McKenzie exercises are well known in the body work world – this is the guide to them by their creator.
Its not a new book, first edition 1980, ninth and latest edition 2011, and this leads to a curious phenomenon – where the content is very dated but seemingly gets to the right answers for the wrong reasons.
Over the years our understanding of back pain has refined considerably away from the purely physical to the biopsychosocial understanding where by biological/physical factors, psychosocial factors and social factors are all considered to have a role. I still think the best book about this is Back to Life – How to Unlock your Pathway to Recover when Back Pain Persists – David Rogers & Grahame Brown – I simply haven’t come across a book better.
However coming a circle, whether our back pain can be traced to a physiological, social or psychological cause, release often comes through moving the body, eg gentle yoga, and there McKenzies’ exercises serve well as giving a set of safe and progressive movements suitable for most back problems, which can certainly help to heal physiological/physical/biological problems, and can generate the mind body connection and tensional release the more entrenched psychological pain needs.
So, to me, although a dated book, it was useful in setting out simple and safe movement patterns, although the more nuanced aspects of back pain in modern understanding are missed.
However I would still recommend the Rogers and Brown book in preference.
If you wanted to buy the McKenzie book, find it here, and as always, click the link for Yinspire to earn a small commission.
