Gift of Injury

I just wanna let you know that your book , Gift Of Injury , saved my life.. I’m 42 now, had lower back issues in my late 20s from heavy lifting and wrestling.. over came that and always made warm up , movement prep , stretching, etc a big priority.. then right around when I hit 40 I had the standard L5 S1 back pain that really took its toll on my training and daily life .. I’m a police officer in our emergency service unit (SWAT/HEAVY RESCUE) and a dad of two young very active athletic boys so the pain, lack of movement , and explosiveness became a total mind f@&k ! ... epidurals, movement research , decompression, didn’t work .. I got a hold of your book and thoroughly read it and practice it all. it was literally life changing .. I have zero pain now and can actually move, explode, squat /deadlift and wrestle how I should be .. in short thanks so much for sharing your story and putting all that extremely useful info out there .. This book isn’t just for the hardcore powerlifter. Anyone currently with lower back pain or who doesn’t even want to go down that road of debilitating back issues should read and study this book. Any athlete, person on a regular fitness/strength training routine will absolutely benefit from this material. This book is real deal, legit, easy to follow, and couldn’t be anymore genuine coming from someone of your immense accomplishments. How many of those in LE, who strength train, who have To function in life, have lower back issues?? I’ve read many strength training, physical education books on how to get stronger and more Athletic, but this by far was the most informative and beneficial in corrective health. I recommend this book to any and all I meet who deal with back pain because there is a fix. I again thank you Brian, and Dr. McGill for putting this out there. - Ron C.

This book is a must purchase if you are a strength athlete and also the population at large. If you train for long periods of time - eventually you''ll get tweaked. Brian and Stu McGill give you a plan to progress and train for a life time. Also importantly they give you the correct mindset you need to have to remain healthy or if you are injured to come back. This is a wonderful book I have two copies - 1 for me and 1 that I gave to a friend that is suffering from back pain. What Brian and Stu write about works and you have the synergy of a science and lifting in one book. The book is really a few different stories in 1. It covers the history of Brian's power lifting career, it gives a walkthrough of his recovery and it also shows you how to prescribe your own recovery and training using Brian and Stu's insights.After reading the book and applying the training methodology I have been able to workout pain free - despite having a torn meniscus. The book teaches you how to apply the principles for your specific goal. Another thing I took away from the book is the mindset you need to have as an athlete - Brian lays out the foundation on how you need to think if you want to be successful and remain pain free. Stu supports the science behind the recommendations, its nice to have a balance of the practical and scientific in pme place. Especially with so much conflicting "science" out there, "fake news", its nice to pick up a book that lays out exactly what you need to do, how to do it for your specific situation and supports its with practical, functional and scientific examples through out. It 's very well thought out and everything is rooted in science and experience. A really great book, buy it for yourself or to help someone out of pain.

This is an incredible book written by two experts in their respective fields coming together and sharing their collaboration and story. Brian Carroll's story is quite interesting. He was suffering from disc bulges, a crushed L5 vertebra, bone edema, and a massive sacrum fracture from his years of Powerlifting at an elite level. After searching for relief, failing to find it, and considering the possibility of surgery, Mr. Carroll found himself physically and mentally broken down in a parking lot. Thankfully, a client of his recommended he go see a spine expert located in Canada. In steps Dr. Stuart McGill. Through patience and dedication to getting better, the two were able to lead Mr. Carroll back to a pain free state. After becoming pain free, the two negotiated a strategy to rebuild Mr. Carroll's athleticism, eventually leading to a 1306 lbs squat! Mr. Carroll's story is a fascinating and engrossing read. The book is very insightful and laid out in a very well organized manner, from the athlete's story and injury, to the recovery process, to the programming. Coupled with colorful photos and tons of information backed by both Mr. Carroll's personal experience being an elite Powerlifter and Dr. McGill's extensive research and background in low back health and disorders, this book is a fantastic read that I highly recommend. Whether you're a person dealing with back pain, an athlete looking to ground their training and programming in effective approaches, or a lay person struggling with something in their life and needing an indication that things can get better, I think this book should be at the top of your list. Rather than pain being the end of something good, it can be the beginning of implementing healthy habits and movements that lead to something far better!

I started working out when I was 11 years old and aspired to be a bodybuilder ever since I can remember. It has been my love and passion. Then last year I was in a car accident resulting in six disc bulges throughout my spine and some tears. At the time I felt lost, I would watch every YouTube video I could find on spine health and rehabilitation and then I came across Stuart Mcgill’s videos and saw Brian Caroll’s story. I had ordered the Back Mechanic and started reading it then I reached out to Brian and he had recommended me the Gift of Injury. Before reading his book I was seeing a physical therapist which was making my injuries worse. The approach that they had was very general and non-specific. After reading Brian’s book I took it into my own hands to do my own rehab. His book took me from feeling completely lost to having belief I can do this. It was really empowering to see how he went through dealing with traditional medicine and finding the correct help and not giving in. It can be really tough finding the right help with the traditional medical system where most just want to treat a symptom and manage pain and not addressing the core issue. It can leave you feeling frustrated and not knowing where to go. I used his book to dial down my pain sensitivity, define my sport and understand the demands it will take and put together a solid plan. He lays out his complete recovery and shows you how to apply it to your own. It led me from being full of pain, having trouble with walking and having loss of sensation throughout my body to being in the gym again. I’m still on the journey now and I’ve had my set backs sometimes but then I always go back to the basics from the book and has me moving forward again. Thank you Brian for sharing your story! And I highly recommend the Gift of Injury to anyone who has a spine! And Back Mechanic as well!

Gift of Injury by McGill & Carroll is a must read for anyone wanting to take their performance to the next level. Given how common back pain is and how most people will experience it at some point in their life this becomes mandatory material for anyone with a spine. As a healthcare practitioner that deals with both acute and chronic pain on a daily basis this book has added more wisdom to my repertoire that I pass along to my patients on their rehab journey every day. I learned years ago that with every injury you experience there are always two ways to look at it. You can take the negativity and victim approach or you can look for the silver lining or gift contained within. The only reason I got into medicine was because of my own health challenges and injuries. I assure you that nothing will teach you more about the human body- the muscles, tendons, bones, ligaments and joints than getting injured will. You must realize that if you want to achieve greatness in the athletic performance arena, that part of that journey will involve setbacks, tweaks, injuries and pain. That is what makes this process and journey such a beautiful one. Reading the narrative by Brian and Stu in this book spoke to me in a deep way. You'll be reminded that the end goal and destinations are fun to hit and amazing to achieve. However, the real pay dirt comes from the journey and steps you took along the way and the growth you gained from that entire process. Brian and Stu give you actionable steps to deconstruct what injured you in the first place and how you can go to work quickly on building yourself back up brick by brick. If you want to treat back pain, spinal issues and become the strongest version of yourself grab this book immediately.

Has detailed exercises to do, and other tips and tricks. Specific detailed tips and reasons why, how, etc. You can skip the first half of the book and get right to the rehab part. Get ready to do bird dogs and planks and swing your arms when you walk lol. Sounds silly but this will fix you. Book is worth every penny.

If you are struggling with back issues, you MUST HAVE this book. Three years ago, I was lucky enough to stumble across Dr. McGill and Brian Carroll on the internet right after I had an emergency lumbar surgery. Using this book along with Dr. McGill's book, "Back Mechanic," I was able to once again strength train in the gym even though the ER doctor told me I would never lift weights again. This book outlines Brian's journey from his devastating back injury to his return to the platform. Having such a HUGE passion for powerlifting, Brian also goes into detail discussing some of the mental/psychological challenges that he faced........this is a part of the book that I absolutely love and is something I always go back to when I'm struggling with recovery from an injury. Unfortunately, I suffered another back injury (due to the fact that I got away from these methods and once again thought I was invincible) and for the past few months, I have had the honor of working with Brian himself through his online consulting. Using the very same methods found in this book, Brian quickly got me out of pain and now we are working on rebuilding my core. Even though I am working with Brian directly, I still refer to this book almost weekly for either core training tips or a mental pick-me-up. Even if you do not have back problems, I still HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who is into strength training. This book will instruct you on how to move your body properly and build "the core of iron" which will greatly reduce your risk of injury while lifting.

In July, I started really struggling with what I thought was a hip issue. In August, I could barely move, couldn't sit or bend over, and absolutely couldn't deadlift. That's when I got this MRI done, which clearly shows a significant protrusion of the L5-S1 disc, also known as a herniated disc. That clearly explained the shooting pain and numbness that was constant in my left leg. On a PT recommendation, I picked up Gift of Injury by @briancarroll81 and @backfitpro. The knowledge is this book has been lifesaving when it comes to my recovery. Thanks to Brian's honesty, I didn't feel so alone in my pain. Thanks to Dr. Stu's solid information, I now had a plan. I became obsessed with my injury, taking note of all of the tools in this book. Incorporating a hip hinge in everything to settle my nerves. Going to a standing desk only, walking several times a day, doing the Big Three at least once a day all made me start feeling like I didn't hurt so much and was reclaiming my mobility. Once I started training, the solid techniques in this book continued to prove useful. I warm up every workout with the Big Three. Tonight, I tried to deadlift again, focusing on the lifters wedge and bending the bar with my lats. I was able to do several sets at 135# WITHOUT PAIN! I felt so alive! I can't thank Brian Carroll and Dr Stuart McGill enough for taking the time to write this book. Knowing there are options besides surgery and having a plan has been everything to me. It's not a 400# deadlift, but when I get back there again, my form, technique, and strength will be so much better.

The gift of injury is a great reference book for any strength and conditioning coach. Its especially useful for anyone that trains for strength sports and has suffered a back injury. The book describes Brian's severe back injuries, all the mistakes he had made trying to train through the pain and getting to the point where Doctors/Surgeons said he would never lift again. It takes you through his initial meetings with Stuart McGill, describing how they got him on track to not only be pain free but to top powerlifting performance (without surgery!). Alongside the story of Brian's recovery the book arms you with tools required to build a balanced base and return to your sport after back injury. There is a lot of useful information discussing technique and spine sparring training. For me this book was very useful as it gave me hope that I can return to training after back injury (a Weightlifter coming back from disc injury). Ive been using the key methods of rehab in the book (interval walks and the big 3) I can already feel an improvement after a few weeks of sticking to them. I would definitely recommend this book, it uses Brian's rehab and return to competition as a case study showing the effectiveness of Stuart McGills methods.

Anyone who has broken, fractured, injured etc their back should read this, including trainers assisting someone rehab. I smashed my L1 and currently rehabbing at the moment - this book has provided very helpful insights. I will read more of Stu’s books after this.

As an athlete myself, I struggled with back pain and injuries for many years. Part narrative and instructional, this book brought both Brian's and Dr. McGill's stories into one to give it a unique take on the emotional side of overcoming an injury along with actionable methods you can apply to your own recovery journey. Been doing Dr. McGill's Big Three for a few weeks now and my SI joint pain has completely subsided! Athlete or not, give this book a read if you want to know more about injury prevention and rehabilitation.

This book arrived with a deep crease in the cover. Packaged in bubble wrap. Now considering how very expensive it was that's not cool. The book itself has extremely small print. I may need a magnifying glass to read it. My final gripe is that the ebook version is not available in my country which is absurd. The ebook price also is absurdly high. Regret having bought it now. Wish the ebook had been available.

This book is absolutely incredible. As an athlete who is currently rehabbing a compression fracture in my L1-2 this book is exactly what I needed, When I needed it. I recently worked one on one with Dr. McGill to assess my condition and he is the absolute best resource there is for spinal mechanics and rehabilitation protocol. Brian's career speaks for it's self. With the list of records and triumphs he has accumulated along with his own rehab work there is no better team to have written this book. Buy it, Read it, Keep it for future reference. This book is a must have for any strength athlete.