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Muscle Energy Techniques (MET) – What They Are and How They Can Help You

By: Jill Heberling, LPTA | Waterford Co-Clinic Director

Muscle energy techniques (MET) are gentle manual therapy techniques that can be used for most diagnoses across the lifespan. METs are performed by trained professionals in the clinic and often take less than fifteen minutes to complete! There are a variety of ways to complete these techniques depending on what the patient can tolerate.

Muscle energy techniques only require a gentle muscle contraction from the patient to be successful. They can be effective corrections for patients who are fearful of movement due to pain or stiffness in the body.

To successfully complete a MET, the patient is placed in specific positions that take into consideration the range of motion they currently can achieve. The goals are to increase the range of motion the patient can perform with decreased pain and stiffness and improve body mechanics through various motions. A MET technique is accompanied by specific exercises, usually strengthening or stabilization, to improve the outcomes achieved through the technique.

These techniques can be used to treat injuries of the spine, pelvis, SI joint and upper extremities. They are also useful in the treatment of sciatica, chronic pain, acute injuries or stiffness.

Your referring physician and therapist will collaborate to determine if adding muscle energy techniques would be an effective and appropriate treatment for you.