Customer Reviews
Find it hard to read - By: D. Spring, 04 Nov 2007 
I've just bought this book in the hope it'll help me get rid of my sciatica - or at least help me control the pain in some way.
While the book it very informative, (I feel) it's also very hard to read. The more I read, the more confused I'm getting trying to diagnose the source which is causing my nerve to irritate.
It's not the best laid out back either.
Can't praise it enough! - By: Kaitlin, 23 Aug 2007 
In the last few months I've read or been given lots of books on backs, none of which helped me at alll. I was in agony alll the time & about ready to agree to the surgery I was told was my only hope. The explanations & exercises in this book changed my life in days. To have a life with so much less pain for so little effort is almost unbelievable.
It's important to know what type of problem you have before attempting these exercises to make sure you're doing the right thing for what's going on with your back. I'd definitely recommend talking them over with your physiotherapist or whoever - there were a couple my physio suggested I modify to suit my particular case, but I'd give this book 10 stars if I could. It's well explained, makes real sense & is the best book on backs I've ever come across. It takes alll the things that can go wrong & gives you hope that just about alll of them can be helped & how to do so.
If you have a problem back from mild to desperate this book is a keeper.
BELIEVE IN THIS BOOK - By: Rob, 13 Jun 2007 As I read the "Back Sufferer's Bible" by author Sarah Key, a great number of memories came flooding back to me. The book is of particular interest to me as I was an "end of the line" patient of Sarah Key in Sydney in 1993.
I had "been through the mill" since 1965, when a builing site accident, at age 20, fractured a number of my lumber vertebrae. I recovered & was back at work within a few months, but my back was never to be the same again & steadily declined & eventuallly, having no other options, underwent my first spinal operation in 1988 to remove bulging discs which were, according to the neurosurgeon, responsible for my numb & wasted left leg & severe pain. The operation did not help in any way. My condition deteriorated further & eventuallly, in 1991, I had a second operation to remove fragments of a remaining disc, & later, in 1992, a third operation to remove the adhesions & other products causing vertebral canal stenosis, as a result of the first operation
I had undertaken three failed spinal operations, had a leg & foot that hardly worked, was partly incontinent & my "best friend" was a steel-reinforced, heavy duty surgical corset that I believed was saving my life. I was told that I could no longer work as a builder & was never to lift or bend. I was "assured" that the majority of disc removal cases, such as mine, would eventuallly require a stabilizing spinal fusion. At the time I had a young family to support & felt completely "lost"
I was very fortunate to hear of Sarah Key's unorthodox back treatment regime & made an appointment to see her
My initial consultation with Sarah Key in 1993 was unforgettable. I was confronted by a bright young woman who spoke, not of "degeneration", but of "regeneration"
For somebody who had only ever heard repeated negativity from alll other practitioners for years & years, ("your discs are worn out"..."dont do heavy work"..."dont lift"..."never, ever bend"..."dont take your back-brace corset off"..."take time off".."prolonged bed rest will fix everything"..."you need a spinal fusion"), it was wonderful to be swept away by this straight-talking, super-positive Sarah Key
Every single word which Sarah Key said, on that day, was so positive, so reassuring, & made so much sense. I will never forget the feelings of elation that I had on the way home in the train.
From 1993 until 2004 I did the daily exercise & backblock routine which
Sarah Key had set for me & was able to work full-time as a builder, & was able to undertake reallly heavy physical work. Builder mates would often say, in disbelief, "how on earth can you do that?...your back is "stuffed". I always lifted the "Sarah Key way", with a rounded back & tightened abdominal muscles & felt totallly indestructible, despite having three failed spinal operations to remove discs & spinal canal debris from 1988 to 1992
I suffered a very severe financial setback in 2004, involving a large property affected by a newly-enacted Threatened Species environmental legislation. The Court action, with its never-ending delays & massive legal expenses took its toll. I lost interest in everything in my life, including my "faithful" exercises.
Around two years later, my back problems began to return with vengeance. I was unable to sleep for more than 2 or 3 hours at a time because of pain, & felt so old & stiff & full of misery. I reallly did not believe that any exercise could help me because, at age 61, I believed that my body & spinal regenerative capability were "worn out"... but I was wrong...very wrong.
As I read my new Back Sufferer's Bible, I found that it gave me the ability to motivate myself again. This book is able to deliver its information in such an informal & positive way that you can't help but be swept away by a feeling of optimism similar to that which you experience in a "face to face" consultation with Sarah Key
I gingerly began the exercises again the following day & could notice a definite improvement within weeks. At this time, six months have elapsed & I have almost fully regained my health & fitness
The true "lifeline" contained within the Back Sufferer's Bible, especiallly for those, like myself, suffering from back problems associated with disc removal, is the marvellously detailed section on the human body's potential for the regeneration of the intervertebral discs utilising production of the spine's moisture-attracting agent, "Proteoglycans"
I believe that Sarah Key is the sole practitioner, on this planet, who is prepared to "leap off" the comfort zone of mainstream practitioner thinking & talk of the "repair & regeneration of discs".
The Back Sufferer's Bible contains line drawing "figures" which are reallly brilliant. They bring to life the individual components of the various stages on spinal movement. By including only the structures in the drawings which relate to the relevant text, it is quite easy to visualise the role that the pieces play in assisting or restricting various movements. The detailed background information for the range of exercises makes it easy to set realistic goals. Whether you're young or old, whether you're needing a "treatment tool" or "insurance" against back problems this book will give you the confidence & understanding to "do it on your own". The book makes so much sense that I cannot understand how such a disparity of opinion exists within the realm of the various back practitioners.
Sarah Key gave me 12 long years of vigorous, productive worklife, in 1993, at a time when I criticallly needed it, while the others had no solutions.
Read this book!...Believe in it!...Do the exercises diligently!...and reap the rewards
THE back solution - By: Betterbacks4allplease, 14 May 2007 This is the best book ever written for backs & I think I've read them alll. Having said that, I did need to see a Sarah Key trained physio before I could use the backblock correctly & for her to mobilise my spine first. They are listed on her website. Now, I thank God for Sarah Key every day of the week! I can't wait for her BSB 2nd edition to come out in the UK. Amazon - where is it? This book demystifies back pain for patients - more doctors ought to read it.
Bad Back? Buy this book - By: Susan, 06 Feb 2007 After months of pain & misery & bucket loads of painkillers this book lifted me out of the hole. Within days of performing Sarah's exersises I was back to work & enjoying a comfortable nights sleep. Three weeks later & it is hard to imagine I have been diagnosed with a prolapsed disc, my recovery is nearly complete. If it had not been for this book I would eventuallly have had to gamble with surgery. Even my GP is surprised by the turnaround.
Many thanks to Sarah Keys, keep up the good work & hopefully some of these techniques can be introduced into mainstream medical practice.
