End-Range is Where the Magic Happens!

There are times when we meet obstructions to achieving end-range in that the patient may not be able to perform aggressive enough home exercises or perhaps their work or home duties require prolonged bending or sitting and the effectiveness of their exercise program is somewhat limited. It is imperative that we reach end-range in order to truly assess whether someone has a mechanical derangement that can respond appropriately.

As a certified McKenzie Clinic, we are required to have a REPEX Table on hand. While we certainly do not want to make patients depended on machines, the REPEX is a valuable tool to assess whether a person has achieved end-range as extension can be applied to the lumbar spine through both the lower back and hips which is not possible with standard exercises. During the past week, we have had a few patients who have significantly increased their range of motion following one or two sessions on the REPEX and one patient who has completely abolished all lower extremity pain and paresthesia simply by applying the importance of end-range principle.

If you would like to see the REPEX in action, you can visit:

Hill REPEX II Flexion Extension Therapy Table by Robin Mckenzie from Hill Laboratories on Vimeo.

Treatment Outcome Surveys

If you are not already on our email listserve, please contact Erin at erin@macciophysicaltherapy.com to be included in our updates. We will also be conducting a survey through our email listserve attempting to track recurrence of symptoms for patients who successfully complete their treatment. The questions will be simple and the idea is to identify how effective our individual approach is compared to national standards of mechanical diagnosis and therapy. Patients who are compliant with their home program and continue to have problems may be eligible for free screenings and assessments as part of our grand rounds and continuing education program.

Most of these conditions occur from the lumbar spine with a smaller percentage coming from the hip or sacroiliac joint. The MDT method is one of the few methods that can help sort out this problem. Recent studies and modifications on how we assess this area may answer some of the more complex problems we have seen over the years where we have been unable to identify the true source of symptom production.

If you are a former patient, please call or email Erin at 273-2121 or erin@macciophysicaltherapy.com with your answers to the following questions and we will enter you in to the monthly gift card drawings!

1. Have you had treatment for low back, sacroiliac, or hip pain in our clinic?
2. Have you continued with a home exercise program?
3. Have you had a recurrence of symptoms within one year?
4. Has your home exercise program been sufficient enough to self treat?

Another Patient Success

In first coming to Maccio PT, I was in a lot of pain in doing everyday things that were necessary to function such as sitting, standing, and sleeping. After being hit by a car my lower back really crippled me. Progressing through physical therapy my back became better, but my hip began to become very uncomfortable. This was discouraging but Maccio PT kept the mood and motivation high. They didn’t give up and now the problem is fixed! Now I feel much better and I am working to get my strength back and resume my previously active lifestyle!

- Madelyn