Muscle Energy Technique
Muscle Energy Technique was developed by Dr. Fred Mitchell an osteopath from USA. This technique aims at relaxing muscle spasms. When applied directly Muscle Energy Technique is based on the principle of reciprocal inhibition and, on post-contraction relaxation when applied indirectly. MET is basically an electro-physiological trick that encourages muscles to relax more quickly than normal. The client contracts his muscles that he wants to stretch, in one direction against a fixed resistance for 5 seconds and then gently stretches it in the opposite direction.
Muscle Energy Technique is a non-invasive direct hand-on therapy. It is based on Somatic dysfunction. MET normalizes joint motion using patients own gentle contractions and body positioning. Massage doesn’t help when the joint does not have full structural position.
Muscle Energy Technique helps to lengthen a shortened spastic muscle, relax or increase muscle tension and increase muscle strength. MET can be used to treat almost all the joints in the body, in a safe and effective manner.
In Manual Energy Technique the client places the joint to be treated at the limit of its possible motion, in the direction in which it is most restricted. The therapist than in a controlled manner maintains this position by pressure and not by exaggeration. The patient than tries to move the joint, by sustained effort, against the therapist’s force. Special care has to be taken that no movement takes place during repeated short or long efforts of this type. After each such effort the joint is reassessed to check whether the range of movement has increased, than the joint is taken to the new limit and the same step is performed with the new limit.
Muscle Energy Technique emphasizes specially on the lumbar spine, sacrum, and pelvis because balancing these areas helps in relieving both the distal and proximal symptoms. MET quite effective relieves a variety of musculoskeletal dysfunctions.
One can relax his muscles by incorporating breathing in to MET.
Each Manual Therapy Technique session begins and ends with a screening technique, this helps in assessing the outcome of the manual techniques.
In general every individual can benefit from Muscle Energy Technique, but in particular MET is quite helpful for people who complain restrictions in their movements, back ache, head ache, scoliosis, sciatica, improving local circulation, etc.
