Ruling The Spine In or Out

One thing the McKenzie method does brilliantly (and better than any other patient approach I've come across) is assess the spine as the source of an extremity problem. A simple analogy uses a fuse box. If an outlet is not functioning properly in your kitchen (ie your knee or elbow), you must take a look at the fuse box (ie the spine) to make sure that the overall system is working properly. 

Nerves exit at each level of the spine and carry power and sensation to the extremities. We have maps of where each nerve goes and what muscle(s) each nerve innervates. Therefore, if your wrist hurts, the wrist should be examined locally, but so should the neck and upper back since the nerves that control the wrist come from that area of the spine. If one does not fully assess the spine, one is often missing a lot of information, if not the exact source of the patient's problem, In fact, I tell my students in the clinic that over half of what seem to be "extremity problems" are actually problems of the spine.  Even if the patient has no symptoms at the spine, the spine needs to be moved repeatedly to end range to discern if it is playing a role. -- Laura