AngelaAndThenSome

Hello Friends! This book review will be about Built from Broken: A Science-Based Guide to Healing Painful Joints, Preventing Injuries, and Rebuilding Your Body by Scott H. Hogan

I chose Built from Broken as one of my Superhero Journey Literature starting points as I am no spring chicken. I am a 30-something year old woman, a mother, and if you’ve read some of my previous posts- I may have an autoimmune disorder or at least some other ongoing ailment. Built From Broken encompasses Itself as a book written for those who do or have suffered from previous workout injuries, injuries or ailments that currently effect the joints, or to help with pain management and the underlying factors that may need to be addressed. Simply put- if you’re someone who is concerned about the health and well-being of your body this might be a good read for you!

Now, with all of that in mind let’s jump right into it! (Psst…if you would prefer this in video format that’s now available too!)

The Good

The biggest positive of this book is that it very thorough. The chapters in Built From Broken range from how pain actually works, collagen synthesis, mobility training, corrective routines, and even recovering from an injury tips and strategies-this is not an exhaustive chapter list as there is even more information!

Now, when discussing how thorough Built From Broken is, that leads us to our next positive- this sh*t is informative. I have a science background (psychology) so although I was familiar with nerves, cells, etc,. I had never gotten into how pain actually works let alone collagen synthesis.

Lastly, this book is clearly well-researched. Scott Hogan cites numerous studies throughout this book as well as having a numbered reference guide (over 250 references). Scott Hogan himself is a certified personal trainer and certified orthopedic exercise specialist so yes, this book is definitely in his wheel-house. With saying all of that the bonus (in my opinion) of this book which I think ANYONE will find this extremely helpful is that after Part 1, Part 2 goes into actual workout plans and guides. This is not just a book showing how XYZ works, but it actually gives clear cut instructions, pictures, and an actual guide on how to BUILD YOUR BODY FROM BROKEN!

The Bad

No one is perfect, just like every book can’t be perfect. Yes, built from broken does have some draw backs, but to be fair none them are extreme. The first draw back or turn off for some is that Built From Broken does use a lot of academic language. When discussing such a science based topic certain language will need to be used for accuracy purposes so, yes, if academic works, journals, and the like are not familiar to you or you prefer the information presented in a more casual way then you may find Built From Broken not to be your cup ‘o tea.

Secondly, although Scott Hogan does give ample description when discussing new topics, if you are unfamiliar with academic speak, anatomy, biology, etc., some sections may need to be reread a few times. Here is an excerpt from chapter 4 “How To Train Your Collagen”:

“A study of patients with patellar tendinopathy…demonstrated that HSR and slow eccentric training improved short-term and long-term measures of pain, strength, and collagen turnover. In the same study, patients who used corticosteriod injections to manage inflammation and pain showed short-term improvements in pain levels but poor long-term tendon health…patients with Achilles tendinopathy showed that 12 weeks of slow, eccentric-focused training increased collagen synthesis…”

Scott Hogan, Built From Broken (P.66)

He does summarize a lot of the information presented but large swaths of the book do read as such, so with saying that some intermediate knowledge of anatomy, biology, etc,. would be helpful.

The Good

• Thorough
• Informative
• Well researched
• Bonus- workout plan and guides

The Bad

• Academic language
• Intermediate knowledge (May be needed)

Overall 8/10

Final Thoughts

Overall, I thought this book was pretty darn good- particularly if you’re someone who has suffered an injury in the past or someone who is really interested in injury prevention. The information was very thorough, informative, and well-researched. The book also includes a workout guide to literally help you start from square one with proper joint/tendon strengthening and flexibility since working out and injury prevention doesn’t just start with strengthening the muscles- it starts, like with all things, doing the deep foundational work.

If you found this article particularly useful, please find me on YouTube as I have this review in sweet video format, as well as more book reviews will be added too!