In the 10 years that h ave passed since this book's first edition was published, rehabilitation for patients with activity-limiting pain of spinal origin has become the standard of care. The latest scientific evidence has identified patient reassurance and reactivation as the first steps in the self-management journey.
A team approach involving patients, health care providers, employers, and p ayors all working together is needed to alter the course of distressing or disabling
back and neck pain. Rehabilitation of the Spine, Second Edition, sheds light on various iatrogenic risk factors of current practice approaches, in particular, the routine recommendation of bed rest, excessive diagnostic testing, overpresCliption of narcotic analgesics, and inappropriate selection criteria for spinal surgery. With new preemptive societal measures, via the Internet and mass media, providing the momentum, this book hopes to offer a practical manual for health care providers to shift towards a confident, empathetic, self-management approach to spinal
disorders.