Back RX

I have had chronic back back from two pinched nerves. My sciatica has been severe and I can't take NSAIDS because I have only one kidney. Naturally, I want to avoid back surgery. This DVD has given me hope. I like the way I feel after doing it so much that I have been very consistent. The minute I wake up, I jump into exercise clothes and head to my den where I start up the DVD. I get my (padded) mat on the floor and spend the first fifteen minutes of my day stretching and breathing deeply. I feel a sense of well being and get wide awake ready to accomplish something. The exercises are not difficult and are pleasant to do. They make me feel better. If I feel tired and am going out for the evening, I don't hesitate to do them again to get energized. I've done lots of exercise videos and attended exercise classes, but this has been better for my purposes than them all. Beats physical therapy and chiropractors too. The exercises really tune up your core, increase flexibility, strength and endurance. Dr. Vad ran trials using these exercises and there was a statistically significant reduction in pain for participants. Thank you Dr. Vad.

I am a medical doctor suffering from chronic back pain after previous back injury. This book is well written, from a highly-repected physician. The second section of the book describes the exercises. I would suggest getting the companion DVD to understand how the exercises should be done, as it is easier to understand by watching than by reading. In hindsight, for most people, just getting the DVD may be all that's needed (and skip this book), if you are on a budget.

I got this DVD (with Vad's book) for my partner who has back pain after seeing Dr. Vad on PBS. While I have no doubt the exercises would be beneficial, as another reviewer has noted the demonstration/narration of the exercises is simply too fast. The narrator sounds like she's reading a script without considering the viewer's need to process what she's telling the viewer to do, such as getting into the right positions, taking the number of deep breaths etc. Little time is given for this. As another viewer has noted, you would have to use the pause button frequently (awkward while trying to do these poses. The creators of this DVD really need to produce a new edit of the program at a much slower pace, with enough of a pause to allow the person to actually complete what they're told to do. While I'd give 5 stars to the program itself, I think this defect in production is enough to frustrate and turn off many people trying it, so I'm giving it it 3 stars.

If you have hip and back stiffness this is a great video showing you how to do basic yoga moves. If you can make a habit to do a little from this DVD everyday it can decrease your pain and stiffness. Stretching like this has to be like brushing you teeth to work. You need to do it everyday and these poses are easy to do.

My wife checked out the video at the local library. She liked it so much she asked me to buy it for her. It is real good for stretching and strengthening the back muscles. I think it is about 30-40 min long.

I am trying to avoid a fusion surgery and this DVD seemed like a perfect fit. However, the other reviewers were correct. It is impossible to follow the exercises while playing the DVD. I finally just wrote down the recommended exercises and tried to do them on my own. If this is what you want buying a book would be better.I found another DVD that is perfect for my needs. "Pilates for Inflexible people". This DVD has so many different options that allows you to start slowly and as your back Improves move up. The exercises keep the spine stable and the moderator gives you many options to modify if you feel any pain. I am posting a review also for this DVD.

I have the book for this program, and I think the program is good. It's true, as other reviewers have said, that most of these exercises are ones you get from a physical therapist, but I like the way these are sequenced in levels, and I think the ABSENCE of certain exercises may (for me) be good.I bought the DVD because I prefer doing exercises or yoga in a class or with a DVD in order to be able to concentrate on the breathing and doing the exercise without having to refer to a list or a book. It's much more relaxing to have someone "call" the exercises. But, as others have noted, the timing on this is awful. This is like a first draft that no one ever bothered to edit. The narration sometimes doesn't match what's happening on the screen. And most of the time there is no way to complete the breathing and hold the pose for the required amount of time before the narrator moves on to the next exercise. For the beginner level, the total time really is what it's supposed to be -- 15 minutes. So something is off. Maybe the sun salutations were stuffed in after it was timed? (I haven't tried doing the second and third levels on the tape yet, so I don't know if those are better or worse.)Anyway - anyone who has used good yoga and exercise tapes will be very frustrated by this one. It's like trying to do exercises that require deep breathing while on a hamster wheel. It's really too bad. With a little more up-front investment, this could have been good. It's worth buying only if you're not sure how to perform the exercises/poses from the book and need to see them. But I guess doing it on the cheap without proper editing makes a little more money for Dr. Vad.Update, April 2013:I am still using this DVD despite my negative review. I think it's a shame a revised version of this tape that better syncs the exercises with the voice-over has not been produced. You do get used to the quirks - where you need to move on before the narrator tells you to, where you may need to skip the sun salutation between exercises in order to finish. For example, my lower back issues make me slow at turning over from one side to the other, so I know to move at my own pace and skip the sun salutation there. I still like this because it's very effective and only 15 minutes. For me, the biggest loss is that I have trouble getting the breathing down when I have to concentrate on making adjustments to the tape. I'm about to move from level 1 to level 2 and am curious to see if the same timing problems still exist there. Oh - after writing my original review, I realized I had forgotten to mention the best mistake on the level 1 segment. There is one point where the voice instructs you to lie on your back with your arms by your side and your hands behind your neck. Leave that one for professionals - do not try this at home! :-)