• Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Work With Me
  • Research
  • Studio
  • Contact

McKenzie’s Derangement Syndrome In A World Of Pathoanatomy

Monday, 26 March 2012 22:51

Rose Colored GlassesIn 1981, Robin McKenzie proposed a diagnostic classification system – MDT, or Mechanical Diagnosis And Therapy - in which patients would be classified according to the mechanical and symptomatic responses to mechanical loading strategies. Diagnostic classification would then establish the appropriate criteria for treatment.

McKenzie proposed three mechanical syndromes: postural, dysfunction, and derangement. Postural syndrome is characterized by end-range stress of normal structures, thereby producing pain with sustained end-range loading. Dysfunction is characterized by end-range stress of shortened structures (secondary to scarring, fibrosis, and/or nerve root adherence), thereby producing pain with repeated movements to end-range. These two syndromes fit neatly into a traditional pathoanatomical, tissue-based model.

It is the third syndrome – the derangement syndrome – which is perhaps the most intriguing and which garners the greatest debate amongst clinicians. The derangement syndrome is characterized by “anatomical disruption or displacement within the motion segment”. But does the derangement syndrome fit into a traditional pathoanatomical model? And if not, does it matter anyways?

McKenzie noted in 1981:

“With this book I present a new concept of diagnosis for the whole musculoskeletal system. The procedures I developed for the lumbar spine to arrive at appropriate conclusions regarding diagnosis and treatment, may also be applied successfully to the thoracic and cervical spine, and indeed to all peripheral joints and their surrounding soft tissues.”  

Mechanical and symptomatic responses to mechanical loading strategies consistent with the operational definitions of the derangement syndrome are common in patients with lumbar spine pain. From a pathoanatomic perspective, it is easy to conceptualize an “anatomical disruption or displacement within the motion segment” – the lumbar intervertebral disc. In the lumbar spine, it all makes perfect sense - the lumbar intervertebral disc “deranges”, thus producing both mechanical and symptomatic responses which are alleviated with the appropriate repeated movements and/or sustained positions.

But the naysayers will then tell us that that is all fine and good, but what about the cervical spine? The cervical intervertebral disc has some significant anatomical variations and is not just a “smaller lumbar disc” like it was once thought. What about the elbow? What is “deranging” in the elbow? Or how about the shoulder – what is “deranging” there?

If I put on my pathoanatomic glasses – rose-colored ones, I might add – then I see where the issues lie. But the problem isn’t in the existence or presence of derangements – we see those mechanical and symptomatic behaviors regularly. Mechanical and symptomatic responses to mechanical loading strategies consistent with the operational definitions of the derangement syndrome are common in patients with pain of spinal and peripheral origin.

The problem lies in the color of glasses you wear to understand the musculo-skeletal system itself. Do the answers lie under the microscope? Or in the behaviors of the system itself?

The use of mechanical loading strategies – including repeated movements and sustained postures - is applicable to both spinal and extremity conditions and has great utility in providing the basis for an effective approach to patient self-care. But what is the physiological “glue” that provides consistency and context to McKenzie’s derangement syndrome throughout the musculo-skeletal system? How does this explain the mechanical and symptomatic responses we witness clinically with the derangement syndrome?

My thoughts and proposal for an answer to this challenging issue will appear next week.

Photo credits: Monica’s Dad

Related articles
  • Five Ways That MDT Will Change Orthopedics (allanbesselink.com)
  • Mechanical Diagnosis And Therapy: A Systems Approach To Musculoskeletal Injuries (allanbesselink.com)
  • Systems Thinking In Health Care And The Failure Of Patho-Anatomy (allanbesselink.com)
alt

Subscribe To My Newsletter

I'll share my latest thoughts, ideas, blog posts, and content with you every two weeks! It's free and it's 100% spam-free. How cool is that? What more can you ask for?

Subscribe Now

Besselink Project

  • Smart Sport
  • Smart Physio
  • RunSmart
  • RiffSmart
  • P1 Project
  • Innovanated

BP Manifestos

  • Smart Health Revolution
  • Vision Now

Breaking News

  • Life Through The Lens Of My OM-10
  • Superpowers, Stories, And Social Change
  • Social Media Didn't Fail Us - We Failed Us
  • Critical Thinking And The Bermuda Triangle
  • Should Normal Have Ever Been Normal?

Most Popular Posts

  • The Deafening Silence
  • Evolution Or Revolution?
  • Learning How To Live
  • Patient Access To Physical Therapy And Groundhog Day
  • The Homeostasis Of Writing
  • McKenzie’s Derangement Syndrome In A World Of Pathoanatomy
  • Three Common Examples Of Self Image, Self Sabotage, And Comfort Zones In Action
  • Why HB 1263 Matters
  • The Flow Of Running, The Flow Of Life
  • One Nation – Under Gold
  • A Pause For Many A Cause
  • Civil Rights And Your Health
  • Own, Disrupt, Transform–Or Else?
  • Is Non-Evidence-Based Clinical Practice An Ethical Dilemma?
  • The APTA’s Vision 2020: My 12 Year Report Card
  • Think Big, Act Big
  • The Paradox That Is World Cup Soccer
  • Generation Z And Obesity
  • Your Own Worst Enemy
  • Direct Access To Physical Therapy: You Have It, Or You Don’t

Allan Besselink

Allan Besselink, PT, DPT, Dip.MDTAllan Besselink, PT, DPT, Ph.D., Dip.MDT has a unique voice in the world of sport, education, and health care, one that has been defined by his experiences as physiotherapist, mentor, McKenzie practitioner, innovator, author, educator, coach, patient, and athlete. Read more about Allan, contact him, get updates via email, or connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

RunSmart Book

Where To Buy RunSmartUp to 60% of runners will sustain an injury within any given year. Poor running mechanics, in conjunction with poor, ineffective and outdated training methods, can pose a significant injury risk. "RunSmart" was written to address these issues in the running community.

Featured Chapter

Clinical Orthopaedic Rehabilitation "Running Injuries: Etiology And Recovery- Based Treatment" (co-author Bridget Clark, PT) appears in the third edition and fourth editions of "Clinical Orthopaedic Rehabilitation: A Team Approach" by Charles Giangarra, MD and Robert C. Manske, PT.

PT Blog Awards

Top 5 finalist in three categories: "Best Overall Blog", "Best PT Blog" and "Best Advocacy Blog".

Copyright 2006-2022 Allan Besselink  | Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy |  Disclosure Policy |  FAQ

Powered By Mobius Intermedia