The McGill Method For Low Back Pain

The McGill Method was developed by world renowned spine expert, Professor Stuart McGill, over 32 years of scientific research on the lumbar spine in both the laboratory and clinic. Over the decades, he has helped thousands of individuals around the world get out of pain for good, and even return to world record breaking athletic performance.
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As a practitioner certified in the McGill Method, I specialize in movement coaching and therapeutic exercise to assist those with low back pain restore pain-free activity. Everything I coach is rooted in science, and coached with detail tailored to the specific person I am working with.
​General fitness training is also available, with an emphasis on injury resilience and back fitness.

Typical Session Progression

1. ASSESS
The first session with me is a thorough assessment to understand what is causing your pain, specifically looking at pain provoking motions, postures and loads. This is an essential part in identifying your pain triggers, and creating the best program for you to reach your goals. 

For those interested in general back fitness without current back pain, we still begin with a thorough assessment.

​(2 hours)
​2. EMPOWER
A summary of the assessment findings and an outline of the next steps are given to you so you have a clear picture of what we will do and why. I will empower you to take control of your back health and show you how to choose the spine sparing route.

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3. COACH
I will coach you through movement tools and exercises. Step one is building a foundation for pain-free movement. This includes addressing the deficits, building core and spine stability, and creating appropriate mobility. 

Once out of pain and the foundation is built, we can progress to building athleticism towards your goals.
4. RESTORE
Our training sessions are designed to stimulate adaptations to make you pain-free and resilient. Adaptations occur when you are resting and relaxed. Using a variety of techniques such as breath, visualization, and physical rest, my goal is to guide you in adapting your body to be resilient to pain and optimize the function of your spine and spirit.

The Book That Has Helped Thousands Get Out Of Back Pain:

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Back Mechanic was written for the lay public with back pain by Professor Stuart McGill. I highly recommend reading this book before working with me to enhance your understanding of your back. 
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Available at www.backfitpro.com. 

Testimonials 


"After struggling at 26 with severe back pain for over a year, I was ready to give up and accept there was no way to fix it, but then I met Sarah. I had been to countless specialists and had spent thousands of dollars on treatments but no one had any answers, and no treatment helped for long. 
Sarah's approach was unlike any other. She performed an extensive in-home assessment and identified what helped and what hurt my back. She also reviewed my MRI images with Dr. Stuart McGill and they discovered things that no one had seen in the past. 
Her understanding of spine mechanics, and the way she explained my own back to me, made me trust her and her recommendations. I started following her movement suggestions and exercise recommendations and a week later I started to feel better. 
Throughout the process Sarah has been diligent in answering all of my questions and helping me to adjust my lifestyle to support my back. I no longer complain about my back pain and believe I will live 100% pain free before too long with the help and support of Sarah."
-Meghan Dunstan
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"I’m a competitive basketball player that had lower back pain. It kept me from doing any physical activity. Over the past 7 months of working with Sarah, she has helped me regain my ability to compete and beyond! Not only does she care for back pain, she also trains a number of mind and body exercises, along with breathing practices. All in all, Sarah is an amazing back specialist who is a joy to work with!"
-Halle
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"Through a few online sessions with Sarah, she was able to pinpoint the behaviours I needed to change to stop injuring myself and build an exercise program to build resiliency in my back. It was extremely helpful to have her expertise and coaching to ensure I was doing the movements correctly and getting the benefit from each of them.
 The exercises and behavioural changes have been easy to incorporate into my daily routines and by following them for the past 6 weeks my back pain has been virtually eliminated.
 Being able to see this level of change in such a short time is astounding after dealing with an increasing level of pain & discomfort for so long.
I am very confident that I now have a program I can follow going forward that will help me stay pain free and continue to increase my ability to move well and do the things important to me in life. The entire process has been overwhelmingly positive. Sarah is a joy to work with, is a great listener and communicator and even offered great guidance on things like sleep and breathing.
Thank you, Sarah, for all your help and for making my life better."
-Josh
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"I have read the books (Back Mechanic and Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance by Stuart McGill).  I also spent a fair bit of time on Youtube trying to "fix" my problem with my low back.  However I realized after my first zoom meeting with Sarah that it is the small things that make a big difference.  Sarah coached me through the BIG 3 and I was quickly in a sweat.  It really felt different than "my version" of the BIG 3.  After a little more coaching sessions I feel I am on my way and can already feel the benefits.
​I would recommend Sarah to anyone who wants to get serious about moving away from pain and discomfort."
-Henry 
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“Sarah was incredibly thorough in my initial assessment and was able to explain the potential cause of my injuries immediately. We began working through various exercises, including “The Big Three”, which helped rebuild my core and spine stability to return to my favourite activities like cycling and hiking!”
​-Bert

Appointment Locations

​Virtual 
Virtual sessions through Zoom are available for those who live within Canada.

​In-Person Options
*Currently moving to BC, Canada, and I will update my in-person location when it is established.

I Am Here To Help You!

Please send me an email if you would like to discuss your situation to see if I am able to help. If it is out of my scope of practice, I can refer you on to a McGill Method master clinician for clinical diagnosis and guidance.
We are here to help, you do not have to live with back pain!