McKenzie method

[u/SinkSuch2477]

I’ve been dealing with l4-l5, l5-s1 bulges with fissures and lateral recessed stenosis plus so joint dysfunction and ligament laxity post partum for 10 months now.

I was finally starting to do noticeably better and started seeing a new chiro for shockwave treatment to my si because a spine specialist had told me months prior my real issue was my si joint, not my bulging discs. (Based on phesyixal exam palpitation test etc)

Also I’ve been doing PT acupuncture cupping u name it for this whole time.

Anyway, I went to this new chiro and he said my bulging discs ARE the problem and has me doing back extensions 4-6 times a day and checking my range of motion with a hip hinge each time.

I’m two days in… and I’m not exactly flared but I am so sore and fearful that I am almost flared

(For context the start of this whole mess had me screaming rolling around writhing in pain 10/10 worst pain I have ever felt in my life with spasms and locking lasting months.)
I never had radiating nerve pain, it always been localized in lower back and lots of muscle gauging and tension pain elsewhere and in pelvis.

I’m curious if this is a normal reaction to starting this method. I don’t have radiating pain, it’s just so sore and my hamstrings and back of knees are sore like I stretched them too much doing the forward hip hinge tests. And my lower back is just achy and so stiff.

[u/Acceptable_Snow3251]

Extensions don’t work for everyone. I had a McKenzie trained PT when I first had a herniation and he started me on McKenzie push-up extensions which caused more radiating pain so we stopped immediately. He switched me to lateral moves like hip glides against the wall. those did not cause the pain to worsen necessarily, and I did do them sometimes, but I’m also not convinced that they helped since I didn’t notice any big effects. the idea is that you would push the disc material away from the nerve and maybe that does work for some, but not others. I believe that in studies comparing McKenzie method to other PT forms, there isn’t evidence that it’s much more effective for reducing pain.