The Birmingham Back Pain Clinic

Recommended books

For Patients

 

The Back Book: the Best Way to Deal with Back Pain, 2nd Edition (2002)

The first edition of The Back Book was written in 1996 by many of the same people who sat on panel that wrote the first UK clinical guidelines for the management of acute low back pain. They were therefore very familiar with the best and most up to date scientific evidence on the subject. The idea was to write a user-friendly but scientifically sound booklet for patients with back pain, that would guide them to do the best thing for their pain (primarily staying active). It is still the only booklet that has been shown to be effective at doing this in a scientific study.

The Neck Book, 1st Edition (2004)

Following the success of The Back Book. the same team used a similar science-based approach to produce The Neck Book. Again, it is user-friendly yet scientifically sound.

The Whiplash Book: How You Can Deal with a Whiplash Injury, 1st Edition (2002)

Neck and back problems that result from whiplash follow a different course from other neck and back pains. As a result, the same group that produced The Back Book and The Neck Book produced this booklet.

Your Back Operation, 1st Edition (2005)

The authors of the series produced the booklet, Your Back Operation, to fill the void often experienced by patients with sciatica or spinal stenosis, who are likely to have surgery. The booklet aims to provide sufficient information so that they can make a decision on whether to have their surgery, and to help them recover and get on with their lives. The advice comes from the latest research, is approved by spine surgeons, and takes account of patients' views. The booklet explains what sciatica is and its causes; describes the operation procedure; gives practical advice on steps to recovery; and is based on the latest evidence based research.

 

For Practitioners

 

Gordon Waddell: The Back Pain Revolution, 2nd Edition (2004)

In 1998, Gordon Waddell wrote arguably the most comprehensive text ever on the complicated issues surrounding back pain and the biopsychosocial conceptualisation of its management. Every chapter is written based upon mountains of scientific evidence, and is still regarded as contemporary. This is literally one of the only two books you might ever need to gain a good understanding of back pain.

Nikolai Bogduk: Clinical and Radiological Anatomy of the Lumbar Spine, 5th Edition (2012)

This is the second of the two books that you might ever need to gain a good understanding of back pain. This text has been a classic for providing the basic science that underlies back pain, ever since the publication of its first edition in the late 1980's. Every edition since has added new material and has been updated to refelect the best, current scientific evidence. The reader is given ample material to highlight the importance of the 'bio' in biopsychosocial.