the day, but sometimes a couple of days). I have also purchased McKenzie's book for the lower back and try to follow its wisdom regularly. It, too, is very well written. I tend to be one of those readers who wants to flip to the exercises, which are in the middle-back of both books. But after reading both books multiple times, I can verify that there is great benefit to starting on page 1 and reading through. At least in my case, the explanation of the anatomy, movement, and problems was spot on, and therefore provided a calming effect. The explanation of the movement of pain during recovery while doing the exercises was equally spot on, and greatly encouraging.

Except for the annoying part that the book still mention the method McKenzie and is several times trying to sell more staff, for the rest is interesting to read and I feel like is very beneficial for the own health

Useful book, but it ought to be used with caution. Neck problems can be complicated.

I have a herniated cervical disk that has caused some numbness in my arm and hand. I went to physical therapy but that really aggrevated the condition. I tried this book when my numbness was getting worse. I knew the book was very short - more like a long pamphlet, but the reviews seemed great, so I said, what the heck. Well, after doing the exercises for a few months, it turns out it has really helped me. Unlike some other books, there are not a ton of exercises (which can overwelm and confuse). There are only around 8 exercises and you don't do them all, only the ones that the book tells you to do for your specific situation. I have been doing only 2 regularly. It is weird how he says to do them 7 times a day, but since it is so quick to do them and you can do them sitting down, you can do it without a major inconvenience and honestly, it has helped! Couple of comments - my wife has neck pain but not in the spine - her pain is in a muscle to the side. The exercises didn't help her. So I would suggest people with spine issues get this book and people with muscle issues look elsewhere. Also, sometimes the author is confusing in giving complex instructions about when to do exercises (this one before that one and not if you have this pain but always if you have....). But overall you can figure it out. I found out later that the author's method is very well known among physical therapists and used by many. One of the exercises that I do is one that the physical therapist tried to get me to do but it irritated me at the time. This book seems to be more about the short to mid term treatment of neck pain. I think the root of my problem is posture problems and while this book talks about them, it doesn't get too deep there. I may need to get another book about straightening out my posture more. So overall I would give this book a 4.8 rating so if you have pain in the cervical spine, go ahead and pay the ten bucks and try it.

About 15 years ago I starting having problems with my back. I found out later I have a ".. herniated, stenotic, L5..". I was off work a month, used moist heat, got a little PT, and finally a Cortisone shot. It's a long story, but by the time my insurance would pay for the shot I was feeling much better. I went ahead and had the shot as sort of a prophylactic measure. Anyway, when I got back to work (I was doing work in a few LTAC places) one of the PT guys there told me to "...forget anything they told you and do what I tell you!" Turns out he was trained in the 'McKenzie Method'. He gave me a few exercises to do, and a little information about why it works. Vola! It helped, maybe more than all the other things put together. Since then I have never really had any trouble with my back. It's still there of course, but I baby it, and try not to do anything to aggravate it. If it starts to hurt I do a few simple exercises, and it gets better. So far so good.... You may ask...what does this have to do with treating your NECK? Ok....about a couple months or so ago, I woke up with some really bad pain in my neck, shoulder area. At first I thought I had just strained it or something, but it wouldn't go away, and was really bothering me quite a bit. I gradually begin to realise that this wasn't just a strain, but was probably something to do with the disk in my neck. Sure enough it was confirmed via a MRI that I have ".. degenerative disk disease..", with a herniated, C4-5, and narrowing between the C6-7. It sucks being 58 years old ya know...! Who knows when it started. It could have been all the physical labor I used to do for a living. It could've been when I played football...couldn't been a couple of sucker punches I've had....not to mention the few times I have 'BUMPED' my head on something( I walked right into the chute of a Concrete truck once. Knocked me out to for a second. I went right back to work. Ah youth..it's wasted on youth!)...who knows? It is just catching up with me... Anyway, when this neck trouble started I got busy trying to see what I could about McKenzie treatments for the Neck. I found this book, bought it, and it works! I think between this, and the McKenzie Neck Roll, my neck feels much better today...thank you. Honestly...I didn't even follow it line for line. I took a couple of the exercises, and started doing them. It didn't take long, but soon my neck was feeling good enough I told my Doc to hold off on the Cortisone shot for now. It didn't make the hernia go away, but it sure made the pain go away. Like my Back I intend to baby my neck until that doesn't work anymore...then go from there. I am here to tell you the McKenzie Method works..at least it did for me, and I hope it works for you. Get the book and try it! Good luck!

I'm suffering from recently developed, sudden onset neck arthritis. When I suddenly started noticing pain and stiffness in my neck, I saw my doctor, who recommended physical therapy, and I also looked for relief on the Internet. Through the Internet, I discovered this favorably reviewed book by Robin Mckenzie. Through my physical therapist, I discovered that my problem was neck arthritis, which is not uncommon in men of my age. Both my physical therapist and Mckenzie emphasize the importance of maintaining good posture for relieving pain and preventing further damage. When I showed my physical therapist Mckenzie's book, he told me he had read it, that he is a great fan of Mckenzie's, but that the exercises in the book are appropriate for people with herniated cervical discs, not with neck arthritis. Indeed, before I had shown the book to my therapist, I had found that Mckenzie's exercise #2 (or the related exercise while lying on a bed) was very painful. In contrast, exercise #1, which is similar to an exercise my therapist had recommended, brought relief. The bottom line is that I now recommend this brief, well-written book to everyone for its encouragement of good posture. I suspect that people suffering from herniated cervical discs will obtain great relief from the recommended exercises, but I warn people suffering from neck arthritis to use the exercises only with extreme caution. For neck arthritis, the recommendations of a good physical therapist are more appropriate.

The author uses a template to write his books. So, you'll discover once you read one of his books, all the material is the same except for the exercises and some material that's unique to the body part being exercised. That's not a bad thing. I just want to make you aware of it. He may do that so he can sell more books because they all could nicely go into one book. However, now to the exercises. I have what I consider moderate to severe neck pain. I hesitate to ever call a pain severe unless it is unbearable and I can bear mine but with much unpleasantness. It's on one side of my neck and goes into my shoulder. So, that's why I bought the book. After doing the advised exercises just once or twice, my pain centered as he said it would. The neck pain is virtually gone. Now, I'm sure it will return and I'll have to do more exercises before it's "cured." But I've suffered with it for close to a year. So I call this a very good thing. I'm thinking about getting his shoulder book. Hate to have to buy a separate book. I have his back book which is why I know he reuses material. But, if his methods work (and I believe they do) I don't mind the investment and can simply pass up the redundant material. Highly recommended. -- Susanna K. Hutcheson

Excellent book and exercises on treating your own cervical pain. Nothing worked for me until I bought this book. The neck exercises helped right away. I continue to do them as needed. What's great is you can do them anywhere when pain comes on. I also do his back exercises regularly. Back extension is the key. I do them first thing every morning and as needed during the day. If back pain comes on, I either do the standing exercise or just get down on the floor where I am for the back extension exercises. I've done those in stores and outside restaurants. Helps right away. Now I only have to do them at home or standing up elsewhere. The neck exercises I can do anywhere if I get a pain. Those have lessened greatly since doing these exercises. McKenzie is a genius and God-send, motivated not by making money as a physical therapist, but by helping people get pain relief and avoid surgery. His exercise methods ought to be taught more widely in schools for therapists, chiropractors, doctors and surgeons. A lot of surgery could be avoided. I'll never forget reading in his back book that he was taking a drive in the country and came upon a man with car parked at the side of the road and the guy on the ground doing the McKenzie back extension exercises. McKenzie stopped and asked if anything was the matter. The man turned out to be one of his physical therapy patients and he replied, "Just doing my exercises several times a day as ordered." McKenzie replied, good and drove off.

Autant l'ouvrage du dos et rachis lombaire est intéressant et complet, autant celui du cou est minimaliste. Un livre pour vous expliquer que pour protéger vos disques au niveau des cervicales, cela se limite à 1 exercice. On recule le cou et basculement vers l'arrière... 1 h chez votre kiné et vous maîtriserez l'exercice sans lire l'ouvrage. 2 étoiles tout de même car l'exercice fonctionne ... Mais une explication sur feuille A4 aurait suffit.

Must have book

I bought this book because my physhiotherapist lent me hers to read it. I have to admit that after 6 months of pain in my neck because of a diagnosed "slipped disc", bulged disc or Bandscheibenvorfall (in German) it managed to recover my neck completely. I don't feel any pain anymore after 3 weeks of exercises and the sessions with the therapist to control me. Because of it, I have changed the way I sleep and the way I sit. I have started again with fitness and I feel very good. The exercises can be performed by yourself everywhere you are, whenever you feel a little bit of pain. No need for an additional appointment to relieve the pain.

McKenzie was the genius of phisio, short easy to read book will fix your neck problems no matter how hopeless you feel. Lots of god videos on youtube demonstrating these techniques but nothing beats this classic book.

I read the reviews of this book and thought "how can it be this good"? But it is! Surprisingly there are not a lot of exercises in the book, and much of the first 2 thirds is information on the neck and spine, how posture causes pain, and so on. I had read much of this info before, and am very familiar with it anyway as a massage therapist, so was initially disappointed. But where this book stands out is in the knowledge which is then applied but the author. The exercises he gives are so good that they started to relieve my symptoms within a day. And these are symptoms I've had for years, and seen Osteopaths and Chiropractors etc. many, many times. I always believe in taking care of your self as the best and most effective long term treatment for any condition, and part of my treatment plan with clients is to recommend stretches and exercise for them so that they can maintain progress and keep themselves fit and mobile. And that is where this book fills in so many missing bits in my experience. So I will be using it and the exercises to not only improve my own posture and tension, but to pass on that experience to my clients. Great book, use it and you won't be disappointed : )