As a former competitive weightlifter, strength coach, and now Chair of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine at Vanderbilt Medical School, Dr. D.J. Kennedy specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of back issues that nearly all of us experience- including chronic back pain.

“The numbers are 80 to 90% of people have low back pain at some point in their life,” says Dr. Kennedy in the bonus episode, “which tells me 10 to 20% of people have a bad memory.”

Why is back pain so prevalent and persistent? Dr. Kennedy points to the complexity of spinal anatomy as a primary factor. "For the spine, we have L4-L5, L5- S1, “ says Kennedy, himself a back pain sufferer. “We have discs, we have facets, we have all kinds of things that can cause problems.”

Formerly a Stanford Medical School Professor, Dr. Kennedy emphasizes both the variety of back issues patients can experience, and the necessity of prescribing a wide array of treatments to address these issues. While at Stanford, Dr. Kennedy trained in the Gokhale Method featured in our previous episode. He then began recommending it to patients, many of whom saw positive results.   

Are you a frequent back pain sufferer? Do you find yourself feeling back stiffness you thought might never happen to you? Tune in to learn from a spine expert who values posture-based therapies encompassing our complete movement chain- from foot angle to neck alignment. And please share this episode with others who may benefit. 

My Body Odyssey is a Fluent Knowledge production.

Original music by Ryan Adair Rooney. 

Our Expert Guest:

Dr. DJ Kennedy 

Vanderbilt Faculty Page

Resources:

• Cleveland Clinic: Back Pain


• Back, Lower Limb, and Upper Limb Pain Among U.S. Adults, 2019
  


• WHO: Low Back Pain
  


• Is it Your Back, or Your Hips? 
  


• Building a Strong Core is Your Best Defense Against Back Pain
  


• A Systematic Review of the Effects of Exercise and Physical Activity on Non-Specific Chronic Low Back Pain
  


• What is the McKenzie Method for Back Pain and Neck Pain? 
  


• Kyphosis
  


• What to Expect From Physical Therapy for Lower Back Pain
  

Publications:

• Functional rehabilitation of lumbar spine injuries in the athlete


• Return to play considerations for cervical spine injuries in athletes
  


• The Challenges of Research on Interventions for Low Back Pain
  


• The role of core stabilization in lumbosacral radiculopathy