MedX Spinal Therapy & Rehabilitation

International recommendations on treating chronic back pain maintain that to be successful, treatment should seek to reduce pain and improve functionality; it should include the following elements:

1. Individually designed programmes completed under supervision
2. Stretching exercises
3. Strengthening exercises

Functional Physio spinal treatment and rehabilitation targets all three elements providing diagnosis, treatment, scientific criteria to identify functional deficits in affected muscles and using standard, scientifically-proven therapy protocols providing result-orientated and objective treatment.
Our spinal treatment uses the specialised MedX Medical Lumbar Extension Machine that alleviates weakness and instability from the spine and reduces or eliminates pain.

The MedX Lumbar Extension Machine is a unique assessment and rehabilitation tool incorporating state-of-the-art technology. This machine measures your back strength and flexibility with computerised accuracy and compares your results to the normative data of a person of your age, gender, height and weight.
MedX spinal strengthening targets the deep paravertebral muscles of the back. These are the core-stabilising spinal muscles. These muscles often become inhibited with injury and shutdown causing poor movement patterns around the spine.

Regardless of diagnosis, more than 80% of our patients report significant and sustained improvement as a result of our treatment.
Our highly-qualified physiotherapists have been specially trained to use the MedX Lumbar Extension Machine and use their expertise to treat a wide variety of back conditions.
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Initial Assessment
The Medical Lumbar Extension Machine is the only computerised technology capable of isolating the lumbar extensor or core-stabilising spinal muscles. This very important function allows these muscles to be objectively tested for strength and then compared to normal strength values for the population of the same age group, height, weight and age of the individual. The medical machine is then able to be used as an exact, safe, strengthening tool which monitors and measures the lumbar extensor muscle activity during the exercise phase.
Research from the University of Florida clearly shows a strong correlation between this muscle group becoming stronger and the reduction or abolition of back pain and sciatica.

Following a full musculoskeletal assessment the physiotherapist will recommend an isometric spinal strength test, if appropriate. The spinal strength test involves being seated in the medical lumbar machine and having the lower half of your body immobilised by a pelvic and leg restraint mechanism. Restraining your lower body is one of the keys to the effectiveness of isolating the lumbar extensors so that they can be accurately strength tested and exercised.
Once positioned in the machine, your body has no option but to only use the lumbar extensor muscles. Testing may not be done at the initial assessment if the Physiotherapist decides that your symptoms are too acute and risk being stirred up by strength testing.

From these measurements and your medical history we can accurately determine a safe and effective level of strengthening for your spine on the MedX lumbar extension machine. You then proceed onto MedX spinal strengthening therapy.

MedX spinal therapy is suitable for people of all ages who are a minimum of 1.5m tall.

Indications for therapy
Back and neck pain of various aetiology
Muscular imbalances of the spine
Postural weakness/instability
Acute back pain
Post-surgery
Post spinal trauma – whiplash, fractures
Degenerative spinal changes
Disc protrusions
Osteoporosis
Scoliosis
Spondilolysthesis, segmental instability
Rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, chronic polyarthritis, scheuermann’s disease

MedX spinal therapy is not indicated for certain inflammatory, medical and neurological conditions. Your physiotherapist will advise you if you have any queries regarding these conditions.