McKenzie
                      method

The McKenzie Method is a philosophy of active patient treatment that emphasizes intervention and prevention. It provides the patient with life-long pain management skills.

Also known as mechanical diagnosis and therapy (MDT), McKenzie is based upon a consistent "cause and effect" relationship between mechanical forces and pain response often accompanied by a change in motion/function.

If your back or neck can be treated with the McKenzie method, you will know right away, on the first visit.

McKenzie credits the patient's ability to learn the principles and empowers them to be in control of their own symptom management, which can reduce dependency on medicinal intervention.

Tell me, I'll forget. Show me,
I may remember. But involve me
and I'll understand.
-Confucius

Over 8 million
people are absent
from work each day
due to back pain !

A unique
                           healing tool

The McKenzie method promotes the body's potential to heal itself without medication, heat, cold, ultrasound, needles, surgery or a force dependant on the practitioner. It also addresses a growing demand from patients and third party payers for professional rehabilitation services that develop the patient's self-treatment skills in a cost-effective and time-effective manner.

The achievable goals of McKenzie are to:

• Eliminate symptoms
• Restore full function
• Prevent recurrences

Don't let the pain
hold you back any longer.

How it
                       works

Assessment.

Unique to the McKenzie Method is a comprehensive and logical step-by-step process to evaluate the patient's problem quickly. This mechanical examination can "classify" most patient's problems quickly. This mechanical examination can "classify" most patient conditions by the level of pain or limitation that results from certain movements or positions. A McKenzie assessment can eliminate the need for expensive and/or invasive procedures.

The McKenzie assessment process…
was superior to MRI in distinguishing
painful from non-painful discs.

-R. Donelson, C. Aprill, R. Medcalf, W.Grant
"A prospective study of centralization
of lumbar and referred pain: A predictor of
symptomatic discs and annular competence."
Spine 22(10), 1997

Treatment.

McKenzie treatment prescribes a series of individualized exercises. The emphasis is on active patient involvement, which minimizes the number of visits to the clinic. Ultimately, most patients can successfully treat themselves when provided the necessary knowledge and tools. For patients with more difficult mechanical problems, a certified McKenzie clinician can provide hands-on techniques until the patient can self administer.

Preventative strategy.

By learning how to self-treat the current problem, patients gain hands-on knowledge on how to minimize the risk of recurrence and to rapidly deal with recurrence if it occurs. The likelihood of problems persisting can more likely be prevented through self maintenance.

You are
              not alone

A staggering 80 percent of the population worldwide will suffer from back pain at least once in their life. Each day, an estimated 800,000 Canadians are not at work because of back pain - a number that is simply too high.

But there is good news. Practitioners worldwide, through the use of the McKenzie method, are striving to successfully decrease that number. In fact, one study found 90 percent of those who suffer from back pain can be successfully treated by the McKenzie Method.

And it works faster than you'd expect. Another study reported recovery for 85-90% of McKenzie patients in an average of 6.6 visits! Bottom line:

You don't have to live with back pain.

Meg meets Robin McKenzie