The McGill
Method 
in practice

Your back pain has a cause, that is unique to you, and your treatment plan must respect this; what helps you, could hurt someone else and vice versa. That is not an opinion, it is cold hard science.

“Non-specific Low Back Pain” does not exist. This term is an overused label; a non-diagnosis that lacks clinical expertise and offers no guidance in reaching a cure. The truth is the source of your pain has specific causes – they do not just happen at random – and your treatment plan must be specifically matched to what those causes are. Medical images (MRI’s, X-Rays, and CT scans) do serve a purpose in the diagnosis process, but when used exclusively, medical images are limited by their ability to reveal the actual mechanical causes. Better yet, they should be included with a thorough assessment and used as additional pieces of evidence to guide your clinician’s reasoning.

The bottom line is this: you deserve a competent assessment and a top-notch treatment plan that specifically targets the mechanisms causing your pain.

The typical 15 minute orthopedic spine exam will assess the spine’s range of motion and include some measurements of muscle strength and neurological reflexes. Unfortunately, this is not enough to effectively guide prevention and rehabilitation.

The McGill Method assessment includes a review of your medical and injury history, postural assessment, movement analysis, neural testing, muscle function examination, and provocative testing to sort out the specific motions, postures, or loads that are triggering your pain. ​​When your known pain triggers are combined with your injury history, and then matched to your medical images, a precise diagnosis is shaped, and a more complete clinical picture emerges.

The key to all of this is that you need to completely understand the causes of your pain and the strategies you will use to get out of pain.

At the conclusion of the assessment you will have clear understanding of the following:

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-  Your pain trigger mechanisms. These are motions, postures, and loads that cause your pain, and must be avoided altogether.

-  Strategies to relieve pain and facilitate tissue recovery.

-  Specific progressions and milestones.

-  How to stabilize and mobilize targeted areas.

-  Functional breathing for spine stability, mental focus, and recovery.

-  A defined prognosis based on your past injury history, exam results, and medical images.

​You need a step-by-step guide through a five-stage recovery-to-conditioning process.

Stage 1: Remove the pain triggers and prevent pain.

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Stage 2: Build a foundation for pain free movement.

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​Stage 3: Enhance endurance to resist fatigue.​

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Stage 4: Build a foundation for pain free fitness and injury resistance.

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​Stage 5: Enhance Athleticism for pain free performance and injury resistance.

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You must assume ownership of your results and become a student of your pain and the recovery process.

Coach Brent deliberately replaced the words “patients,” and “clients” with “students” when referring to those he works with; students are internally motivated, go the extra distance to change their circumstance. You must become a student in this "game," and assume full responsibility for your results.  

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For our working relationship to be nurturing and rewarding, you will agree to the following:

1. It will be expected of you to complete your daily treatment routine day-in-day-out.
    

2. You will keep a detailed daily journal.
    

3. You will submit your activity and exercise logs along with a thoughtfully written weekly summary, of your efforts. 
    

4. You will read McGill’s “Back Mechanic,” twice through. This results in better prevention and rehabilitation outcomes.
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5. It does not matter if you have been in pain for 10 years or 10 weeks, you must commit yourself to the process and be patient with the progress. This is not a quick fix.
    

6. It will be expected of you to make a complete life-overhaul in how you move, work, sleep, and think.

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