If you have been through the usual route for back pain — a quick consultation, a scan, some general exercises — a McGill assessment will feel different from the moment you arrive. It is not a routine check-up or a fixed protocol. It is a thorough, personalised investigation with one goal: to find the precise cause of your low back pain so you finally know what to do about it.
Step 1 — Your history
We begin by listening. Your story, your symptoms and the way your pain behaves across a day or a week contain vital clues. We review what has helped, what has made things worse and what you have already tried, and we help you understand low back pain in a way that often already lifts some of the worry.
Step 2 — The assessment
Next comes the heart of the visit: a careful, structured series of tests in which we observe exactly which movements, postures and loads provoke your pain and which relieve it. Rather than guessing, we converge on a precise understanding of your individual pain mechanism — the specific things that are keeping your back sensitive.
Step 3 — Movement coaching
Knowing the cause is only useful if you know what to do with it. That is why the assessment flows into practical movement coaching. You learn what to avoid, how to perform everyday tasks without provoking pain, and how to begin building a stronger, more resilient back. The assessment itself is a single visit, and we follow up with you afterwards by phone or email.
What you take away
Most people leave with something they have not had in a long time: clarity. Instead of a vague diagnosis, you understand your own back — what triggers your pain, what calms it and what your road to recovery looks like.
Do you qualify?
The McGill assessment is most suitable if you have had chronic low back pain (multiple episodes) for at least three months, have not responded well to traditional treatment, and have a genuine willingness to understand your pain and work on your recovery. How well anyone responds depends on many factors — the duration and severity of symptoms, previous treatments, age, health and fitness — but many of these can be improved once you know what to do and what to avoid.
Ready for real clarity about your back pain? Apply for an assessment with Dr. Mark Bevers.
