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STEM-Talk

Episode 35: Stuart McGill explains the mechanics of back pain and the secrets to a healthy spine

STEM-Talk

Dawn Kernagis and Ken Ford

Natural Sciences, Alternative Health, Science, Health & Fitness, Nutrition

4.7706 Ratings

🗓️ 11 April 2017

⏱️ 118 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Back pain has become the world’s leading cause of disability. Stuart McGill has been at the forefront of non-surgical approaches to addressing back pain for many years. His 2015 book "Back Mechanic: The Secrets to a Healthy Spine Your Doctor Isn't Telling You" amzn.to/2oV6eWR is a wonderfully accessible account of his methods and perspectives. Stuart McGill spent 30 years as a professor of spine biomechanics at the University of Waterloo in Canada. His laboratory has become a renowned destination for everyday people as well as Olympic and professional athletes from around the world who are struggling with back pain. He is the author of more than 300 scientific publications and 3 textbooks that address issues such as lumbar spine function and injury mechanisms, patient assessment, corrective exercise prescription, and performance training. McGill also consults for many medical management groups, governments, corporations, legal firms, and elite sports teams. He has won numerous awards, including the prestigious Volvo Bioengineering Award for Low Back Pain Research. He released his landmark text, “Low Back Disorders: Evidence-Based Prevention and Rehabilitation,” amzn.to/2omWe5I in 2002. It changed the way coaches, bodybuilders, athletes and non-athletes approached core training. His new book, “Back Mechanic,” is written for a lay audience and addresses common misperceptions about back pain. It also provides a step-by-step guide of the McGill Method to fix back pain. Backfitpro.com is a web site also geared for a lay audience and is dedicated to providing access to evidence-based information and products that assist in preventing and rehabilitating back pain. Products featured on the website have been tested in McGill's lab at the University of Waterloo. McGill and his staff have also produced a video, “The Ultimate Back: Enhancing Performance,” that synthesizes McGill's approaches for avoiding back injury and enhancing athletic and physical performance. It is available for purchase on Vimeo.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Welcome to STEM Talk.

0:01.1

Stem Talk.

0:02.0

Stem Talk.

0:03.0

Stem Talk.

0:04.0

Stem Talk, where we introduce you to fascinating people who passionately inhabit the scientific and technical frontiers of our society.

0:14.0

Hi, I'm your host, Don Cornagus, and joining me to introduce today's podcast as a man behind the curtain, Dr. Ken Ford, IHM's director and chairman of the double secret selection committee that selects all of the guests to appear on STEM Talk.

0:26.1

Hi, Don. Great to be here. I have known Stuart McGill for a number of years, and today's interview was a special treat for me.

0:34.8

Stuart spent over 30 years as a professor of spine biomechanics at the University of

0:40.6

Waterloo in Canada, and his lab has become a renowned destination for everyday people, as well as

0:47.5

Olympic and professional athletes who are struggling with back pain. I had no idea until our interview

0:53.5

with Stewart that back pain has become the world's

0:55.6

leading cause of disability.

0:57.0

Yes, and Stewart has been at the forefront of non-surgical procedures to addressing

1:02.6

back pain for many years.

1:05.0

His recent book, Back Mechanic, The Secrets to a Healthy Spine Your Doctor Isn't Telling

1:10.3

You About, is a wonderfully accessible

1:12.7

account of his methods and perspectives. A link to this book and to his website, Backfit Pro,

1:20.4

are in the show notes for this episode. But before we get to today's interview with Stewart,

1:25.4

we have some housekeeping to take care of.

1:31.5

First, we really appreciate all of you who have subscribed to STEM Talk, and we are especially appreciative of all the wonderful five-star reviews piling up on iTunes. As we announced in several

1:36.6

earlier episodes, the Double Secret Selection Committee has been continually and carefully reviewing

1:40.9

the iTunes reviews with an eye towards selecting the wittiest and lavishly

...

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