Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy — MDT, better known as the McKenzie Method — is a system for identifying which specific direction of movement makes your pain better and which makes it worse. Dr. Vahldick is certified in it.
Most spine pain is mechanical, meaning it responds to position and movement. Rather than guessing, MDT uses repeated test movements during the exam to find your directional preference: the direction that reliably reduces your symptoms.
When pain retreats out of the leg or arm and moves back toward the spine, that is called centralization. It is one of the most useful findings in musculoskeletal care, because it tells us we have found the right direction and that the problem is likely to resolve without imaging, injections or surgery.
Sciatica and radiating leg pain, disc-related low back pain, neck pain with referred arm symptoms, and the recurring back pain that keeps coming back every few months without a clear cause.
MDT is deliberately patient-driven. Once we identify your direction, you get a specific movement to perform on your own, several times a day. That usually means fewer office visits and, more importantly, a way to shut down a flare-up yourself the next time one starts.
When the exam points elsewhere, we pair it with DNS and rehabilitation, chiropractic adjustments, or neurodynamic treatment.