Save Your Lower Back! Release, Strengthen, and Stretch, with Annette Fletcher: Stretching instruction, Back saving exercises

I don't normally write reviews. But I always read reviews. When someone said Fletcher spends too much time "talking" about the exercises, and not enough time "doing them" and that this made the flow "awkward."First off, this is not a typical exercise DVD. This is not about losing weight. It's about strengthening your back, which let's face it, most of us abuse our backs in day to day living. Be it from the way we lift things, the way we stand, the way we hunch over the computer - very few of us are kind to their backs, me included.Fletcher is not blabbing. Everything she says is important. If you just follow along without paying attention to the details, your stretch will be ineffective at best, or you may injure yourself at worst. If you're a physical therapist or have worked with one, maybe the talking can seem unnessary, if you already know all that stuff.I think the flow is just fine. In fact, you have to pause the video a couple times, because she doesn't always take you through all the recommended repetitions/time of a strectch. When I read this review, I thought maybe Fletcher talked too much about the benefits of an exercise, why you do them, etc. No, every word is HOW you should do the exercise, the reap the most benefit.She has a little section devoted to posture. Now anytime I'm standing still for a length of time, I check my posture. When I do it the way she describes, I instantly feel tension go out of my lower back. But standing that way feels unnatural. I guess it would after 30 years of bad posture. But since I started doing that, I've noticed my overall pain has gone down.I really like this DVD. It's not too terribly long, and it does help with back pain - if you listen to all the "awkard" talking, and do the stretches right.

I hope that Annette gets to see this. I just had to write this review immediately after doing this DVD. It is amazing!! I went to the doctor yesterday because I have been having pain, stiffness and numbness in my lower back and my left leg. I have recently starting running and I was very upset because this has prevented me from running. I am trying to lose weight and I thought that I was not going to be able to do anything active again. The MD told me that she thinks it is sciatica or a herniated disc. I have not had my MRI yet so we don't know for sure.I purchased this DVD about a month ago and had not used it yet. I bought it because I know that I need to incorporate stretching into my routine. So today I decided to do it in the hopes that I could ease some of the pain and stiffness in my back and leg.OH MY GOD!! When I started the video, I was stiff, in some pain and could barely get down on the floor. But, as I did the exercises I could feel my muscles releasing and the stiffness and pain subsided. When I was done I felt like I had just come from the chiropractor! I feel amazing!! I can stand up straight and I can walk around my house with a lot less pain and stiffness. There is still a little there but nothing compared to how I had been feeling for the past 4 days. I am so impressed by this DVD and this is only after doing it ONE TIME!! I am getting your other DVDs so I can do more stretching. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!! I think you have saved my lower back!!

I'm considered a young, healthy woman (at 25 years old). My family has a history of lower back problems where many of them have had back surgery. While my back pain isn't as serious, it is still uncomfortable at different times. My doctor told me that certain exercises are important to keep that paid away. I found this hoping to get some relief without having a take constant pain medication. This DVD is great! I feel like I had a good stretching/yoga workout and my back doesn't hurt for the rest of the day. I feel better after doing it. The only negative, which I have read on other reviews, is that there is a lot of talking. But the DVD is in chapters so after listening to the intro once, you can just skip to the good parts. Very glad I found this.

Well done

I liked this product because it helped with my lower back pain

I don't use this dvd very often because I need more of a full body stretch and this just focuses on the back.She tells you to go at your own pace and to stop the dvd after she instructs you on how to do the exercise/stretch.There are pros and cons to that. pro is you don't feel rushed and can take more time if your muscles feel like they need it. The con is that is takes me at least an hour to do this because I am taking my time and too much of it. I am the type that need something that keeps me moving along.I do like a couple of the exercises and stretches she does and will do those as needed along with the full body stretch i do in the mornings.Also one other thing that is kind of annoying is camera doesn't give you multiple angles. a couple of times her explanations are confusing and I wish I could see how she was doing it from another angle.

DVD has the same exercises I have from my physical therapist which you can get for free online by viewing lower back pain stretching and exercises. If you are starting from square one this would be helpful but if you already know stretching and strength exercises for back I don't think this DVD will help you.

I have been using this DVD for many years. When I twinge my lower back, I use it every day. I feel immediate relief after and it decreases my recovery time from weeks to days. Even when your back is not hurting, it helps keep it that way if you do the video about once a week. I don't really find that the upper back exercises do much for me so sometimes I will substitute extra time with the constructive rest position or pelvic tilts.

The exercises I got from my chiropractor were not helping me as much as I thought they would so I got this video. It's easier to follow along to someone talking and doing the exercises then staring at a piece of paper and hope you're doing it right haha. This video made a HUGE difference with my back. I used to not be able to sit up straight for more then a few minutes and now I can go hours without slouching. I would recommend this video to anyone who has lower back problems. I do the exercises almost every day and it shows! The exercises are surprisingly easy too but the more you do them the stronger your back muscles get

Un dvd di esercizi di stretching per la schiena, spiegati in modo semplice e di facile esecuzione. Utile sia dopo l'allenamento, sia per far passare qualche "doloretto" antipatico da postura sbagliata. Consigliato.

I can't use this DVD.Had I known before ordering how much stress is put on the knees in parts of it, I would not have ordered. If you have no knee problems you would probably be okay, but I have arthritis in mine. I thought as it was one of back exercises, the knees wouldn't come under pressure, & as there's nothing in the item description to tell you how are you supposed to know??

I've purchased this DVD twice now because it's one of the very few ways I've found to relieve my lower back pain. Excellent. Easy to follow. No crazy moves. Relaxing and stretching feels awesome.

Pros: Excellent exercises that can really be felt in your core afterward, stretching and lengthening which does wonders for your back, the instructor encourages patience and taking your time, calming music.Cons: The instructor doesn't count her repetitions and a number of her exercises are uneven.Neutral: Poor production quality. (The quality of the video itself is fine, but the DVD menu makes it look like a bootleg.) You also have to pause the DVD multiple times if you really want to be able to take your time and/or do extra reps. (A number of her exercises only feature 3-5 reps. Understandably, this is to keep the overall workout low impact, but as your back gets stronger, you will need to up the reps on your own.) Working within the confines of the DVD will still give you incredible relief, though.Review:I have had sciatica since February of this year. I went to a chiropractor and the relief I got was only temporary. I was expected to continue stretching at home, but the pain was so bad that it didn't permit some days. Eventually, I switched to seeing a physiotherapist, using a heating pad or ice, and taking medicine on those bad days.Then I bought this in April, and on days when I was doing better, I would do the workouts on this DVD. Now that I'm improving, I've found that I can dedicate even more time to doing the exercises on it. I haven't needed to take painkillers for a month and combined with heat and a few trips to the physiotherapist, I know I will conquer this.You're still encouraged to see your doctor/physiotherapist/etc, take medicine, or whatever gives you relief, but this DVD is an invaluable companion to what will inevitably give you a longer lasting solution, assuming your problem is being caused by tense, tight muscles and/or muscle weakness.