There are a few books that I have been carrying back and forth to work over the past few months. Besides adding a few extra calories to my walk, they’ve been giving me new ideas and expanding the way I think about taking care of people. One of my most recent opportunities in the office was to give someone a single exercise that I thought would help them the most with their condition. I chose “The Founder” out of Dr. Eric Goodman and Peter Park’s book Foundation. Prior to reading this book, I may not have had a tool to provide. In my field, patient care is evolving very rapidly, and I do my best to provide information to my patients that is timely and relevant. Reading is one of the ways that I feel I can look back at the past 10 years and say that I really have gotten better with practice. Here’s what’s in my bag:
Athletic Body in Balance by Gray Cook: This was the first book I bought when I started getting into functional exercise and the study of movement. Although geared towards athletes, the info in this book is relevant to every patient that comes into my office and has helped me in my understanding of overuse injuries, especially as it relates to the lower back.
The Athlete’s Guide to Recovery by Sage Rountree: One of my primary areas of interest in working with patients is helping them improve their recovery. I’ve tried to draw ideas and techniques from this book and apply them to not only the athletes that I work with, but also the car accident patient, the over-worked office worker, the weekend warrior, etc., etc.
Foundation: Redefine Your Core, Conquer Back Pain, and Move With Confidence by Dr. Eric Goodman and Peter Park: The title says it all. This is a great book when it comes to looking at back care from a daily habits stand point. I don’t remember who said this to me first, but in the battle with gravity, you are either winning or losing. There is no neutral ground, and your posture is the scoreboard that shows you whether you are winning or losing. This book offers great advice and understanding for anyone who is interested in seriously taking care of their spine and keeping it healthy and strong for as long as possible. I have shared these exercises with many people.
Hope it’s been useful to take a peek in my bag to see what inspires you! Please feel free to comment below and let me know what you are reading!
