The McKenzie Method® of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy® (MDT) 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.

The McKenzie Method is a biopsychosocial system of musculoskeletal care emphasizing patient empowerment and self-treatment. This system of diagnosis and patient management applies to acute, subacute and chronic conditions of the spine and extremities.

The McKenzie method physical examination involves asking the patient to perform specific provocative movements in various directions in both standing and lying positions. In most cases, patients are made to perform single or repeated forward and backward bending movements (flexion and extension).

McKenzie therapy for lower back pain and leg pain (sciatica) includes a set of backward and forward-bending therapeutic exercises formulated to relieve acute leg pain and restore motion in the spine. The exercises are meant to be continued even after the pain subsides or goes away – in order to treat the underlying cause and prevent recurrences.

The therapeutic approach requires a patient to move through a series of activities and test movements to gauge the patient’s pain response. The approach then uses that information to develop an exercise program designed to centralize or alleviate the pain