AS one of the many people whose lives are regularly hampered by back pain, the publication of Garry Trainer s book Back Chat: The Ultimate Guide To Healing And Preventing Back Pain (Aurum, £10.99) was welcome indeed. True there are a lot of books about ba

AS one of the many people whose lives are regularly hampered by back pain, the publication of Garry Trainer's book Back Chat: The Ultimate Guide To Healing And Preventing Back Pain (Aurum, £10.99) was welcome indeed.

True there are a lot of books about back pain on the market. But few such books are written by someone whose clients include Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow and George Michael to name but three. Even Paul McCartney gives an endorsement on the book's front cover. Clearly this is no ordinary osteopath. This must be a man in league with the angels.

Garry, an affable New Zealander, is indeed like no osteopath I've met before (and there have been a few). To start with, he doesn't rely totally on osteopathy. He's also an acupuncturist and skilled masseur so he attacks the problem from many angles. But perhaps more importantly, one conversation with him - and this is also borne out by the book - and you begin to feel that your back pain is both treatable and curable. Until then I'd been convinced that back pain was just one of the things life had stuck me with, like not being able to sing. As far as Garry is concerned, back pain is both treatable and preventable. And once you start believing that yourself, you're halfway there.

Persistent back pain (i.e. pain which has lasted for more than three months) has a serious impact on people's lives. Not only does it reduce your quality of life but it stops you even attempting some actions that those without such problems take for granted.

In my case, my back problems, which had been lying there under the surface for years, suddenly leaped to the fore when my little boy was born and I had to spend many nights walking up and down trying to get him to sleep. Now aged 17 months he sleeps OK - but he weighs more than two stone. If he wants to be carried around the supermarket, I'm simply not able to do it.

Talking to Garry at his Primrose Hill clinic, it became clear to me that not only is my back problem not unique (far from it) but that it needn't last forever. Indeed after one session of massage and acupuncture (and no - it doesn't hurt, in case you were wondering) and it already felt much improved.

Back Chat allows you to go that distance yourself. It explains what the back is and how it works, what to do when it hurts and then takes you through all manner of ways in which you can ease the pain - and keep it eased. And as all those, like myself, who wince getting into and out of cars know, if Trainer can do that, he's worth his weight in gold.

o Back Chat: The Ultimate Guide To Healing And Preventing Back Pain by Garry Trainer and health journalist Tania Alexander is available now.

You can also check out

Garry's website at

www.garrytrainer.com.