The Backhealer Method is a simple and effective self-care method that personalizes the ancient therapeutic practices of breathing, massage, and movement to stimulate the body's innate healing response to back pain.
Backhealer was designed by Steve Butler.
In the fall of 2007, Steve started a new program; a 1-hour yoga-based therapy ball session designed to activate, amplify, and attune your body’s healing power. A session designed for spinal and total body healing. Participants used hand-made (by Steve) massage balls, deep breathing, and specialized yoga postures.
Steve was a personal trainer at this time with 20 years of experience in exercise and fitness. He created the Backhealer for people like himself—for his current and future clients. For people who had chronic pain. A method everyone could do at home, anywhere. It had to be cost-effective and relieve all sorts of aches and pains of the body. It had to be simple and effective. The motto was “If you can get on the floor you can do the Backhealer”.
Backhealer 2020 has evolved to our present online experience from the Backhealer studio in Vancouver BC, Canada. From only 6 participants per class to now unlimited potential to help more people with chronic back pain.
Steve’s story
Steve was born with a congenital birth defect in the areas of C7, T8, T12, and L5/S1 (lower lumbar and sacrum) and a reverse curve and his neck He also had a mid-back scoliosis. His discs had already degenerated and narrowed so severely that they were comparable to that of a 90-year-old man. Steve’s father and sister also had similar defects and both attempted surgery to fuse these joints together—neither surgery was successful.
Personal journey
At 7 years old started experiencing severe neck pain, blackouts, and migraines.
At 9 years old Steve's mom; Karen would drive one hour (both ways) to see a chiropractor because there were no chiropractors in their hometown. The chiropractor stated that Steve may get paralyzed if he continued to play hockey and got hit the wrong way. He said Steve had the spine of a 90 year old man.
At 12 years old he started experiencing low back pain, especially when playing hockey.
At 13 years Steve quit playing hockey but only for one year. Started again but was in a great deal of pain.
It was at the age of 14 Steve started to take his healing seriously. He bought a Weider weight set and started weight training to strengthen his body.
Started fasting and removing all sugar and bad food from his diet mostly to eliminate his severe acne.
Started to learn to use herbs for healing.
14-22 years old—intense physical training for hockey and general fitness.
22 years old—stopped all competitive sports—no hockey at all—went out tree planting for the summer and spent every day in severe pain and could not continue.
23 years old: Steve experienced his first incidence of not being able to walk for extended periods—these bouts of not walking lasted for weeks/month. These non-walking incidences numbered approximately 30 times until he started Backhealer in his 40s.
At 28 years old–Steve's headaches became so bad he could not stand it anymore. He purchased a dowel (a small piece of wood which I rounded the edges off) and Gray’s Anatomy book. Steve spent the next 6 months for 2 hours per night pushing the dowel into any painful areas of his neck. This healed his neck. Headaches, migraines, or blackouts vanished.
Steve's heavyweight training started at 29 years old. Strength and muscle size increased dramatically, but the pain remained and even increased.
30-35 years old Steve's low back pain was unbearable. It grew worse as he sat daily running Basic Elements. Even with all he had done, he saw no resolution in sight and started becoming sedentary and gaining weight.
35 years old: Steve started Bikrams yoga at the urging of a friend. Practiced every day for 2 years and 5 times per week for the next 6 years. The daily practice of yoga was a tremendous tool in the development of the Backhealer method.
The yoga wasn't enough to release Steve's chronically tightened patterned muscles. He then studied myofascial release. Many methods. Many self-care tools. Many balls, rollers, etc.
Even the myofascial release wasn't enough. The pattern came back. He then studied breathing and the nervous system and came upon pranayama.
These experiences led Steve to develop the Backheaker method. Breathe, myofascial release, movement.
Education/Employment journey
Exercise and Fitness
Current Studies
Master Personal Trainer, International Sports Science Association (ISSA).
Exercise Specialist, International Sports Science Association (ISSA).
1999-present—Certified Fitness Trainer, International Sports Science Association (ISSA).
1999-2007—Owner of Butlerbody—personal training company.
1999/2000—Judge, FemSport.
2003/2004—Judge, World Natural Sports Organisation (WNSO) Fame.
1988-1991—Asst. Manager, Fitness World
1999-2009—Specialist and Performance Nutrition, International Sports Science Association (ISSA).
Certified in Yoga for Personal Trainers.
1997-2005—President, Basic Elements—Basic Elements is a brokerage and distribution company selling health products to small and large retailers throughout Canada.