The joy of learning new skills!

I'm back in Sheffield, exhausted but inspired by the weekend advanced course on Muscle Energy Technique for the pelvis and lumbar spine that I attended at the London School of Sports Massage. In summary, the aim was to stretch relevant muscles and fascia, mobilise a restricted joint and alter the tone of the muscles surrounding the joint. All this requires great accuracy in order to be effective, so our anatomy and palpation skills were put to the test! Our tutor, Alex Fugalo, was excellent and very patient with us. From the practice we did on each other I could both see and feel for myself how effective this technique is, and I am looking forward to introducing it into my practice.

The blurb for the course was as follows:

'Muscle energy technique encompasses a very wide range of treatment approaches. Based upon a biomechanical model used in osteopathic practice, this course will teach the assessment of pelvic dysfunction and treatment of the lumbo-pelvic region using MET. Accurate assessment and localisation of forces is key to a successful outcome and means that minimal effort is required. The aim is to use light force isometric contractions as the principal method to restore normal articular mobility to the individual joints. The overall result is improved function and in some cases reduced pain.'