What does it involve?
The McKenzie Method®
ASSESSMENT
MDT begins with the clinician taking a detailed history about your symptoms and how they behave. You will be asked to perform certain movements and rest in certain positions. The main difference to most other assessments is the use of repeated movements rather than a single movement. How your symptoms and range of movement changes with these repeated movements provides the clinician with information that they can use to categorise your problem.
CLASSIFICATION
Each syndrome is addressed according to its unique nature, with specific mechanical procedures, including repeated movements and sustained postures. MDT is a comprehensive classification system, and includes a smaller group of patients that cannot be classified into one of the three Syndromes, but are into the ‘Other’ Subgroup which includes serious pathologies, non-mechanical causes, true chronic pain etc.
TREATMENT
Using the information from the assessment, the clinician will prescribe specific exercises and advice regarding postures to adopt and postures to temporarily avoid. If your problem has a more difficult mechanical presentation, a qualified MDT clinician may need to add hands-on techniques until you can self-manage. The aim is to be as effective as possible in the least number of sessions. Treatment that you can perform five or six times a day is more likely to be effective in a shorter period of time than treatment administered by the clinician once or twice per week. The emphasis is on you, the patient, being actively involved. This can minimise the number of visits to the clinic. Ultimately, most patients can successfully treat themselves when provided with the necessary knowledge and tools.
Prevention
By learning how to self-treat the current problem, you gain knowledge on how to minimise the risk of recurrence. You can also rapidly deal with symptoms if they recur, putting you in control of your treatment safely and effectively. Persisting problems are more likely to be prevented through self-maintenance than by passive care.
There are trained clinicians of MDT in over 35 countries worldwide. Because the specific management provided must be based on an accurate assessment, finding a clinician who is Credentialled or Diplomaed is important. Find a Clinician near you here.
To enhance your self-management, you may benefit from a McKenzie lumbar or cervical roll, or McKenzie's self-help books: Treat Your Own Back, Treat Your Own Neck, Treat Your Own Shoulder, Treat Your Own Hip, Treat Your Own Knee. These books have helped millions of people worldwide to treat, relieve and prevent their joint and muscle pain. International scientific studies have proven that the information and exercises described in these books gets positive and lasting results.