MOST OF US
have experienced
back, neck or headache pain at some
point in our lives. When Sandy Prauner
of Norfolk began to have pain in her
back and neck, she didn’t give it too
much thought—besides, she was getting
back into jogging and a regular tness
routine, and she knew that could cause
aches and pains. As the pain began to
build, she relied on muscle relaxers,
pain relievers, chiropractic care and
even injections to provide relief.
This all-too-common solution led
Sandy to ignore the underlying cause of
her pain. After persistent shooting pain
through her upper back sent her to her
doctor, she learned that she could nd
effective relief through the McKenzie
Method
®
in physical therapy.
A quick assessment
The McKenzie Method, or mechanical
diagnosis therapy (MDT), is a philoso-
phy that uses active patient involve-
ment and education to relieve back,
neck, headache and extremity pain.
MDT’s assessment process allows a
certi ed therapist to know right away
if and how the method will work for
each person, avoiding expensive diag-
nostic tests.
“MDT continues to be the most
researched physical therapy-based
method available,” says Lin Pu, MS,
PT, certi ed MDT therapist at Faith
Regional Rehabilitation Therapies.
Sandy instantly felt at ease. “Lin
was very clear when explaining my
treatment, and she outlined what she
expected of me in order for my treat-
ment to be successful,” she says.
People who follow the treatment
process are less likely to have prob-
lems and can quickly manage their
own symptoms with exercises that
can be done easily at work or home.
“Most people who respond to the
method can successfully treat them-
selves and minimize the number of
visits to therapy—when provided the
necessary knowledge and tools,” says
Lin. “This gives patients direct control
of their treatment safely and effectively.”
Sandy worked closely with Lin for
several months, making changes to
her work station and following the
prescribed exercise regimen. She
learned how to manage and treat her
own pain using the exercises—and
not taking pain medications.
“The minute I feel pain in my back,
I can immediately start doing the
treatment myself to relieve it,” says
Sandy.
It’s been well over a year since her
last treatment with Lin, and Sandy has
been working, jogging and walking
her dog virtually pain-free.
“Lin asked me at the beginning of
my treatment what my goals were, and
I told her I didn’t want to quit going to
CX Works class at the YMCA. She really
listened and helped me nd exactly
what I could do to break my pain
cycle and continue to attend the class
pain-free.”
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Find out what other patients have to say
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6 FAITH REGIONAL
HEALTH SERVICES
Finding relief
GET TO THE SOURCE OF BACK, NECK, HEADACHE AND EXTREMI TY PAIN
Lin Pu, MS, PT, certified mechanical diagnosis and McKenzie therapy clinician,
treats Sandy Prauner for her back and neck pain using the McKenzie Method.
A physician’s referral is
required to receive physical
therapy using the McKenzie
Method. Call
402-644-7396
to learn more or to schedule
an appointment at Faith
Regional Rehabilitation
Therapies.
“The minute I feel pain in
my back, I can immediately
start doing the treatment
myself to relieve it.”
—Sandy Prauner
