The Egoscue Method of Health Through Motion: Revolutionary Program That Lets You Rediscover the Body's Power to...

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 224 pages
• Published by: Collins August 4, 1993
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0060924306
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0060924300
• Book Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Weighs: 5.6 ounces

From Library Journal
Modern humans move far less than our forebears did, which Egoscue claims causes muscular weakness that can affect bodily alignment. When muscle weakness causes one side of the body to bear less than its share of the weight, the resulting distortion may cause dysfunction and pain in many areas. Egoscue, who runs clinics in California and Florida, shows three common "conditions" of misalignment and offers simple exercises designed to counteract the condition by strengthening the relevant muscles. He also discusses the most popular types of aerobic exercises and how they may affect each condition. A good purchase for public libraries.
- Susan B. Hagloch, Tuscarawas Cty. P.L., New Philadelphia, Ohio
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From AudioFile
Egoscue's theory is that the human body is meant to be in motion; as lifestyles have become more sedentary, the musculoskeletal system has gone out of alignment. The cassette is based upon Egoscue's clinical work and his book of the same title. Egoscue's voice is intermittently flat, fumbling and condescending. The first tape, which is devoted to an explanation of his method, is repetitious. The second tape covers the exercises. The tape is detailed enough to follow, but it would require copious note-taking by the listener to be of use. Audio is not an appropriate format for this topic. E.L.C. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Reader Reviews
There are now (2006) four books by Pete Egoscue available: (1) "The Egoscue Method of Health Through Motion" (1992), (2) "Pain Free" (1998), (3) "Pain Free at your PC" (1999) and (4) "Pain Free for Women" (2002). If you are suffering from musculoskeletal pain and someone has recommended Egoscue to you or you are impressed with the testimonials in the Amazon reviews, you may well ask yourself, "Which book should I buy first?" Probably the second, "Pain Free" but each has its merits. All the books are based on two generally recognized propositions: (1) in a healthy human the lines connecting the two ankles or the two knees or the two hips or the two shoulders should all be horizontal and the feet and knees should point straight forward when walking or standing without thinking about one's posture, and (2) deviations from this structure usually originate with the position of the pelvis. Trying to correct the manifestation of the misaligned pelvis will not help until the fundamental problem is fixed. In the first book, Egoscue describes a self-diagnosis which puts you in one of four categories based largely on your posture when standing in a natural, relaxed way. Once you know your category, you turn to page 127 to find your menu of exercises. The exercises are presented in alphabetical order; you look up the exercises on your menu, learn and do them. You may need as much as ninety minutes a day or as little as 30, depending on the severity of your condition. Of the first book, Egoscue says in the second (page 282) "[It was] a pretty ambitious theme. This one, 'Pain Free,' is more more modest." I think that means that the reader had to work harder to understand the first than the second. People in pain do not immediately know which category they fall into. But they do know where they hurt. So "Pain Free", after a brief explanation of the fundamental theory, is organized by where the pain is: feet, ankles, knees, hips, back, shoulders, arms, and neck and head. For each area, Egoscue gives exercises. Many exercises are used for more than one area, but everywhere the exercise is used, a picture of the exercise is repeated and the page number where is was described in full is given. The result is definitely easier to use. Also, there are a number of new exercises for specific problems, such as a herniated disk in the spine. Initially, your program of exercises may require ninety minutes or more, but most of the time is spent on one particular exercise. Once pain is gone for a week or more, the maintenance exercises (pages 277-282) should not take more than about twenty minutes a day. The third book, "Pain Free at your PC" is aimed, obviously, at PC users. Egoscue distinguishes three categories, but if you use a PC more than about an hour a day, you are in the third category. Initially, you'll need eighty minutes a day at home and 5 minutes at the office, but most of that eighty minutes is on one exercise, the supine groin stretch, and the time needed for it will diminish. If you are a "power user" of the PC, you are at serious risk of developing musculoskeletal pain, not because of any problem with your PC or your chair or your desk, but because, for hours at a time, you are not moving the main muscles that hold body together and make it work. They atrophy, and problems develop. Egoscue's exercises are designed to cure or avoid those problems. If you are a heavy PC user, you could start with this one. I have not read "Pain Free for Women" since I was clearly not in its target audience. It would be a mistake, however, for women to conclude that since this book is specifically for them the other books don't apply. Every word of the other books applies equally to men and women. This one, however, has chapters on pregnancy, childbirth, and other specifically feminine matters. For herniated disks, aching feet, and other problems common to both sexes, I would suggest "Pain Free" first. The Egoscue book that I want to read is the one that has not been written, the one that explains Egoscue's own thinking, what each exercise does and why certain exercises should be done before others. On these questions, all the books are silent and rather dogmatic. The reader is supposed to know what the "hip flexors" are but is presumed unable to understand why one exercise should precede others. Egoscue, however, rearranges them in numerous orders. What does he know that he doesn't tell? Because of that problem, I have given the books only four stars. Comment (1) | | (Report this)