Machine generated contents note: 1 WHY IS BACK PAIN SO COMMON? 1 -- 2 BACK TO BASICS 4 -- What is a Back? 4 -- Why Should a Back Go Wrong? 10 -- Where Does the Pain Come From? 16 -- 3 DIAGNOSING THE PROBLEM 24 -- Have I Slipped a Disc? 24 -- Have I a Stiff Spinal Segment? 26 -- Do I Have a Sick Disc? 27 -- Do I Have a Loose (Unstable) Vertebra? 30 -- Have I Put My Back Out? 32 -- Do I Have Arthritis? 35 -- I Have Rheumatoid Arthritis But Can You Help Me? 40 -- Do I Have Sciatica? 41 -- Is it My Sacro-Iliac Joint? 45 -- Have I an Extra Vertebra? 48 -- What is the Short Leg Syndrome? 56 -- What is Spinal Scoliosis? 60 -- What is Vertebral Stenosis? 63 -- What Will X-Rays Do? 66 -- 4 A CHOICE OF TREATMENTS 68 -- What Will Traction Do? 68 -- Using a BackBlock 71 -- Should I Not Rest in Bed? 76 -- Can Massage Help a Painful Back? 77 -- What Will Pills Do? 79 -- Should I Have Spinal Injections? 80 -- Do I Need an Operation? 81 -- Should I Try Acupuncture? 86 -- What is Manipulation? 86 -- What is Mobilisation? 88 -- Should Treatment Hurt? 91 -- Can I Be Over-Treated? 92 -- Can Treatment Make Me Worse? 92 -- 5 BENEFITS OF MOBILISATION AND MANIPULATION 94 -- What Will Mobilisation Achieve? 94 -- Can I Manually Mobilise My Own Spine? 96 -- The Ma Roller 97 -- What Will Manipulation Achieve? 99 -- Can Manipulation Be Bad for Me? 100 -- 6 EXERCISES FOR A BACK PROBLEM 101 -- What Exercises Should I Do? 105 -- 7 SPORT AND THE BACK 136 -- Yoga 137 -- Jogging 139 -- Tennis 140 -- Aerobics 141 -- Swimming 142 -- Golf 143 -- Rugby and Soccer 144 -- 8 OTHER FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE A BACK PROBLEM 145 -- Am I Depressed Because of My Backache or is My Depression -- Causing My Backache? 145 -- Does Tension Make My Back Worse? 147 -- Should I Lose Weight? 148 -- What Shoes Should I Wear? 150 -- Should I Wear a Surgical Corset? 151 -- Is Bending Bad for Me? 153 -- How Should I Lift? 154 -- What is Wrong With Pushing? 160 -- How Should I Carry Things? 162 -- How Can I Cope with Long-Distance Travel? 162 -- 9 YOUR OTHER QUESTIONS ANSWERED 168 -- What is Good Posture? 168 -- Why is Lying Down So Uncomfortable? 173 -- What is the Best Bed? 174 -- In Which Position Should I Sleep? 175 -- Why is Sitting So Uncomfortable? 176 -- Which is the Best Chair? 179 -- Why is Standing So Uncomfortable? 189 -- Is Sex Bad for My Back? 190 -- Is Housework Bad for My Back? 191 -- Why is My Backache Worse Before My Menstrual Period? 193 -- 10 A DAILY SELF-TREATMENT PLAN 194 -- 11 BACK WITH OPTIMISM 202.