Michael (New Zealand) on 08/29/2016:

On the thorny subject of "Bad Back Syndrome" the following could be a cautionary tale we could all learn from (although parts of this might be a tad dated by now). A fellow goes into his favourite Bone Cruncher with pain in his right, lower back, buttock, thigh and right knee. In those days it was considered smart to apply ultra-sound and heat; in his case he had done so for three weeks prior to entering the House of Pain. All to no avail. He could not bend backwards and didn't enjoy standing tall. He made the mistake of lying face down on a table with its top end raised up when he really "should" have laid face down on the flat table on the other side of the room. Adopting the "U" shaped posture might be considered a good Yoga position to-day but back in those dim, dark days it was frowned upon by the Bone Crunchers' Institute. Well, far from passing out, after five minutes, he claimed that he had never felt better! His pain had shifted but he felt better.

If your pain moves to the centre line after treatment, then that is considered to be a positive signal that you could benefit from more treatment. A chance discovery that apparently revolutionized such treatment. And yes, a New Zealander pioneered it - a certain Robin McKenzie! Discovery by fortunate chance!

Caution : this treatment would not be appropriate for all back conditions (obviously). Get good, qualified advice whenever you have a serious back problem.