Take Control of your Back, Neck & Extremity Pain with the McKenzie Method®

The of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy® (MDT) is comprehensive care that solves problems and avoids expensive procedures or addictive medicines.

It provides the patient with a road map leading to a clear and reliable direction for intervention.

It is an internationally researched and acclaimed system of assessment and management for spinal and extremity musculoskeletal disorders developed by New Zealand Physiotherapist Robin McKenzie. It has been widely used all over the world for more than 60 years.

MDT is a comprehensive, evidence-based clinical examination and diagnostic management system of patient care. The examination, evaluation, diagnosis, prognosis, intervention and prevention strategies for back, neck and extremity problems are aimed at patient education and independence. It is time and cost-efficient and does not reply on expensive tests and procedures.

Clinicians trained in the MDT system are able to assess and classify all complaints of the musculoskeletal system. That means that if a problem is coming from the spine, extremity joints, muscles or tendons, then a MDT evaluation is appropriate. An MDT clinician will be able to identiy if MDT is indicated, what management strategy is best, and outline a predicted recovery pathway.

Certified MDT clinicians are highly trained to determine if there is a “mechanical” reason for the problem. If your symptoms are affected by a change in movement or position, there is a likely mechanical cause that will respond very well to exercise-based plans of care designed to ultimately give you the ability to self-manage.

By learning how to self-treat your current impairment, you gain valuable knowledge and skills to minimize the risk of recurrence.

Through sound clinical reasoning, a certified MDT provider can also safely identify any “red flags” that might be contrary to exercise-based intervention (e.g. fracture, tumor, infections or systemic inflammatory disease) and direct patients to the appropriate plan of care.

A key feature of the method is the initial assessment – a safe and reliable format to reach an accurate classification and only then develop the appropriate management plan, taking into account all the various factors that can influence the patient’s experience of pain. Expensive tests such as MRI’s are often unnecessary.

Take control of your pain, empower yourself and get back to the life you love!

Here is what one of our patients had to say about her experience with Britt Zink using the McKenzie Method® :

“Britt is AMAZING! She is incredibly patient and willing to work with you, but you also have to do your homework! I started getting sciatica pain near the end of my pregnancy (3 years prior from when I started with Britt) and thought this will go away as soon as I have this baby. It did to some extent but little did I know that many things in my life were having me constantly bend over creating a bulge in that disc and leading to further sciatica flare ups! After a Mackenzie Method recommendation from a coworker I started searching in this area and found Britt! She has been such a blessing to my life. In a couple short months of meeting once or twice a week, we got the pain under control and I have had minimal flare ups since seeing her because I continue to do my “homework”! It all starts with You! You can do it and Britt will help you!”

Ally, Low Back Pain and Sciatica