Name: Back mechanic
ISBN: 9780973501827

Back mechanic

"In an age where a seemingly endless amount of gimmicky back products are in circulation, a definitive guide to self-assessment and rehabilitation is more essential than ever. Back Mechanic guides you through a self-assessment of your pain triggers, then shows you how to avoid these roadblocks to recovery. Then effective exercises are coached in a step by step progressive plan. Spine expert, Prof. McGill used his 30 years of research findings and clinical investigations to create this evidence-based guide that has helped thousands reclaim their lives. This knowledge is now available to you in this richly illustrated book. You will become your own best Back Mechanic and advocate." --Publisher's website.

What Hacker News says

mmaunderOct 2025

Very interesting. I’ve been battling a herniated disk. It’s the most pain I’ve ever been in. Debilitating. Stuart McGill’s “Back Mechanic” is an illuminating read. The “big 3” exercises have become my staple and they seem to mask the pain long before the underlying injury heals, which takes about a year. So the ideas in this article resonate with me. In particular pain itself becoming self perpetuating, and mechanisms to block pain like hunger. My issue is temporary, but it’s introduced me to the reality that some have been handed a lifetime of non negotiable pain. So this is important work.

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ZeroGravitasOct 2025

I recommend McGill's Back Mechanic book, which is an end-user focused distillation of his academic work.

It suggests simple tests to discover exactly where your pain is coming from and then appropriate exercises to mechanically strengthen the right area and a few workarounds to avoid stressing that area in regular life e.g. alternate ways to pick up light items from the floor.

McGillcs big three are three simple exercises that are generally good for those with no patience for ordering a book and intros to them can be found all over YouTube.

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datavirtueJun 2025

Get the Back Mechanic book. Author is a genius.

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ddellacostaJan 2025

I appreciated this. Lots of solid advice and positive and pragmatic thinking here about aging in the context of being a programmer, and more generally too.

I'll take this opportunity to make a related pitch regarding back pain in particular, which can become more of a problem if you are sedentary as so many programmers are: if you have chronic back issues you owe it to yourself to at least check out Stuart McGill's Back Mechanic (https://www.backfitpro.com/books/back-mechanic-the-mcgill-me...). It's very much in line with this post; in particular the idea that you just have to deal with back pain as a fact of life is--for most people--not the case. Please take a look if you are struggling with back pain. The process he lays out takes work but it's based on solid research and experience and it has helped me tremendously.

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z0rJan 2025

Endorsing Back Mechanic as a great book for fixing back issues, at least for my own experience. Referenced a copy after I first threw out my back. Took months of regular McGill exercises to get back to normal (could barely even walk for a week). It was extremely comforting to know that my back pain problems were fixable, and regressions could be solved with more careful adherence to the exercise regime. I am as active as I have ever been 7 years later, and now I understand the warning signs when I have been mistreating my back.

Edit: For the past few years I've also been sitting in a https://qor360.com/ chair when I'm working. I've found I've had fewer warning niggles of incipient back pain during the periods where I regularly sit in this kind of active chair. I could only tolerate it for brief periods at first but the adjustment period was worth working through.

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datavirtueMay 2024

Get The Back Mechanic book.

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