Day 45 of 365 - The MELT Method
Do you know what fascia is? It's the sheath of connective tissue throughout our body that covers and supports muscles, bones, nerves and organs like a web. And, it turns out that it is living, moving, fluid filled tissue when it is healthy and behaving as it is meant to do.
When I was in Occupational Therapy school, we had an anatomy dissection lab in first year. We were dissecting the upper limb. At that time, we just saw fascia as a tough tissue that needed to be carefully removed to access the muscles and nerves that we wanted to expose. It turns out that it is much more than that.
Fascia is constantly adapting to our movement to support us. To do this well, it needs to remain hydrated. But, too much inactivity, like sitting, compresses it and causes dehydration. Likewise, excessive activity, like too much working out or training, or repetitive activity of any kind can do the same thing. When fluid is not moving in our tissues, we start feeling stiff, achy or tense. And, prolonged dehydration of fascia will eventually cause chronic pain. If you have, or still do, experience these things then The MELT Method may help you.
Sue Hitzmann, a body worker from New York, developed this self-treatment system after years of working as a fitness instructor and then body worker. As is often the case, her own chronic pain from excessive working out led her to do more study. That, along with her own innate skill of feeling the vibrational energy of the body as she worked hands on with clients motivated her as well.
MELT was originally an acronym for Myofascial Energetic Length Technique, but as the method evolved she became aware that it does not just affect the fascia around muscles, but impacts the entire connective tissue system. So now, MELT just refers to the softening and hydrating of these tissues so that the components of the body can move smoothly.
Hitzmann wanted to create simple equipment and techniques that her clients could use at home on a daily basis to gain the same benefits they would from her hands on body work sessions. After years of study and experimentation she was satisfied enough with the equipment and methods she developed to introduce it to the public. She also wrote a book to describe and illustrate both the background and techniques.
I first learned about MELT a few years ago from my Pilates teacher. She had been introduced to it by her own Pilates instructor who had done some training in the techniques. I became fascinated enough by what she shared that I bought the book, The MELT Method, as well as the soft roller. Later, I also acquired the set of small balls of different sizes and densities, which are used on the hands and feet.
The four R's of MELT are: Reconnect, to heighten body awareness; Rebalance, to address whole body balance; Rehydrate, to restore the fluidity of the connective tissue; and, Release, to decompress tight joint spaces. These techniques address what Hitzmann calls stuck stress in the body.
Doing just ten minutes a day of MELT can make a big difference. It has become an important component of my self care routines at home. I'm very glad to have been introduced to this method. Aside from the geek in me loving to read about all the underlying study of physiology, research and experimentation by Sue Hitzmann in her book, it has provided very practical methods that just make my body more comfortable, and me to feel better in my body. You can readily find information about it online and the book is widely available from major book sellers.
When I was in Occupational Therapy school, we had an anatomy dissection lab in first year. We were dissecting the upper limb. At that time, we just saw fascia as a tough tissue that needed to be carefully removed to access the muscles and nerves that we wanted to expose. It turns out that it is much more than that.
Fascia is constantly adapting to our movement to support us. To do this well, it needs to remain hydrated. But, too much inactivity, like sitting, compresses it and causes dehydration. Likewise, excessive activity, like too much working out or training, or repetitive activity of any kind can do the same thing. When fluid is not moving in our tissues, we start feeling stiff, achy or tense. And, prolonged dehydration of fascia will eventually cause chronic pain. If you have, or still do, experience these things then The MELT Method may help you.
Sue Hitzmann, a body worker from New York, developed this self-treatment system after years of working as a fitness instructor and then body worker. As is often the case, her own chronic pain from excessive working out led her to do more study. That, along with her own innate skill of feeling the vibrational energy of the body as she worked hands on with clients motivated her as well.
MELT was originally an acronym for Myofascial Energetic Length Technique, but as the method evolved she became aware that it does not just affect the fascia around muscles, but impacts the entire connective tissue system. So now, MELT just refers to the softening and hydrating of these tissues so that the components of the body can move smoothly.
Hitzmann wanted to create simple equipment and techniques that her clients could use at home on a daily basis to gain the same benefits they would from her hands on body work sessions. After years of study and experimentation she was satisfied enough with the equipment and methods she developed to introduce it to the public. She also wrote a book to describe and illustrate both the background and techniques.
I first learned about MELT a few years ago from my Pilates teacher. She had been introduced to it by her own Pilates instructor who had done some training in the techniques. I became fascinated enough by what she shared that I bought the book, The MELT Method, as well as the soft roller. Later, I also acquired the set of small balls of different sizes and densities, which are used on the hands and feet.
The four R's of MELT are: Reconnect, to heighten body awareness; Rebalance, to address whole body balance; Rehydrate, to restore the fluidity of the connective tissue; and, Release, to decompress tight joint spaces. These techniques address what Hitzmann calls stuck stress in the body.
Doing just ten minutes a day of MELT can make a big difference. It has become an important component of my self care routines at home. I'm very glad to have been introduced to this method. Aside from the geek in me loving to read about all the underlying study of physiology, research and experimentation by Sue Hitzmann in her book, it has provided very practical methods that just make my body more comfortable, and me to feel better in my body. You can readily find information about it online and the book is widely available from major book sellers.
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