Breaking It All Down: Decoding the Data
Go beyond symptoms to decode dysfunction and bring clarity to complex low back presentations
Clinical insight
A Comprehensive Assessment
Every MVMT holds a clue. During assessment, subtle breakdowns in spinal and pelvic mechanics reveal the dysfunctions, inefficiencies, and imbalances in how your body moves.
Range of Motion (ROM)
(aka Mckenzie Method)
10 rep
Provokes pain
- central vs peripheral)
IF-Then Relationship
- Flexion Pain (Disc)
- Extension Pain (Stenosis)
Home exercise
- Reverse pattern of pain provocation
Directional MVMT Pattern (DMP)
Antalgic lean
Not scoliosis
Due to either
- Discogenic issue
- Facet joint issue
Home exercise
- One sided exercise ONLY (Wall)
Will they experience pain in exercise? Yes
Do they need to continue? Yes
Lumbar Scan
Heel & Toe walk
10 steps forward
10 steps backward
Stay as high as possible
Positive test
- Unable to hold height
- Unable to raise
SI Joint Provocation Tests
Laslett cluster 5 test
- Distraction
- Compression
- Thigh thrust
- Gaenslen’s
- Sacral Thrust
Straight Leg Raise (SLR)
Most common test L4-L5 (up to S4)
Degree of pain
- <35o Severe Disc
- 35-70o Sciatic nerve irritation + root
- >70o No clinical relevance
Positive finding
- More back pain = nerve root
- More leg pain = nerve entrapment
Hip Mobility
A Prospective, Blinded study (lvl 3 evidence)
45 volunteers (No Hx of hip pain, injury, surgery . . .)
~37.8yr (60% men, 40% women)
73% had abnormalities
- Labral tears 69%
- Chondral defect 24%
- Head/neck changes 22%
- . . .
Age association
- >30 years of age 8.1x likely to have labral tear
- >35 years 13.7x likely to have chondral defect
