What Is The Hesch Method and How Can It Treat or Fix Your Sacroiliac Joint (SI Joint) Pain.
There are many tools in our therapist's toolbox to help you battle your low back pain. All PT’s and PTA’s should have a general idea of how to fix low back pain, but not all have been exposed to the Hesch Method or have become certified in the techniques. All of our therapists at Active Rx Rehab and Wellness Center, LLC are certified in the Hesch Method technique. This method is a means of using accurate testing (spring tests) to assess the integrity of the SI joint and the surrounding ligaments. It is important to note that although advanced orthopedic practitioners have a plethora of skills to mobilize or manipulate the low back only a few have been trained in the assessment and interpretation of springing the joint to assess mobility.
Springing the SI joint and surrounding pelvic structures is a technique that uses gentle yet accurately applied forces to the joints. Based on the mobility of your pelvis, these applied pressures will give the therapist a sense of how your pelvis moves and unveil the potential for a lack of movement in the surrounding structures. Many orthopedic tests have been up for debate on their accuracy of diagnosing. Still, the Hesch Method remains steadfast in the sense that when a trained clinician applies specific directional forces through the pelvis in various directions, there should be some give to the pelvis, like the springs of a car or engine mount. Think of when you were a kid, or perhaps you've seen someone push down on the car's front hood. With appropriate amounts of force (much more than the minor forces of 5-15 pounds used in the clinic during our assessment), the car should begin to lower towards the ground slightly, and when the pressure is released, the car will rise. Imagine when this is done rapidly, and one could make the car bounce and oscillate up and down for fun. Although the forces are substantially less when assessing the pelvis, the elastic properties remain true in the case of an orthopedic assessment using the Hesch Method.
Thankfully, our pelvis is very strong and is secured together by tightly closed joints and an encompassing network of ligaments, fascia, and muscles to improve our stability. Sometimes, these joints can become, for lack of a better word, stuck in a particular position. If you or anyone you’ve known has ever had this happen, it can cause some severe low back pain and stiffness. This also drives some people to call their chiropractor for an “adjustment.” Although these adjustments and manipulations can help provide short-term improved mobility, unfortunately, the benefits are short-lived. This may be why you commonly hear of someone seeing their chiropractor regularly. Perhaps for some, this is the exact treatment their body needs. However, we have discovered that through thorough assessment and patient education, we can educate the patient to perform safe and comfortable maneuvers to help provide a gentle, low load and long-duration stretch to these structures to facilitate improved mechanics and pelvic mobility.
Another analogy we often use when educating our patients on this technique is to think of your grandmother's silverware drawer, which was filled to the brim. Sometimes, when trying to open up the drawer too fast, a spoon would become stuck against the top of the drawer, causing it to become stuck. No matter how hard you tried to open the drawer, the spoon wouldn’t move. Similarly, this maneuver can be compared to this concept. Sometimes, the best way to open the “stuck drawer” is to close it and allow the utensils to fall into place, then slowly try to reopen the drawer. Well, think of your physical therapist trying to slowly get your pelvis back into a more suitable position. Perhaps for you, trying to yank the silverware drawer open quickly isn't the correct answer. Perhaps it would do more damage than good. I like to use this analogy for someone battling low back pain. Not everyone needs an adjustment of their back. Adjustments, considered a high-velocity grade V manipulation, could do more damage than good. This is important to remember when seeking a professional to treat your lower back pain, as not everyone responds to the same cookie-cutter techniques.
Perhaps this begs the question of why some people have continued to see their chiropractor 2-3 times a month for the last five years. Although regular follow-ups are sometimes indicated for improved functional outcomes, in our professional opinion, if you are not given home exercises to help reduce your pain or improve flexibility, strength, and alignment, then perhaps it's time you find a new practitioner who values both your time and money.
Furthermore, the Hesch Method gives the clinician a sense of true motion loss by springing the joint in its proper plane. This accurate assessment provides both the clinician and the patient with improved confidence in restorative maneuvers, which the patient can likely perform at home following their session to continue to improve their pain and joint motion. All the techniques are meant to be comfortable, positioned-based stretches to help realign and mobilize pending the patient's presentation. Dr Jerry Hesch has devoted his career as a physical therapist to educating clinicians across the globe on his techniques and has been highly successful in treating patients worldwide. We at Active Rx Rehab and Wellness Center are thankful for Dr. Hesch’s generosity in sharing his knowledge to help us deliver an accurate and successful all-encompassing intervention to help restore our patient's sense of hope and allow them to return to the active lifestyles that they have longed for to return to. Our staff has treated patients from enormous locations and has even had patients visit us from out of the country for this technique. We are grateful for the opportunity to continue serving those in need. Our goal will remain to reduce disability and promote mobility so our patients can return to living more active lives. If you’re interested In learning more about the Hesch Method for SI pain, contact us now!
Stay active,
Kyle Hrutkay, Owner, PTA, SDPT
Active Rx Rehab and Wellness Center, LLC
Active Rx Rehab and Wellness Center, LLC
7661 Crile Rd, Unit #3, Painesville, OH 44077
(Located inside Tripoint Athletics)
Ph: 440-423-5577
Email: activerxrehabandwellness@gmail.com
AND OUR NEW LOCATION!!
Active Rx Rehab and Wellness Center, LLC
7638 Tyler Blvd #9, Mentor, OH 44060
Ph: 440-423-5577