I find this technique really useful for lots of reasons, the major one for me, as Tom Hendrickson explains in
.
‘Massage and Manual Therapy for Orthopedic Conditions’ ‘because MET uses voluntary effort, we are using the highest part of the central nervous system to re-program involuntary patterns in the muscles.’ I believe that when we can get our patients to engage at a conscious awareness that change can take place from pain free perspective, their confidence grows in their ability to recover.
It is super important that we enable/coach the patient create the ‘right ‘ or voluntary movement /contraction.
In some publications the movements to create the ‘resistance’ or contraction are quite big, creating either a pain, or a struggle, both ending up leaving the patient doubting the process, or causing the patient to guard against the action be that consciously or sub-consciously.
In training, seminars and publications we were told to hold the contraction for 5-10 seconds with 10 – 20% effort. Which I my experience works to a degree. Tom Hendrickson uses the cue ‘don’t let me move you’ which is extremely useful because you can decide/create the amount of resistance. This inspired me to use ‘just meet my hand’. What I have discovered with those patients in chronic pain, is to use ‘feather like’ resistance which creates the neurological (the sensory-motor process) process we are wanting that will bring about change with the soft tissue within the patients understanding of comfort.
In our practice, those patients who are finding it a bit of a challenge to create the movement that is being asked of them. We describe the movement, ask them to create that picture in their mind, remembering when it was pain free and easy. We find this coaching very successful along with gentle palpation to create a sensory cue
Also in my experience is that often the patients recruit a number of muscles to create a minor contraction i.e. piriformis. They will often bring in glut med, TFL, & IT band. Piriformis solo action is to create external rotation. I often coach my patients into making just a minor solo action with gentle fingers on piriformis acting as a gentle cue or encourage them to imagine the movement before they actually make the movement. I seem to be creating a more useful neurological connection which lengthens the fibres, warms the muscle up ready to move into Hendrickson Method® soft tissue mobilisation which eases the torsion through the fibres. I am finding patients returning to injury free movement much more swiftly with a deepening awareness of their own body and increasing confidence in their bodies can heal, leading to a more active lifestyle.
Would love to hear other practitioners experiences, as these are mine.