THE INFLUENCE OF THE MCKENZIE METHOD ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF PATIENTS WITH LUMBOSACRAL SPINE AILMENTS

I n t r o d u c t i o n . Ailments of the lumbosacral spine are a more and more frequent problem of the modern society. They very often hinder everyday functioning or even make it harder and have a negative influence on the quality of patients' lives. Contemporary physical therapy applies many methods and forms of therapy to deal with spinal ailments. One of the most renowned types is the method of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy created by Robin McKenzie. T h e a i m of this thesis is to evaluate the McKenzie method's influence on the quality of life of patients with lumbosacral spine ailments. M a t e r i a l s a n d m e t h o d s . The studies were conducted in the group of 50 patients with lumbosacral spine ailments. The patients were divided into two groups: treatment group (25 patients) and control group (25 patients). The treatment group was composed of patients treated with the McKenzie method for 3 weeks, whereas the control group included patients treated with kinesiotherapy and physical therapy according to the recommendations of the referring physician. The Oswestry Disability Index was used in order to assess the therapy results before and directly after the rehabilitation of every patient. R e s u l t s . The average mean for the treatment group before the therapy obtained on the basis of the Oswestry Disability Index, was 54.96 (±12.677) and after the therapy was 10.800 (±9.713). The minimal value before the therapy was 32 and after the therapy was 0. The maximal value before the therapy was 78 and after the therapy - 46.The treatment using the McKenzie method had a significant influence (p<0.05) on the improvement of the quality of life of patients with lumbosacral spine ailments. After the therapy, the patients from the treatment group obtained relevantly lower results in the Oswestry Disability Index than the patients from the control group. C o n c l u s i o n s : 1. The McKenzie method therapy significantly improves the quality of life of patients with lumbosacral spine ailments. 2. The McKenzie method therapy is a more effective form of therapy when it comes to the improvement of the quality patients’ life with lumbosacral spine ailments than kinesiotherapy and physical therapy.