Hello all! Just to first introduce myself, I’m Dr. Asha Koshy, co-owner and McKenzie back specialist for Complete Physical Rehabilitation. I’m so excited to begin blogging for our website and can’t wait to share my thoughts on so many topics relating to Physical Therapy, fitness, and wellness! So let’s get started, shall we?
When my back pain patients meet me for the first time, I always let them know that I am a McKenzie back specialist. The responses that I get are always the same, and usually group into two categories:
What is a McKenzie specialist?
and
What difference can a McKenzie specialist make?
Both are wonderful questions, and they can really be summed up quite simply. Basically, the McKenzie method is a specific Physical Therapy methodology that focuses strictly on back and low back pain. It’s a specially structured program that allows Physical Therapists that are certified in the method to benefit back pain patients in 2 specific ways.
Diagnosis
Physical Therapists treat back pain as a part of their training, but McKenzie therapists are specially trained to be able to better diagnosis back pain conditions. For the patient, this means that you don’t necessarily have to see your physician and/or get an MRI or X-Ray first before getting treatment for your back pain. You can come directly to a McKenzie therapist and, using our specialized training, we can quickly and easily diagnose a wide range of spine conditions and get your treatment started RIGHT AWAY, so that there’s no time wasted. With back pain, the first 2 weeks are of vital importance, so getting a diagnosis and starting treatment right away is essential, and you shouldn’t be sitting around waiting for appointments, as your condition could get worse rather quickly.
Treatment
In addition to specialized training with regards to diagnosis, McKenzie Physical Therapists follow specifically structured programs and flow charts that focus strictly on movement, manual manipulation, and most importantly, patient education, as a part of their therapy protocols for back pain. Exercise is, obviously, the main center of every Physical Therapists’ pain relief program, but where McKenzie therapists really shine is HOW they use exercises repetitively in structured programs along with manual manipulation. In addition, our focus on patient education makes us different, as we really focus on educating you, the patient, on every aspect of what is going on with your back pain and how you can easily, and functionally, perform all of your daily activities while managing back pain.
With the McKenzie method, it really makes our clinic a “one stop shop”. You can come in for an appointment, we can diagnose your back pain and its’ specific cause, get you started on a course of treatment right away, and help you get rid of your back pain in no time!
If you’d like to know more about the McKenzie method, feel free to visit their website!
Dr. Asha Koshy is a Physical Therapist and co-owner of Complete Physical Rehabilitation in Jersey City and Elizabeth, NJ.
She is a McKenzie certified back pain Physical Therapist specialist, an LSVT BIG certified specialist for Parkinson’s Disease, and also specializes in treating Vestibular conditions relating to vertigo, dizziness, and other balance disorders.