Maybe you’ve heard about the McKenzie Method of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy (MDT), but you aren’t sure what it means for you.
In a nutshell, the McKenzie Method is a way for healthcare providers to assess musculoskeletal problems. That means if you have pain in your back, neck, shoulder, knee, ankle or other extremity, the McKenzie Method of MDT can help you take control of your health.
The McKenzie Method is a cost- and time-effective method of treatment that seeks to find the root cause of the problem. The goals are to:
- Accurately understand the patient’s presentation and behavior of symptoms.
- Determine the most appropriate and effective treatment plan.
- Eliminate symptoms and restore full function.
- Empower the patient to self-treat and prevent recurrences.
Most musculoskeletal pain is typically mechanical in origin, which means it’s the result of abnormal mechanics in the tissue, usually caused by some movement or activity that causes the pain.
The McKenzie Method of MDT seeks to find the core of the problem and use a correlated mechanical force to improve or correct it, thereby eliminating the pain and related problems.
Health providers educated in the McKenzie assessment evaluate different positions and movements, how the patient performs them, and the response to these movements—and then determines which corresponding movements and posture become the treatment or therapy.
The McKenzie Method of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy is a post-graduate training program that many healthcare providers voluntarily elect to study after they have received a degree in their field of study. These healthcare providers may include physiotherapists, physicians, chiropractors, osteopaths, and physician assistants
Dr. John LeGat of Hands On Health Care is certified in the McKenzie Method. Have questions? Want to know more? Contact us. We’re here to help.