For anyone trying to enhance their understanding about their back and how to fix it yourself, make sure you get a copy of Dr. McGill’s book Back Mechanic. The knowledge and protocol is laid out and even how to self diagnose your back’s issue. Dr. McGill is a treasure of research based knowledge. He is also a gentleman and a caring human being. Thanks Stu.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us! Wish I was closer to you Dr. I hurt back helping get a patient off the floor. I saw after having an MRI, an orthopedic surgeon and he told me how bad it was. I've put off having surgery for over a year, but almost a month ago I got it irritated again and can't walk, stand, sleep etc..without pain 24/7.. Still trying to get it set up for surgery... no luck yet.. gotta have some relief!! ..
I have ended up spending some effort to learn from Dr. McGill - listening to interviews on youtube, podcasts, etc., - and I think it's listening to him for a while - almost making a study of it. For me, if I were to summarize, the two most important things were: 1) maintaining "pristine spinal hygiene" - that means constantly maintaining neutral spinal posture, during all motion/positioning throughout the day - not being sloppy by doing situps for example, or while sitting/standing/putting on shoes, etc. 2) for me, the "McGill big 3 exercises" are extremely helpful. As a last note, beyond that, also, going for 15 minute, fast, walks, help me, and also doing hip exercises helps a lot too - "hip airplanes" and "side plank clamshells" are the two best for me personally I think. @@sauravbasu8805
Take care of that spine of yours, folks. Once you have serious injury, it wont be the same as before. Those are life changing injuries, so take care of those gold reserves. Yes, you can manage it through exercise like big 3, but regenartion of damaged spine is minimal. Speaking out of my own experience
I've had this too... people (including myself) don't believe it will happen to them, even when they are warned (as you are doing right now) - until it happens to them. It's kind of a sad state of affairs :P
I've searched out as many of Stu's videos/podcasts/interviews I could find. This definitely tops the list as the best presentation by him I have seen so far
Hello friend! Im making my way through this video & will be searching other’s online. May I ask if he mentions the discs ability to regain integrity after bulging or herniations? I may watch before a reply comes, but thanks anyway !😊
@@Mark-pz8uc That's a tricky one. I have not heard him directly answer that. I have heard anecdotes from friends who have had bulging discs, and they managed to 'suck it back in' without surgery. I'm not sure how common this is. On the other end, Stu HAS mentioned that if you scan 10 peoples backs, a number of them will have disc bulges, yet feel no pain. Others will have no abnormalities, yet experience pain. It's a complicated thing. Hope you find the answer you're after mate
@@Mark-pz8uc Mark get his book, "Back Mechanic". His book also has live links to DR McGill demonstrating the correct form and details. He teaches you how to assess and then form the specific corrective exercise for your specific pain.l
This is a totally BRILLIANT lecture. I've read all Dr. McGill's books, and watch as many of his videos as I can find. This one is truly superb. Thank you, thank you thank you. I've been teaching Pilates for nearly 20 years, and have just pinged the link to this to quite a few of my clients, as essential viewing. I think I probably ought to say 'Pilates-based', since I have evolved some way off my original exercise repertoire, under the various beneficial influences of Dr McGill, Tom Myers, Doug McGuff and other experts in their fields. You guys are all wonderful and inspiring.
He uses your models in almost every presentations on various platforms and always gives your company full credit (he always says your models are the best because they are phidelic or something -- and then he always mentions that "I have no business relationship with them" lol)
@@bucksdiaryfan If he has no business relationship, why does he mention their 'products' in every single interview? Without being prompted, he whips out a model to demo, mentions the brand name, and then casually explains how great they are. Something doesnt add up
It is kind of funny how he emphasizes them and then says that... BUT, suffering from arthritic stenosis I went and looked at their models and they are quite informative (you can understand how the bony growth is crushing my nerve) so I leave open the fact that they are the "Microsoft" of spine models@@backfru
I've ordered Stuarts book and intend to read it thoroughly as I've been suffering for too long now. What I'd like to ask is if Stuart has ever made any comments on the 'Nada' Belt. I must say I get a surprisingly good amount of reprieve from it. Perhaps it indicates whether I have instability vs weakness? (or vice versa). I'd welcome any helpful comments on this matter. 🙂🙏🏻
I'm working with one of his clinicians on a perineural cyst but I have not seen Dr. McGill ever talk about them in his many interviews and presentations. They're rare, but they exist, he must have seen them and treated them.
Here are my thoughts on the barbell advice that doctor McGill gives: if you are so weak that moving your body around (bodyweight squats or walking up hills/stairs) will give you a meaningful strength increase, and doing so is more convenient, then it is definitely preferable. However, there are two obvious exceptions. The first and most obvious is if you are so strong that carrying your body weight around and hoisting it to higher altitudes doesn't offer a meaningful stimulus. The second and less obvious is if you're already going to the gym (or home gym setup) and thus barbells are more convenient and time efficient than adding an additional leg routine separate from the gym routine. Additionally, barbells have the advantage of easy to measure progressive overload. This doesn't contradict Dr McGill's advice, but I feel some nuance was missing and I also feel that including it is necessary because too many people will use any excuse to avoid lifting weights even if it would be beneficial to them. If one really does not want to work hard, it's easy to strip nuance from advice and spin it as "Dr X says I never have to pick up something heavy or work hard to be fit or healthy".
I think you missed the point. It's not about avoiding hard work. Of course exercise is beneficial. Dr McGill's advice is for people who are already in pain, perhaps chronic pain, and with limited mobility. They may not be able to do traditional gym/barbell exercises as it worsens their pain. If that's the case, might aswell tell them that walking is fine, but you're not working hard enough. You need to be running marathons. Barbell work is NOT necessary for someone who has a bad back. In fact it may very well make it worse. For this person, they can still get a great training stimulus with bodyweight exercise, walking, perhaps swimming etc. The person who has a compromised back, needs a completely different set of guidelines in regards to exercise.
@@backfru @presjo No I didn't miss the point at all. I clearly stated that I wasn't contradicting Dr McGill. I stated that I was referring not to people with bad backs, but people with fine backs who would benefit from barbell exercises. I stated clearly that the reason I felt this needed to be addressed was because lazy people have a tendency to cherry pick expert advice in self-serving ways and Dr McGill left that door open by not mentioning that he was referring only to people with bad backs.
@@davidhoffman6980 Dr McGill's advice is ONLY for people who have back issues. The only reason people seek him out is because they have messed up their back. If you don't have back issues, why would you be watching his videos? Why are you saying that people with fine backs should be doing barbell work?, in a presentation by a Professor of spine biomechanics, whose career is directed towards fixing peoples back issues. Of course they can/should - that's fine.
Elastic energy and stiffness.. like the arrow and the bow.. importance of the fasciae storing elastic energy, stiff muscles building the bow Concept of muscle contraction generating in itself the motion is obsolete; but it is to switch from one posture to another reaching a new elastic equilibrium (standing hover 27:00 no particular muscle drive in stand)) Rectus abdominis has not the structure of a flexor at all. 24:10. 37:00 stiffness controls motion (2 clinical ex. of spine's injuries ). A bad thing to stretch away.. Back pain by repeated insults through dysfunctional pattern of mvt (Hip joints not recruited) Neurogenic inhibition of the gluts by back and hip pains; hams recruited instead and psoas facilitated. 47:00 to consider for training: torque power of a ball socket and adaptable fabric of the spine. Exoskeleton of stiffness around spine. A lot of pliability (acrobat) or sustaining heavy loads (lifter). In between .. Adaptation of muscles AND bones AND fasciae. 1:00 aging movement longevity
Obviously Dr McGill thinks sitting at a desk causes back pain. But even if I retire, how can I avoid sitting at all? What am I supposed to do for the better part of the day? Stand all day? Sitting in a recliner causes more backpain. So, I am not getting this answer from Dr McGill's videos, what are we supposed to do all day if not sit. How about just lying on bed? does it help?
Do the collagenous fibers of the disc get stronger and stiffer as an adaptation to load, such as in a proper barbell squat? I understand they adapt to movement and loaded movement by becoming delaminated, but not understanding the opposite adaptation.
@@BrianCarroll1306 thanks. He mentions the lax collagen fibers for the flexible people, but doesn’t definitely state that the fibers get tighter for the strongman, although it’s pretty well implied I think and I just wanted to be sure I was interpreting that right. (that’s you in the pic I think haha)
Do you have any recommendations for a practice in the Jacksonville Florida area that incorporates the McGill Method? My wife has chronic back pain and has had little success with traditional orthopedics. Thank you
