Rehabilitation of the Spine is an almost 1300 pages thick masterpiece book of resource by Dr. Craig Liebenson D.C., the founder of the “First Principles of Movement”. This stronghold book can be considered as the gold standard resource in the field. It provides a very practical overview of all aspects of spinal rehabilitation from a patient-centered approach. As a “Heilpraktiker” (Complementary and Alternative Medicine-Practitioner), Strength-Coach and Personal-Trainer I strongly recommend Dr. Liebensons’s book to anyone working in this field! Furthermore, I believe it to be an investment to all other professionals in familiar fields, like i.e. chiropractors and physical therapists, even spine surgeons, physician assistants, etc. Simply everyone who is more or less involved in the care of patients with spine problems!
Rehabilitation of the Spine Review?
Can you review an almost 1300 pages strong book in one single blog article? Sure, you can but I’d like to emphasize that it will only suit you to sneak a peak of a glimpse of an overview!
According to that this article should be considered being a nudge to you. To see the benefit of investing in it!
What can you expect? Well, nothing less than 43 chapters, packed with “spine twisting” knowledge for you to digest!
This article deals with the 3rd edition of Liebenson’s book. If you purchase it you’ll also gain access to an enhanced eBook version, for iOS, Android, PC and MAC!
Here’s just a little summary of the contents:
- Part I Overview
- Part II Basic Science
- Part III Patient Assessment
- Part IV Sustainable Recovery
- Part V High-Value Recovery Options for Return to Participation
- Part VI Building Robustness for Return to Sport and Activity
- Part VII Multimodal Options for Recovery
- Part VIII First Principles of Movement: A Systematic Approach
- Part IX Interdisciplinary Management
The Kabuki Strength Connection
If you are from the field of strength and conditioning you might wonder which connection Liebenson has to the more “hardcore lifting crowd”. Well, let me tell you that he’s on the advisory board of World Elite Strength Coaches, gathered around Kabuki Strength founder Chris Duffin!
Find out about my Kabuki Strengh Scholderök-review –> here.
Part I – An overview
Chapter one of this almost 1300 “manifesto” will give you a basic overview of the modern activity crisis. Like all of the chapters in the book you will get an introduction and an extra field of so called “learning objectives”.
These will answer you in advance what you should have understood after reading a certain chapter. At the end of each chapter you will find a corresponding “self-check”. An audit process that questions/challenges you to rethink what you might have learned.
A great target-performance comparison/variance analysis. You will see which information you receive…and in which new formation it will bring you…from a physical as well as an educational point of view!
Part I is divided into 3 Chapters. Your biggest takeaway will probably be the so called “Bio-Psycho-Social Factors” in disabling back pain.
But, there’s a lot more to explore!
Part II Basic Science
As this chapter’s headline says it’ll provide you with “basic science”. Of course in regards of rehabilitation of the spine! Otherwise “basic science” could mean everything.
Part II is divided into two separate chapters.
Part III- Patient Assessment
What is the most important thing in treating patients? Correct treatment you’d say? No, it’s the patient! It’s all about finding a cure for the “root of the evil” and not just about treating symptoms! Therefore an adequate patient assessment is the foundation for real help!
In Part III of Liebenson’s book you will learn a lot about a patient centered approach.
What’s a “diagnose triage”, assessment of psychosocial risk factors (so called “yellow flags”) quantification of physical performance ability, evaluation of muscular imbalances and proper movement assessment (screening, performance and injury prevention).
Part IV Sustainable Recovery
This part of the book commences with educating the reader about a new understanding of the term “pain”. According to that it will give you ideas how to approach patients and give them reassurance plus reactivation advice (after having been injured).
The chapter emphasizes the treatment of sensitivity in rehabilitation, provides you with a cognitive behavioral therapy program for spinal pain and on top of that will discuss a method of mechanical diagnosis and therapy.
Part V High-Value Recovery Options for Return to Participation
Disaggregated into 5 chapters, part IV will start with programming from rehabilitation to performance. You will gain knowledge of dynamic variable resistance training, rotational sports and the spine, sparing the spine in barbell training as well as in High Intensity Training (HIT).
Besides Dr. Liebenson you will find a myriad of other contributors in each chapter. Alike in Part IV. Among them i.e. David Joye, Josh Henkin, Max Prokopy, Michael A. Rintala, Joshua Wideman, Brett Wnchester, Michael Hartle and David Whitty.
Part VII Multimodal Options for Recovery
This Part of the book is the most comprehensive one. It offers 9 subitems. Here’s what you will learn about:
- How to manipulate key joints of the body
- Manual resistance techniques
- An approach to postural function
- Dynamic neuromuscular stabilization
- Pilates therapy: Exercise for spinal stability
- Pelvic floor, respectively the integration vs. isolation
- Treatment of spinal pain in the context of clinical hypnosis and mindfulness-based interventions
- Yoga exercise respecting dynamic neuromuscular stability principles in senior populations
- Nutritional considerations for inflammation, pain, and rehabilitation
Part VIII First Principles of Movement: A Systematic Approach
In Part VIII you will learn from Dr. Liebenson and others about an integrated approach to regional disorders, the “Resilience Model” and a clinical framework utilizing a precision approach.
Part IX Interdisciplinary Management
Last but not least the final part will teach you the role of the interventionist, a nonsurgical management of the spine pain patient. Furthermore, you’ll read about lumbopelvic pain in pregnancy, the role and safety of activity in the elderly and more.
“Rehabilitation of the spine” can be found on amazon for about 100€ (or about 126$). This doesn’t sound cheap at the first glance but if you want to be one of the best, you should definitely invest!
Furthermore, if you narrow it down that’s about 0,077€ (0,097$) per page! Just think of that!
I highly recommend you buying this book and better start studying and applying it. The sooner the better 🙂
Functional Training Handbook Review
Stunning 1300 pages of mind blowing information is not enough for you? Well, then hang in there! I’ll give you a blast of another 450 pages review, of Liebenson’s “Functional Training Handbook”!
If you’re working in the field of strength and conditioning and/or personal-training this book won’t get dusty on your shelf as it’s a practical handbook for everyday use. It comes packed with 450 pages, divided into 5 parts, with 35 separate chapters.
You’ll find Sport-Specific Training Considerations for Basketball, Cycling, Dance, Football, Golf, Hockey, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), Olympic Weight Lifting, Skiing, Soccer, Swimming, Surfing and Tennis.
Here’s just a little summary of the contents:
- Fundamentals
- Sport-Specific Training Considerations
- Strength and Conditioning Considerations
- Region-Specific Considerations
- Motor Control and Athletic Development
Just like “Rehabilitation of the Spine” the “Functional Training Handbook” comes with a code to unlock your free e-book version. Think of the following:
“The broader the base, the higher the pyramid”.
The more you know, the more you can apply. So try to be a “learn-it-all” instead of a “know-it-all”.
With Dr. Liebenson’s book you could reach a whole new level of physical training. His practical guide delivers clear, how-to-information, an array of sport-specific guidelines, and key principles that will keep your clients at peak performance.
Join the revolution to improve sports performance, treat injury, and re-train
patterns with this comprehensive guide to the body and its movement. I strongly
recommend you buying this book as a bundle with “Rehabilitation of the Spine”.
You invest once and profit for a lifetime! But let’s have a closer look to the book:
Part I – Fundamentals
This Handbook commences with “The functional approach”. It continues with “The role of musculoskeletal fitness in injury prevention in sport. Furthermore, you’ll learn how to bridge the gap between from rehabilitation to performance.
In addition to that the book provides you with input about dynamic neuromuscular stabilization, exercise based on developmental kinesiology models.
Moreover, the book stresses the clinical audit process and determines the key link, gives ideas about functional evaluation of faulty movement patterns and closes with fundamentals of training the locomotor system.
And that’s just Part I 😉
Part II Sport-Specific Training
Part II is the centerpiece of this book. It’ll provide you with a “big picture” of sport-specific training considerations. What is there to be found?
Anything, from individual sports like i.e. Golf, Olympic Weight Lifting, Skiing to team sports like e.g. Baseball, Basketball, Football, Hockey etc.
Even Dancing is covered, as well as Surfing, MMA and Tennis.
Part III Strength and Conditioning Considerations
The third part of the “Functional Training Handbook” starts by establishing functional baselines and appropriate training recommendations for off-season conditioning and injury prevention.
It continues with the topic “Running in Sports” and “the Dead Lift”. Off-season considerations are proceeded in terms of Baseball, Basketball, Hockey as well as Soccer.
Surplus you’ll get training strategies for developing explosive power in MMA and other sports!
Part IV Regions-Specific Considerations
The penultimate part deals with region-specific considerations, respectively injury prevention in certain body parts.
Four chapters in part 4 will give you ideas about how to prevent clients from injuries in running sports, knee injuries (in women), rehabilitate shoulder joints in a nonoperative way and how you might treat and prevent injury in the “Overhead Athlete”.
Part V Motor Control and Athletic Development
Last but again not least, the final part will provide you with two trivia chapters, about the principles of athletic development and coaching fundamentals, a skill acquisition perspective!
You can find the latest edition of the Functional Training Handbook i.e. on amazon for just 47€ (49$).
Conclusion
To be honest, it’s an insurmountable task to summarize two books with a total amount of almost 1750 pages in just one blog article. But that wasn’t my intent. I cannot save you from investing time into these books.
If you want to be better in your profession you simply must read AND apply the knowledge from these books on your own!
What I want to emphasize with this little article is what you might learn from these great books and that they are, from my perspective as a “Heilpraktiker” (complementary and alternative medicine practitioner) and Strength Coach/Personal-Trainer, a great investment!
Of course you also have the chance to get only the e-book version of both of Dr. Liebenson’s books. I, for myself, am more “old-school” and prefer the printed version, though.
Plus, as aforementioned, you’ll get the completed contents as e-book on top if you purchase the printed versions.
If you’d like to know why a proper alignment is so crucial you can read my articles:
“ALIGNMENT FROM 🗣️ HEAD TO TOES 👣”
POSTUREPRO BRAIN COACH PERFORMANCE CERTIFICATION REVIEW
© HP Bernd Stößlein, Master of Business Administration in Sportmanagement.
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