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The McKenzie System:
The McKenzie philosophy of treatment of spinal and musculoskeletal disorders was founded by Robin McKenzie, a New Zealand physiotherapist. A complete documentation of the system can be found in the three textbooks by Robin McKenzie that covers assessment and treatment of the lumbar spine, cervical spine and the extremities. In addition to the three texts, McKenzie has written two informational books for patients, "Treat Your Own Back" and "Treat Your Own Neck." These two books have been translated into various languages and have
sold over four million copies.
If the McKenzie system is unfamiliar to you, consider the following:
 | Centralization of symptoms as described by McKenzie (where the most distal symptoms decreases or abolish and remain better, with concomitant increase in proximal symptoms) is the most accurate clinical indicator of success in spinal pain of mechanical origin (Donelson, et al, Spine, 1985) |
| Donelson. et al (Spine 1990) demonstrated that a majority of the 87% of this study that centralized did during the initial evaluation with the remaining experiencing it over the next two days. Final treatment outcome was either excellent or good in 83% of the study population. The 59 patients with excellent outcome, 100% centralized during the initial evaluation and 10 out of 13 in the good outcomes group experienced centralization. |
| Aprill, C., et al (Spine, 1995) demonstrated that an evaluation performed by a diplomaed McKenzie practitioner demonstrated 91% concordance with results found on CT discogram |
| Cherkin, D., et al (Spine, 1996) demonstrated the McKenzie method to be superior in functional outcome (ability to abolish symptoms and control future episodes) to chiropractic and back school.
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| A paper was presented in 2001 at the International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine which found that patients who suffered chronic low back pain were able to achieve significant reduction in their pain over a five year period. The only treatment these patients received was reading "Treat Your Own Back." |
One could also apply McKenzie’s principles of directional preference to the discectomy patient.
| Kjellby-Wendt, G., et al (Spine, 1998) reported that patients treated with an active exercise program, based on directional preference, following extirpation of a herniated lumbar disc had a significantly better short-term outcome of objective parameters and more of them were satisfied with treatment outcome 2 years after operation compared to the traditional therapy group. |
Benefits of McKenzie:
| Ability to identify non-responders to conservative care in 1-2 visits. This allows patients to return to their referring physician for appropriate treatment without wasting valuable resources. |
| For those patients that do respond, the average number of treatments is 5-7 visits. |
| Promotion of patient self-treatment. Each patient is educated about the cause of his/her symptoms and instructed on specific strategies to manage his/her symptoms. This promotes patient independence while reducing dependence on the therapist over the long haul and provides the patient with the tools needed to take responsibility for his/her own health. |
Appropriate Patients:
| Patients with acute, subacute or chronic musculoskeletal pain |
| Patients with sciatica or brachialgia for whom you are considering CT or MRI |
| Patients who have failed previous treatment strategies |
| Patients who are willing to participate in his/her own recovery |
For more information on the McKenzie system, click on: http://mckenziemdt.org
To schedule an appointment or for more information:
Address: 2171 Executive Dr., Suite 450, Addison, IL. 60101
Phone: 630-282-5588
Fax: 630-282-5587
E-mail: outpatientclinic@cptrehab.com
Clinic Hours: Monday & Wednesday - 7:00am - 3:30pm, Tuesday & Thursday 8:00am - 7:00pm, Friday - Saturday 7:00am - 12:00pm (noon)
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