Treat Your Own Neck

90 Pages·1·0.896 MB·English

by  Robin McKenzie

TREAT YOUR OWN
NECK
ROBIN McKENZIE
CNZM, OBE, FCSP (Hon), FNZSP
(Hon), Dip MDT, Dip MT
First Edition published in 1983
Second Edition August, 2006
Third Edition May, 2010
Spinal Publications New Zealand Limited
Raumati Beach, New Zealand
[email protected]
www.spinalpublications.co.nz
© 2010 Robin McKenzie CNZM, OBE, FCSP (Hon), FNZSP (Hon), Dip
MDT, Dip MT
All Rights Reserved.
This work is entitled to the full protection given by the Copyright Act 1994 to
the author. Other than for the purposes of and subject to the conditions
described under the Copyright Act 1994, no part of it may in any form or by
any means (electronic, mechanical, microcopying, photocopying, recording
or otherwise) be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted
without prior permission. Enquiries should be addressed to the publisher.
ISBN: 978-0-9582692-9-2 (print)
ISBN: 978-0-9876644-5-7 (Kindle)
Print edition designed and typeset by Revell Design, New Zealand —
www.revelldesign.co.nz
Copy edited by Autumnwood Editing, USA
Photography by Terry Anderson Photography, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Stock photography by www.istockphoto.com
About the Author
Robin McKenzie was born in Auckland, New Zealand, in 1931.
After attending Wairarapa College, he enrolled in the New Zealand
School of Physiotherapy, from which he graduated in 1952. Since
1953, when he commenced private practice in Wellington, New
Zealand, he has specialised in the treatment of spinal disorders.
During the 1960s Robin McKenzie developed his own examination
and treatment methods and is now recognised internationally as
an authority on the diagnosis and treatment of low back pain. He
has lectured internationally and, to give some indication of the
success of the system of treatment he has developed, the
McKenzie Method of mechanical diagnosis and therapy is now
taught and practised worldwide. In the United States, the United
Kingdom, Ireland and in New Zealand, the McKenzie Method is
the treatment of choice among physiotherapists for back problems.
In June 2004 the Advance Journal for physical therapists
(physiotherapists) and physical therapy assistants in the United
States published the results of a survey sent to a random sampling
of 320 physical therapists from the orthopaedic section of the
American Physical Therapy Association. The therapists were
asked which physical therapists or physicians of all time had had
the biggest influence in their thinking or performance in
orthopaedic physical therapy. The clinician voted the most
influential was Robin McKenzie.
The success of the McKenzie Method has attracted intense
interest from researchers in various parts of the world, and it is
one of the most studied diagnostic and treatment systems for back
pain at the present time. An extensive list of scientific studies
carried out worldwide demonstrates the efficacy and importance of
the diagnostic process and the treatment system. If you are
interested in reading more about this, go to
www.mckenziemdt.org.
To ensure the orderly development of education and research into
the methods devised by Robin McKenzie, doctors and
physiotherapists involved in the teaching process formed the
McKenzie Institute International in 1982. The Institute is a not-for-
profit organisation with headquarters in New Zealand. Robin
McKenzie was elected the first president of the Institute.
The contributions Robin McKenzie has made to the understanding
and treatment of musculoskeletal problems have been
internationally recognised. In 1982 he was made an Honorary Life
Member of the American Physical Therapy Association “in
recognition of distinguished and meritorious service to the art and
science of physical therapy and to the welfare of mankind.”
In 1983 he was elected to membership of the International Society
for the Study of the Lumbar Spine. In 1984 he was made a Fellow
of the American Back Society and in 1985 he was awarded an
Honorary Fellowship of the New Zealand Society of
Physiotherapists. In 1987 he was made an Honorary Life Member
of the New Zealand Manipulative Therapists Association and in
1990 an Honorary Fellow of the Chartered Society of
Physiotherapists in the United Kingdom.
In the 1990 Queen’s Birthday Honours, Robin McKenzie was made an
Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE). In the
New Year Honours 2000, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II appointed
Robin McKenzie to be a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit
(CNZM).
Books by Robin McKenzie
Mobilisation of the Spinal Column
Kaltenborn, F.M. Technical translation by McKenzie, R. Wellington,
N.Z. : New Zealand University Press, Price Milburn, 1970.
Treat Your Own Back, 7th ed.
McKenzie, R. Waikanae, N.Z.: Spinal Publications NZ Ltd, First
published 1980.
Lumbar Spine: Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy
McKenzie, R. Waikanae, N.Z.: Spinal Publications NZ Ltd, 1981.
Treat Your Own Neck, 3rd ed.
McKenzie, R. Waikanae, N.Z.: Spinal Publications NZ Ltd, First
published 1983.
Cervical and Thoracic Spine: Mechanical Diagnosis and
Therapy
McKenzie, R. Waikanae, N.Z.: Spinal Publications NZ Ltd,
Published 1990.
Extremities: Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy
McKenzie, R and May, S. Waikanae, N.Z.: Spinal Publications NZ
Ltd, 2000.
7 Steps to a Pain Free Life, 2nd ed.
McKenzie, R and Kubey, C. New York: Plume, First published
2001.
The Lumbar Spine: Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy, 2nd
ed.
McKenzie, R and May, S. Waikanae, N.Z.: Spinal Publications NZ
Ltd, 2003.
The Cervical and Thoracic Spine: Mechanical Diagnosis and
Therapy, 2nd ed.
McKenzie, R and May, S. Raumati Beach, N.Z.: Spinal
Publications NZ Ltd, 2006.
Against the Tide: Back pain treatment – the breakthrough: An
Autobiography
McKenzie, R with Bybee, R. Wellington, N.Z.: Dunmore
Publishing, 2009.
Treat Your Own Shoulder
McKenzie, R with Watson, G and Lindsay, R. Raumati Beach,
N.Z.: Spinal Publications NZ Ltd, First published 2009.
Treat Your Own Knee
McKenzie, R with Watson, G and Lindsay, R. Raumati Beach,
N.Z.: Spinal Publications NZ Ltd, First published 2012.
Contents
About the Author
Books by Robin McKenzie
Introduction: A Chance Discovery
Chapter 1: The Neck or Cervical Spine
Neck problems
Who can perform self-treatment?
Chapter 2: Understanding the Spine
Vertebrae and the spine
Functions of the cervical spine
Natural posture
Mechanical pain
Mechanical neck pain
Pain location
Chapter 3: Common Causes of Neck Pain
Postural stresses
Consequences of postural neglect
Sitting for prolonged periods
How to manage prolonged sitting situations
Lying and resting
Relaxing after vigorous activity
Working in awkward positions or cramped spaces
Chapter 4: Understanding the McKenzie Method
The aim of the exercises
Effect on pain intensity and location
Starting the exercise programme
Chapter 5: The Exercise Programme
Overview
Exercise 1: Head retraction in sitting
Exercise 2: Neck extension in sitting
Exercise 3: Head retraction in lying
Exercise 4: Neck extension in lying
Exercise 5: Sidebending of the neck
Exercise 6: Neck rotation
Exercise 7: Neck flexion in sitting
Chapter 6: When to Apply the Exercises
When you are in significant pain
When you have headaches
No response or benefit
When acute pain has subsided
When you have no pain or stiffness
Recurrence
Chapter 7: When Acute Neck Pain Strikes
References
Some Success Stories