MIA Newsletter - Autumn 2023

I am currently working at a private practice in Adelaide called PhysioFit-SA. We have a great gym space that many of our clients utilise with small group classes and individual sessions, along with the usual musculoskeletal case load.

How did you start on your ‘McKenzie Method of Mechanical Diagnosis & Therapy (MDT)’ journey?

Several years into my career I changed workplaces and started working with some more senior physiotherapists that were experienced in the McKenzie Method. At that point I hadn’t actually heard of it. I went along to the first course and found it just made so much sense that I continued on to complete my credentialling exam.

How has the McKenzie Method influenced your clinical practice?

The McKenzie Method, and in particular considering directional preference, is something that I use every day at work. It seems like such a simple idea but countless times I am referred clients who have not had any luck with previous physiotherapy, yet have only ever been given general exercise programs that don’t consider the patient’s presentation and directional preference.

Knowing what you know now, what piece of advice would you give your younger self?

I would have sent myself along to the McKenzie courses sooner! But probably generally I’d tell myself to worry less about what others think and just take a leap sometimes.

What's your favourite quote and why?

As a teenager I had a Tweety Bird and Sylvester poster on my door that said “Any obstacle worth scaling has an element of risk, without risk there can be no glory.” While it’s easy to choose comfort, some of the biggest growth and learning comes when we push ourselves more than we thought possible. It’s also in these times when we seem to create the best memories!

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Literature

Nociceptive: “Pain that arises from actual or threatened tissue damage and is due to activation of nociceptors” (International Association for the Study of Pain Taxonomy)

Neuropathic: “Pain caused by a lesion or disease of the somatosensory nervous system” (International Association for the Study of Pain Taxonomy)

Every patient you see can be classified using the McKenzie system. However, not every patient can be treated exclusively with MDT procedures. Many clinicians also use neurodynamic techniques for patients with back related lower limb symptoms. This study sought to investigate the short-term effect of adding neurodynamic exercises to directional preference exercises.

How do the results compare with your clinical experience?

Read the full abstract - click here

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About Us - The McKenzie Institute Australia Limited

With the Annual General Meeting (AGM) scheduled for Saturday, 13 May 2023, it is timely to consider the structure and function of the McKenzie Institute Australia Limited (MIA).

MIA was established as an ‘Incorporated Association’ in NSW, in 1992. In 2018, to comply with updated regulations and allow us to keep teaching courses throughout Australia, MIA was converted to a not-for-profit  Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG).

MIA’s primary purpose is to conduct the education program of the McKenzie Institute International (MII) and promote the principles of the McKenzie Method. The education program is taught by Faculty. Faculty have undergone additional training and are certified (annually) by MII. After certification, Faculty are contracted directly to MIA to teach courses in Australia.

Membership of MIA is open to anyone who has completed at least the Part A - Lumbar Spine course. There are different categories of membership, depending on whether you are working your way through Parts A-E, or, have completed the International Credentialing Exam or International Diploma Program.

MIA is overseen by a Board of Directors. Directors are elected at the AGM. Each Director is elected for a term of one year (AGM to AGM). The Board must have a minimum of three Directors and can have a maximum of seven. Members and Directors are bound by the Constitution which outlines how MIA functions and the obligations of all members and Directors.

For practical purposes, MIA’s ‘financial year’ runs from 1 January to 31 December. Our AGM must be held within five months of the end of MIA’s financial year. This is why the AGM is held no later than the end of May in the following calendar year.

The ordinary business at our AGM includes: reviewing the previous year’s financial report and Directors’ reports; electing and appointing Directors; and, appointing the Company Secretary and Auditor. At the conclusion of the ordinary business, if there are no agenda items of ‘special business’, the AGM is closed by the Chairperson. A members’ forum is typically held immediately after the AGM, where members can bring up any other items they wish to raise with the Board, Faculty or other members. NB: No formal motions can be put, or binding votes taken, after the AGM is closed.

That’s all for this overview.  Keep an eye on your inbox as AGM and Board nomination information will be circulated soon.

And don’t forget, if you have any queries, please consult the constitution or check the website for the relevant information, in the first instance.

Peter Schoch
Deputy Chairperson / Faculty

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