Neck & Back Pain

Our physiotherapists will thoroughly assess your spine to determine a diagnosis and will educate you to provide an understanding into the causes of your symptoms so that you are in control. We employ clinically safe and highly effective treatment methods to alleviate your pain, including joint mobilisation, trigger point dry needling, and soft tissue massage. Tailored exercise therapy will be employed to address your deficits and help support the area of concern.

At Bluff and North Road Physiotherapy, we will not only alleviate your pain, but optimise your spine health for the long-term.

McKenzie Approach for Spine and Back Pain

What Is the McKenzie Method:

The McKenzie method is a comprehensive approach to the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the spine based on well conducted research and proven results. It began in New Zealand by physiotherapist Robin McKenzie and is now taught around the globe with a focus on empowering the patient to have the tools to help treat their own neck or back. It uses a classification-based treatment structure.

Benefits of the McKenzie Method:

• Clear diagnostic structure to direct treatment and set goals for improvement

• Improves fundamental postural awareness, often the root of spinal problems

• Centralises symptoms towards the source of problem, reducing referred pain

• Restores mobility and confidence to move in safe, healthy ways

• Provides a long term prevention strategy

• Educates patients in self care and management

The Three McKenzie Steps:

1. Evaluation – The McKenzie classification of spinal pain provides reproducible means of separating patients with apparently similar presentations into definable sub-groups (syndromes) to determine appropriate treatment.  The evaluation involves:

• Systematically applied mechanical forces

• Uses pain response to monitor changes in motion/function

• Identifies for each individual patient the pain cause

2. Treatment – The choice of exercises in the McKenzie method is based upon the single direction of repeated movements or sustained postures which leads to sequential and lasting abolition of referred symptoms and subsequent abolition of any remaining spinal pain.

3. Prevention – You will be taught how to self-treat the problem. Regular exercises and self-care behaviours will minimise the risk of recurrence and allow you to rapidly manage symptoms when they occur.

Additional Treatment Methods Offered by Our Physiotherapists:

• Clinical Pilates

• Dry Needling

• Hydrotherapy

• Post-Surgical Rehabilitation