Even though I read the book and had a lot of faith in the McGill Method based on what I’d read, prior to the evaluation I was not feeling very optimistic because I was unable to self-diagnose using the steps in the book, and the prognosis from the spine surgeon I saw beforehand was depressing (basically “your discs are degenerated now and since they don’t heal you need pain management”).
Hope flared once Dr. Tiltmann started doing the evaluation: ironically the most painful test, which seemed to confirm my disc mobility issues, made me feel the best because it seemed like a specific diagnosis. Once Dr. Tiltmann explained how my activities had contributed to my condition over the years and what steps I could take to recover, I was very happy. It was a revelation to learn that my yoga practice was sabotaging my weight lifting and hurting my back. That, along with learning that I had deep hip sockets that limited my healthy range of motion (such a small difference of a few degrees between health and chronic damage!), was probably the most valuable thing I took away from the evaluation. Dr. Tiltmann was also extremely patient and answered my endless questions when we were going through the movement training and subsequent Q&A.
I found this experience to be extremely valuable and worth every penny.
Phil Phil is a 35-year-old, 5’11”, 175 lbs. male with a 6-month history of gradual onset of left low back pain debilitating enough that he couldn’t stand for more than a few minutes. 10 years prior he torn a disc during martial arts training.