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!

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.

Great read! This book takes the previous works by Pr McGill and gives you a case example (a horrible injury at that) and shows you that there's not reason why you can't get back to doing the things you want to do, especially if Brian could get back to breaking records. As a physician myself this further reinforces the principles outlined in Pr McGills previous work and enables you to apply it to your own patient population. Seeing a guy like Brian broken down to the ground and brought back up is inspiring, motivating and it comes with a recipe. 100% recommend this book for any strength coach, athlete, physiotherapist and medical physician as its time we all opened our eyes.

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.

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.