Great Back Pain Exercises - How McKenzie Does It.

physical therapist assessing back pain on an older adult senior citizen

I’m going to teach you about something today called the McKenzie Method. - McKenzie back exercises consist of up to seven exercises and these seven exercises could help chronic lower back pain sufferers to restore the range of motion, as well as mobility, as well as the function of the lower back. - So, just a little note for everyone reading. If you are following along and you start to experience pain or find it difficult, please seek out a registered physical therapist to help you. But in the meantime, let's share some history:

The McKenzie Method, also known as Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy (MDT), was developed in the late 1950s by New Zealand physiotherapist Robin McKenzie. Its origins trace back to a serendipitous discovery in 1956, when a patient with chronic back pain inadvertently lay down in an extended position, resulting in significant pain relief. This unexpected outcome led McKenzie to further explore the effects of spinal positioning and movements on back pain. He developed a systematic approach based on patient education, self-treatment, and the identification of directional preferences for exercises that alleviate symptoms. The method emphasizes the centralization of pain, where symptoms move from the extremities to the spine, as an indicator of effective treatment. Over time, the McKenzie Method has gained widespread recognition and adoption for its evidence-based, non-invasive approach to diagnosing and managing back pain and related musculoskeletal conditions.

Before you exercise, a high majority of people with back pain have what we call a “directional preference” into back extension. The other group has a directional preference for the opposite movement, flexion. Extension is basically bending backward, and flexion is bending forward. In order to determine which, you are, you have to test yourself fairly straightforwardly. This series of exercises works really well with people who have extension or back bending as their directional preference. If your directional preference is bending forward or flexion, these may not be as suitable, or you should enlist the help of a physical therapist to assist you in monitoring the movements.

So, let’s determine your directional preference. Just like Forrest Gump does when standing on the shrimp boat, you will place your hands at your low back, just above your buttocks and lean backward. If you hold it for five to ten seconds gently, if you see that your pain improves or in the case where you have pain down into your leg, that pain moves more to the center of your back and up and away from your leg, you probably have a directional preference of back bending or extension and these exercises should help you a great deal. If you bend forward and it makes your pain improve, I would advise against these exercises for now unless you are with a trained therapist.

So, for the majority of back pain and sciatica sufferers who have a directional preference of back bending or extension, let’s go.

Exercise number one. Lying face down. So, you will lay down on your tummy with your face turning to one side. You will hold this exercise for about two to three minutes. What this exercise will do is help to unload the lower back and also help to start straightening out the spine.

Exercise number two is lying face down in and pushing up into extension. To start this exercise, you basically put yourself in the position like exercise number one and then gently put elbows directly underneath your shoulders so you can lean on your forearms with a relaxed back. By leaning on your forearms, what this does, it actually helped to restore a little bit of the lower back curve bending backward.

Exercise number three is extension in lying. Start from the position of lying on the tummy and then put your hands underneath your shoulders and extend your elbows to push your upper body upward. And then come back down. Breathe in at the bottom. Come up, and at the end, breathe out. If you find that this is too difficult or if you find that you cannot bend back as much you can actually put your hands more forward to reduce the curve of the lower back bending.

Exercise number four is extension in standing. Just like the directional preference testing, start by putting your hands behind the lower back to help support yourself bending backward. This helps her to restore the range of motion of bending backward for the lower back. However, it doesn't stretch as much as exercise number three, extension in lying, but it is more convenient. You can do it anywhere and anyplace.

Now, these are all in a progression from the first to the last version of these. You want to listen to your body to make sure you aren’t reproducing the pain. I advise you to hold each position gently for about ten seconds and repeat 6 times. You can certainly do more if you feel a great benefit and you don’t feel any spasms as a result of doing more than advised. I like people to try this every hour or so and also as needed when pain might be higher after activity. Again, this is certainly not the only way to approach back pain and it may not be for everyone, but the McKenzie Method has proven to be very useful for a great deal of our back pain patients.

Please always check with your physician before trying new movements and if your body is experiencing anything that makes you concerned and certainly if that concern is more painful, please consult a physical therapist. These exercises are safe but work best when monitored by a professional.