“Dear Ms. Sarah McGill,
I’m reaching out to share the story of my successful recovery from back pain. I’ve been dealing with bilateral lumbar radiculopathy at the LSTV level for over a decade. I underwent three unsuccessful back surgeries, which only worsened the problem and caused more instability. The pain in my lower back and sciatica was so severe that it limited my daily activities in ways I couldn’t even describe.
I read Back Mechanic and applied the principles outlined by Dr. Stuart McGill, but my case wasn’t an easy fix. I was incapacitated and literally bedridden. I clearly needed more specialized help. That’s when I discovered Maria Claudia shortly after she was certified on the BackFitPro website. From the start, she was obviously highly skilled and genuinely concerned about her patients. Her online assessment—since I couldn’t travel at the time—was impeccable.
Although we initially decided on a 3-month exercise routine, my case proved to be more complex. After consulting with another neurosurgeon, we opted for surgery again, this time a spinal fusion, as my facet joint was fractured and pressing on the nerve root.
Now, after my recovery, I’m pain-free, and it’s been a pleasure to continue working with Maria Claudia as a patient. I feel confident about my daily exercises, knowing she is prescribing me adapted variations, and is always available to help and answer any questions I have. I couldn’t recommend her more highly!”
Best regards,
~ Flavio
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“On Instagram, I found Professor Maria Claudia, looking for professionals who apply Professor McGill’s Method. What a pleasant surprise! I met an exceptionally qualified, didactic, attentive and thorough professional. After an extensive anamnesis and a complex and detailed physical evaluation, I received a fantastic and detailed report! It was a personalized and highly effective guide that solved my lower back pain like never before.
With her thorough clinical examination, she identified and showed me the mechanisms that lead me to have pain or worsen it, both in daily activities and in exercises. Thus, we defined a strategy to improve the ergonomics of my daily life and established a routine and progression of exercises.
I am incredibly grateful for her assessment and her guidance. Her rare expertise and seriousness took me out of a cycle of lower back pain that lasted almost 20 years. I am happy and confident about the path to recovery and staying pain-free.
Thank you very much, Maria Claudia!”
~ Elisa
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“Dear BackFitPro Team,
I’m writing to recommend Maria Claudia Vanicola’s work as a certified practitioner of the McGill Method in Brazil.
I first came across Dr. Stuart McGill in Peter Attia’s podcast, in January of 2024. After suffering from lower back pain for at least 2 decades, this was the first time I finally heard someone who seemed to understand my situation, and had very simple, down-to-earth advice that did not necessarily involve steroid injections or surgery – or general, one-size-fits-all physical therapy. I immediately bought the Back Mechanic book and read it back-to-back in a couple of days. There, I found hope.. Finally!
After implementing the big 3 exercises, and some of the back hygiene tips, I longed to have a local professional trained in the method. I kept checking the practitioner’s section of the website almost daily. In early March, I was delighted to discover that Maria Claudia was showing up, and, as luck would have it, was right here in São Paulo.
I immediately contacted her, and she has been nothing short of a miracle in my life. Her thorough process-based examination of my circumstances, coupled with a detailed exercise program, met and exceeded my expectations. She added clarity and experience to the content in the book, and I finally feel I´m on my way to recovery. Her detailed how-to guides, and overall availability, were like I never experienced before.
I cannot recommend enough that folks with back pain get to know the McGill Method, and reach out to Maria Claudia for help. It´s been transformational for me. I sincerely thank Dr. Stuart, and the team, for putting together such a comprehensive set of guidelines, and for dedicating a life of research to helping folks like me.
Thank you all.”
~ Pedro
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“I have been struggling with lower back pain for almost 20 years.
I have done multiple sports like Crossfit, bike riding, indoor climbing etc. And the pain came sometimes, but I had no idea why and what to do. Sometimes it came from what seemed trivial things like driving, stretching or just sitting to work.
I discovered Dr. McGill on a podcast (The Tim Ferriss Show) and found it so interesting that I bought his book on Amazon, and had it delivered in Brazil.
After reading the whole book I discovered McGill Method has a practitioner in Brazil: Ms Maria Claudia Vanicola.
Ms Maria Claudia Vanicola was really awesome. She examined my lower back in a way no orthopedist had done before, including my sports movements, how I sit to work, how I sit to drive. After the analysis and some weeks of training I feel much better. Some of the adjustments in my posture were small, but made a great difference. I also learned that the stretching I have been doing was worsening the situation.
I am glad that I do not have to stop doing sports! And with the help of Ms Maria Claudia Vanicola I have a plan to be back to my favourite ones!”
~ Alexandre M Luz