The method is a proven way to use exercise to manage back pain
Two Kalkaska Memorial Health Center physical therapists now offer the McKenzie Method® of therapy to help area residents dealing with back or extremity pain.
Director of Rehab Services Daniel Conklin, D.P.T., and physical therapist Stanley Rozanski, D.P.T., recently passed their examinations to become certified in the method that uses a systematic approach to examining an individual’s loss of function, pain, or disability.
“The McKenzie Method is one of the most researched and evidence-based approaches to physical therapy,” Conklin said. “Our goal is that we can teach patients, utilizing the tools of the method, to self-manage their pain and through those tools actually shut off their pain. We want them to have as much control over their recovery as possible.”
The method involves an assessment of the patient, classification of the problem, treatment of the problem, and then prevention of that problem. During the assessment process, patients are tested on their movements.
“It’s a very logical process that allows the clinician to determine if physical therapy can help the patient,” Rozanski said. “This allows us to start the patient along the fastest path to recovery.”
Rozanski said after working alongside a certified therapist for several years he witnessed the great results the system brings. “It wasn’t until I started the courses for certification myself that I started to change my approach to patient care,” he said. “The more of the system I learned and utilized, the easier it was to treat patients effectively and efficiently.”
The McKenzie Method was developed by New Zealand physiotherapist Robin McKenzie over several decades and it has become a widely researched methodology in musculoskeletal care.
Physical therapy appointments are available Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Fridays from 7 a.m. - 2:30 pm. Appointments can be scheduled by calling 231-258-7534.
Kalkaska Memorial Health Center offers several innovated, progressive rehabilitation services to the community.