The McKenzie Institute
Take control of your pain, empower yourself and get back to the life you love with The McKenzie Method®
The McKenzie Method
We’re on a mission to rid the world of back and related pains.
Over 60 years ago, Robin McKenzie observed an accidental treatment breakthrough. He began studying what he had seen and was able to successfully relieve and cure thousands of patients with the McKenzie Method®.
He set out to share his knowledge with the world, and after much perseverance his method became accepted by medical professionals. He changed the way clinicians treat pain but more notably, he empowered patients to treat themselves with the McKenzie Method®.
The ‘Treat Your Own’ patient handbooks, have now been translated into over 20 languages and the McKenzie Method® is now a global brand, utilised by top athletes among others. Whilst in the process of developing his ‘Method’ Robin also came to realise that correct spinal supports were “vital for my patients, if they were to remain pain free”. The Original McKenzie® range of lumbar supports, which complement the exercises in the books, are proven to assist in postural management and alleviate pain. They are the only lumbar supports approved for use with the McKenzie Method ®
In 1983, Robin also founded the McKenzie Institute International®, to ensure the orderly development of education and research into the methods he had devised. This not-for-profit organisation headquartered in New Zealand, has 28 branches throughout the world and teaches its stringent postgraduate educational programme to medical professionals and physiotherapists in a further 12 countries. To find out more, visit www.mckenzieinstitute.org
Community Projects
McKenzie Global limited and the McKenzie Institute International support various humanitarian and philanthropic endeavours, by committed McKenzie Clinicians, around the globe. We hope to further encourage the growth of these endeavours, in keeping with Robin’s ultimate vision to help patients everywhere to learn how to help themselves.
Peru
For a number of years now, Jason Ward from Memphis, Tennessee, a committed McKenzie clinician, has done an extraordinary job of inspiring other McKenzie clinicians from around the globe , including the USA, UK, Canada, Mexico, Sweden, Germany and New Zealand, to accompany him each year on humanitarian trips to the mountain villages of Peru.
Jason’s mission, in accordance with Robin McKenzie’s original vision, is to take “Mechanical Care Everywhere”, reflected in these annual trips to Peru, to provide free evaluation and treatment to patients with musculoskeletal disorders. Many people in Peru, especially in these remote mountain villages, have no access to medical care and the level of Physiotherapy in the country is extremely low. In the most recent visit, in addition to treating patients and educating them in exercise stratagems to manage their own musculoskeletal problems, the group also educated Peruvian physiotherapists in the McKenzie Method®.
Some 76 physiotherapy students from two universities attended the introductory workshop to MDT® and the trip was a huge success: ” We conducted a 4-day clinic in two locations, Cusco and Pisac, and treated dozens of patients in pairs and with 3-4 students observing the entire time…….We came to facilitate a mutual discovery of likely sources and reasons for their pain and we searched to uncover effective, self-management, posture and movement strategies. Just as Robin McKenzie was, we are convinced there are still so many that struggle with persistent and recurrent pain and need to be equipped with active selfcare.
We have continued to maintain contact with those students to foster ongoing interest and use of the assessment system through online study sessions so our impact will be lasting. My hope is that we are able to continue our efforts and extend our reach to other under served people groups all over the world.” – Jason Ward.
Malawi
Georg Supp, a McKenzie Clinician from Germany, a Senior Instructor for the McKenzie Institute International and a member of the Institute’s Education Council, has for the last 2 years made charitable trips to Malawi to teach approved McKenzie courses to Malawian Physiotherapists for free. Malawi, situated between Zambia and Mozambique in “the warm heart of Africa”, consistently ranks in the top 5 poorest countries In the world.
When Georg first visited in 2018, it was the first post-graduate physical therapy course ever run in Malawi and some 30 physiotherapists attended – an impressive number when you consider that there are only 90 in the whole of Malawi. In June 2019 the McKenzie education went on with Georg teaching Part C in Blantyre to this group.
“After four days the participants had good know-how for their daily clinic, in often remote regions. Plenty of feedback concerning favourable therapeutic results after the course showed that they were able to implement the lessons learned.
Teaching McKenzie in Malawi was one of the most meaningful things I’ve done in my life.” Georg Supp