The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson

Discussions with successful doctors such as Dr. James Cox, Dr. Kurt Olding,

The Back Doctors podcast is weekly conversations with doctors from around the world sharing patient stories as they inform, educate, and offer hope for the millions of people who have back pain.

  1. Oct 5

    340 Beverly Atkins - Pauseture

    Beverly Atkins shares the Feldenkrais Method® with us and explains how gentle movement can relieve pain. Beverly's mission is simple: help people feel better by getting unstuck from old patterns. For most of her life, Beverly had undiagnosed ADHD and compensated with grit. She completed the Hawaii Ironman in 2009. In 2014, while working at Facebook's Los Angeles office, the fast pace was manageable—it was the loud, open-office environment that overwhelmed her nervous system—and put her back out and couldn't walk upright because of the pain. Nothing was helping. Desperate and skeptical, she crawled into a Feldenkrais® Awareness Through Movement®. It seemed strange—until she stood up and her back pain was gone. What just happened? That moment of curiosity changed everything. First, she thought of her mother—a psychologist at a pain care center who went on disability because of debilitating back pain (you can't make that up). Conventional treatments didn't help. At 53, facing what felt like a lifetime of chronic pain, she lost hope and died by suicide. The most heartbreaking part for Beverly when she discovered how gentle movement can relieve pain? That the Feldenkrais Method® had been around for decades. If her mother had access to this whole-body approach, would she have moved out of pain? That question became Beverly's driving force:  make these lessons accessible. As she began doing daily lessons at home, something unexpected happened. Her back stayed better—and her focus improved too. Her work struggles softened. People said she was a better listener. She even found herself adjusting to the open-office culture, by calming her nervous system each morning with a lesson before work. When she was later diagnosed with ADHD, it all made sense—the lessons had been quietly rewiring her brain. Neuroscience confirms that mindful movement can improve executive function, focus, and sleep.  Now Beverly had a second why: nervous system regulation and focus for inattentive brains. Eager to learn more, Beverly enrolled in the four-year training to become a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner®. In 2020, she left Facebook to open a private practice. Clients often asked if she was a sorcerer. She reminded them: your body is designed to heal. These lessons simply help unstick a nervous system caught in a loop. Today, Beverly personally reviews every lesson published in Pauseture. She added a unique filter—Active vs. Still/Subtle—to help ADHD brains choose what they need. On high-energy days, an active lesson helps ease into focus and calm. Still lessons—like traditional meditation or breath work—can feel irritating.  Now at 59, Beverly still swims, bikes, and runs—injury free—and her back pain has never returned. When small pains arise, she gets curious, and pain resolves by interrupting patterns that lead to the pain. ‍ Pauseture exists to serve several whys:  To prevent others from losing hope, as Beverly's mother did. To help inattentive brains find the regulation they need to thrive. And to give people agency over their own movement and health.  Not someday. Now. Because feeling better shouldn't be a luxury. Resources: Pauseture.com Download the app and get a 30-day free trial using code BACK30 Show Sponsor: Haven Medical

    340 Beverly Atkins - Pauseture
  2. Aug 17

    333 Dr. Nikolaos Kalogeropoulos - Disc Extrusion

    Dr. Nikolaos Kalogeropoulos shares a story about a 41-year-old male with a disc extrusion who was told he needed immediate surgery.  Listen as Dr. Nikolaos shares how he successfully treated this patient who ultimately did not require back surgery. Nikos Kalogeropoulos was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa. He qualified as a Chiropractor from the now University of Johannesburg in 1998 and in 1999 qualified as a Chiropractic Sport Physician. Along with his private practice he worked at many sporting events, from local events to international events, like the IAAF All African Games. In 2002 he starts his career in a private practice in Athens, Greece while parallel working with the top track and field Athletes of Greece for the upcoming Olympic Games in 2004. He continued to work at local and international sporting events. His experience with athletes expands his field of work in tennis, cycling, basketball, gymnastics, golf and football, rowing, swimming and many more. His main concern is the restoration of normal functioning of the vertebral column and generally the whole neuromuscular system. The main technique used for restoring normal functioning of the spine is the adjustment. The adjustment is a high velocity, short lever thrust directed specifically to alter the state of the three-joint complex, bringing ease and self-healing. Realizing that perfect functioning of the human body needs more than just perfect workings of the neuromusculoskeletal system. He believes that our emotional state plays a large role in our wellbeing. He therefore engaged in the teachings of Donald Epstein's Network Spinal Analysis now know as Epienergetics from 2005. From 2011 and for six consecutive years Nikos Kalogeropoulos voluntarily offers his services to the athletes of the 'Spartathlon', an ultra-marathon from Athens to Sparta covering a distance of 246 km non-stop. In 2015 he follows Pete Garbutt's seminars and becomes a certified Enhanced Running instructor. This technique is designed to identify and correct errors in your running technique that can put extra stress on areas such as knees and back. In 2015 he was the president of the organizing committee which organized the joint World Federation of Chiropractic and European Chiropractors Union convention in Athens Greece. As a further personal need to understand and approach patients in 2017 Nikos Kalogeropoulos embarks in a three-year course to become a health counsellor through Athens Synthesis Centre which is affiliated with COSCA (Counselling and Psychotherapy in Scotland). He is a member of the Hellenic Chiropractors Association (and was part of the executive council for 6 years), the European Chiropractors Union, the World Federation of Chiropractic. He is a Specialist Fellow in Sports with the European Academy of Chiropractors. A certified Rock Doc and certified in the Functional Range Release technique and Functional Anatomy. Resources: Connect with Dr. Kalogeropoulos Find a Cox Certified Doctor The Cox 8 Table by Haven Medical

    333 Dr. Nikolaos Kalogeropoulos - Disc Extrusion
4.9
out of 5
19 Ratings

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The Back Doctors podcast is weekly conversations with doctors from around the world sharing patient stories as they inform, educate, and offer hope for the millions of people who have back pain.

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