Is the McKenzie Method Making your low back pain worse? 

I’m commenting again because people REALLY need to listen to this guy. Too many McKenzie heads want to force/slam people into end range extension WAY too quickly. I’m just super impressed with this guy’s knowledge. I’ve saved this video and show a lot of people I know with low back issues that involve increased pain with bending forward and sitting for long periods. Freaking AWESOME stuff once again man!!

Another brilliant explanation, thank you!

Fabulous and detailed explanation of lower back pain, spine structure and alternatives to use.

Awesome! Thank you! Recently tweaked my back again

Very helpful. Thanks man

Thank you help full video

Amazing explanation on the limitations of the McKenzie method! Just started the exercises and I have doubts. Thank you so much! It all makes sense now.

The evidence you present for your opinion is outstanding. Well done

I 100% agree. You don’t need EXTREME extension right away (or even at all in some cases). Start just laying on your stomach and then progressing to propping up on your elbows for a couple minutes and alternating between 5-6 times as long as it isn’t real painful. If I do this regularly at the gym (with or without pain), my back pain doesn’t return!! I don’t even need to do full press-ups.

There's an isotonic yoga movement variously known as the Cat-Cow and Cat-Camel. This is, in my opinion, the most effective exercise to eradicate spinal pain. I would, however, recommend keeping the head relatively still: the flexion and hyperextension of the head integral to the original yoga movement risk acute neck injury. It's also worth including static brachiation - that is, simply hanging from a secure, high bar for a minute or so several times a day. This exercise - natural to all primates - realigns all limbs and allows gravity to gently elongate the spine, with concomitant intervertebral disc reshaping.

Wooow Same here once when I started to get the back pain my orthopedic said just do mack method and it was good and since I have no pain shooting in my legs only tingling in the morning .. however now I found Mack is hurting me more and make it worse and extension is Hurting . This video is great 👍

Thank you! Excellent explanation. Found out I’m really weak on one side of bird dog!

I'm glad this video popped up in my search. I hurt my lower back a week ago doing something stupid (lifting a heavy couch without good form). I have McKenzie's back book and have been doing the exercises but so often I find the pain worse when I finish. So I will try not going as deep into that first stretch with my low back because, as you mentioned, it can make it worse if you've lost inches (I've shrunk about an inch). I'll let you know if I have positive results after doing your method for a few days.

I am lucky to use a teeter inversion table, lucky because it is safe to use with my condition, sadly people with high bp its use is contraindicated. I use both Mckenzie and McGill exercises to comp,complement this. You. Video was most enlightening, well done

Thank you. I have a Large L5-S1 disc Herniation. Every physio I have been too has told me to do the mack method. I ALWAYS woke up the next day worse. My sciatica was pissed. Whenever I avoided it. pain decreased. Saw another Physio last night. same thing Mack method again. Woke up today with chronic sciatica pain .. when all week it was barley there. Chiro told me to avoid it. Just focus on pelvic tils, one knee to chest, bridges and trunk rotation. I have lost all hope this last month after seeing 4 physios. A part of me only wants to stick with my chiro now. all i ever wanted was a treatment plan for workouts. I am 27, 125 pounds, I dont smoke and I eat healthy. I want to avoid surgery at ALL costs.

How can we know from what position disc herniated

When I developed sciatica pain. I started to do the McKenzie method, it worked to get rid of the sciatica issues, bit it left my lower back so sore, it got to where I couldn't stand it. and I was shaking when I tried to do the McKenzie Method. I had to stop during it until my back got better. I don't the McKenzie Method anymore.

Great, though McKenzie's literature literally states to do the extension in progressive stages--and also that you must be completely relaxed or it won't work. I suspect a lot of people don't observe these rules.

Thanks a million. These are the modifications that Iv been using and my back starts to get stronger. But when I dorsiflex my foot during movements I can feel it in my upper thoracic and it sets me back and down. Do you have any suggestions sir?

If you have a bit of a anterior pelvic tilt, would the mckenzies contribute to the lengthening of the abdominal muscles potentially contributing to the APT?

What do you think about decompressing the spine by hanging on a pull-up bar immedietly before doing the first, back extension excersize? Theoretically this would help recapture the disc bulge when doing the extension right?

I've only tried this movement a couple of times and found it painful so I didn't go further with it. I'll try your suggestions and see how it goes. The bird dog and psoas stretches are good for me as are side planks. I have a ruptured disc, not herniated, but a rupture. And stenosis. And degenerative disc disease. It's gonna take time to get better but I'm committed to learning what works for my healing journey.

I have à large disc protrusion L4-L5. Is this 3 exercices good for my condition? Thank you

Allot with back pain is not just a disc problem. Some yes maybe. The best way is to take pressure of the nerve roots. When people have pain they stop moving deteriorating muscles. If the muscles atrophy the joints freeze and compress joints thereby make disc issues worse. Strengthen your paraspinal muscles. It could be this McKenzie stuff is just activating muscles that are inactive. Most disc bulges etc are posterior so in theory this extension should make it worse. But wtf knows ay!

If I’ve overdone this floppy pushup and irritated my lower back, what’s your suggestion for relieving the effect of that?

Can you do this will in pain?

those these exercises applied post-surgery? discectomy!!

You can pinch the bulge but it doesn't matter, because you create suction below too, so in a few reps you get it right and let's say you do it for 5-10 days you are pretty much normal again.

What is ur qualification man

Then McKenzie method isn’t just endrange extension. This is one of the biggest misconceptions about the method. It’s a method of ASSESSMENT and treatment. There are many other movements used within the McKenzie method to assess and treat, and these could be midrange or endrange movements. You are misrepresenting the concepts with your explanations in the video. Just wanted to point this out to you

You really have no idea about how the McKenzie MDT is done. Certified practitioner or any other that has done the simple basic course of McKenzie would prove you wrong about how and when even going to full extention is applied. I won't bother getting into more details about how and why we will choose a sustain possition or an exercise and how much will we push into end range of the joint, or the starting of pain. So, research a bit more, and not just gogle videos on RU-vid about the "best exercise for lower back pain McKenzei" etc...

But you are doing it wrong when you demonstrate it :D:D:D