PATTERN OF MCKENZIE SYNDROMES AND DIRECTIONAL PREFERENCE IN PATIENTS WITH LONG-TERM MECHANICAL LOW- BACK PAIN PATTERNUL SINDROMULUI MCKENZIE ŞI PREFERINŢELE DIRECŢIONALE LA PACIENŢII CU DURERI LOMBARE JOASE MECANICE CRONICE

Objectives. Failure of the plenitude of interventions in non-specific mechanical low-back pain (LBP) management is implicated on its heterogeneity. Identifying specific syndromes and subgroups of patients with mechanical LBP has been recognized as a recent development in LBP research. This study aimed to assess the pattern of McKenzie syndromes (MS) and directional preference (DP) of patients who were referred for physical therapy treatment of mechanical LBP. Methods. Eighty nine (48.3% males) consenting patients reporting mechanical LBP persisting for at least 3 months participated in the study. MS and DP were determined by McKenzie-trained faculty in Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy. The participants' symptoms and mechanical responses to repeated end- range movement or sustained postures were classified as derangement, dysfunction, or postural syndromes. DP is defined as the movement or posture that decreases or centralizes pain that emanates from the spine and/or increases range of movement. Data were summarized using descriptive statistics. Results. The participants' ages ranged between 38 and 62 years. Prevalence of MS was 79.8%, 6.7% and 13.5% for derangement, dysfunction and postural syndromes. 94.4% of the participants had DP for extension, 3.4% for flexion while 2.2% had no direction preference at all. The participants' mean functional disability and pain intensity score on a scale of 0-10 was 5.43 ± 1.44 and 6.55 ± 1.75 respectively. Conclusion. Derangement was the most prevalent McKenzie syndromes in patients with long-term mechanical low-back pain. Therapeutic movement or posture in extension seems to be the most appropriate intervention for majority of these patients.