I’ve been having some trouble lately with low back pain. I’d like to do as much as I can on my own. What’s the best way to go about this?

There are a couple good books on the market that have become standards of care for many patients. The first is the Royal College of General Practitioner’s The Back Book available at www.Amazon.com. The second is Robin McKenzie’s Treat Your Own Back also available at www.Amazon.com.

Other helpful patient education materials are available at www.eorthopod.com. Click on ‘Spine’ along the left side of the web page. Go to ‘Lumbar’ and you will find several patient guides that may be of interest. Look for A Patient’s Guide to Low Back Pain and Back Care Boot Camp.

If keeping active and following the guidelines in any of these materials doesn’t improve your symptoms, you may want to seek medical advice. If the source of your painful symptoms is not a serious problem, you may benefit from one or two sessions with a physical therapist (PT). The PT can identify specific areas to work on such as posture, flexibility, or strength.

Use this episode of back pain to get started with an overall fitness plan that addresses all these areas at home and at work.