Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy

McKenzie Technique in New York

A systematic assessment that finds the specific movement direction that reduces your pain, then builds your entire program around it.

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What It Is

Your pain has a pattern. This method finds it.

The McKenzie Technique, formally called Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy, is a systematic assessment that tests how your pain responds to specific repeated movements and sustained positions. Most spinal pain has a directional preference: a specific movement that consistently reduces or centralizes symptoms.

Once that pattern is identified, your therapist builds a program of specific exercises and posture corrections around it. Because the assessment finds your exact mechanical cause, the exercises are precise, not a generic stretching routine handed to every patient with back pain.

Identifies your specific directional preference through movement testing
Gives you exercises you can do on your own between visits
Backed by decades of research for spinal pain
Puts the tools for managing flare-ups in your hands, not just ours
Hands-on spinal treatment session
Who Benefits

Especially effective for spinal pain with a clear pattern.

If your pain changes with position, gets better or worse depending on how you sit or move, or comes and goes with certain activities, the McKenzie Technique is built for exactly that pattern.

Low Back Pain
Disc-Related Pain
Sciatica
Neck Pain
Pain That Radiates Into an Arm or Leg
Pain Worse With Sitting
Pain Worse With Standing
Recurring Episodes of Back Pain
Postural Pain From Desk Work
Morning Stiffness That Eases With Movement
Pregnancy-Related Back Pain
Stiffness After Prolonged Positions
What to Expect

A mechanical assessment, not a guess.

Directional Preference Testing

Your therapist guides you through a series of repeated movements and sustained positions, tracking exactly how your symptoms respond to each one.

A Program Built Around Your Pattern

Once your directional preference is identified, you're given the specific exercises and position changes that consistently reduce your symptoms.

Self-Management You Can Rely On

You leave knowing how to manage a flare-up on your own, which is the core goal of this approach: putting the tools in your hands, not just ours.

What You Gain

Fewer flare-ups, and a plan when they happen anyway.

Because the McKenzie Technique identifies the actual mechanical cause of your pain, results tend to hold up over time instead of fading once treatment stops.

A Clear Explanation for Your Pain

Understanding your specific mechanical pattern replaces vague diagnoses with a concrete, testable explanation.

Faster Symptom Relief

Directional preference exercises often reduce pain within the first few visits once the correct pattern is identified.

Fewer Recurrences

Correcting the underlying mechanical cause, not just the current flare-up, reduces how often symptoms come back.

A Self-Management Toolkit

You know exactly what to do the next time symptoms flare, instead of needing to be seen immediately to feel better.

Our Philosophy

Why we treat it this way.

"Recurring pain usually has a pattern, a specific direction or position that makes it better or worse. The McKenzie assessment finds that pattern so you leave with a movement you can do yourself the moment pain starts, not just a list of exercises to hope with."
Miccass Physical Therapy
Pairs Well With

Services commonly combined with the McKenzie Technique.

Manual Therapy

Hands-on joint mobilization that complements directional-preference exercise when mobility is also limited.

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Pre/Post-Natal Therapy

The same mechanical approach applied to the back and pelvic pain that shows up during pregnancy.

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Physical Therapy

General strengthening that builds on the pain-relief exercises identified through the McKenzie assessment.

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Start Your Recovery

Schedule Your Appointment

No referral needed. Most insurances accepted. Same-week appointments available.

Your first visit is a full evaluation: come in, tell us everything, and leave with a plan.

Prefer to call? (212) 595-4500