I have been studying the work of several of the forerunners of manual therapy and soft tissue work, including Leon Chaitow, Vladimir Janda, Karel Lewit, Phillip Greenman, Janet Travell, David Simons, Judith DeLany, Craig Liebenson, Sandy Fritz, and many others.  I will be the first to admit that I missed the boat completely on this aspect of care for my patients in the past.  I had such a strict evidence-based thought process that I often looked beyond the work of these authors for lack of efficacy.  Let me tell you, I made a big mistake.

One of the books that broke me out of my shell was Leon Chaitow’s Muscle Energy Techniques (MET).  It is actually one of a series of books on Advanced Soft Tissue Techniques by Chaitow.  Each of the books are extremely informative, tough with a little overlap. 

MET is a class of soft tissue osteopathic techniques that incorporate controlled muscular contractions by the patient performed in a manner and sequence to improve musculoskeletal function and reduce pain.  There are many variations of MET that are described in the book that go far beyond the contract-relax concept.  These variations can be applied to a variety of conditions with different levels of chronicity.

MET is broken down into several chapters that first introduce the concepts of MET (including a historical perspective), how to use MET for the evaluation and treatment of disorders, and an attempt at explaining the efficacy and research behind the techniques.  The author does a good job but like many manual techniques, it is very difficult to assess the efficacy of MET.

The book shines in three areas:

1. The information provided in the chapter on Patterns of Function and Dysfunction.  This chapter really opened my eyes to the cause of some musculoskeletal dysfunctions, how muscles respond to posture and stress, and how these patterns of dysfunction present in our patients.
2. The series of chapters towards the end of the book that demonstrate how to integrate MET into the field of chiropractic medicine, physical therapy, massage therapy, and the treatment of athletic injuries.  The last chapter of which are written by some of the brightest people in professional sports, Ken Crenshaw and Nate Shaw, Head Athletic Trainer and Strength & Conditioning Coordinator, respectively, of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Ron Porterfield, Head Athletic Trainer of the Tampa Bay Rays. 
3. The accompanying DVD includes the full text of the book in addition to 50 video clips demonstrating the techniques.  This is valuable in a book on manual therapy.  These videos are detailed demonstrations of the techniques, making the application of the material extremely easy,
   

After reading this book and applying the concepts to my current patients, I often look back at some simple orthopedic dysfunction that did not seem to respond to my normal treatment plans in the past…shoulder pain that didn’t seem to get better once range of motion and strength were restored, for example, and wonder if I could have done better.  Have others read this book and felt the same way?  What other similar books would you recommend?

This is a very useful book for all clinicians attempting to prevent or rehabilitate injuries.  Follow this link for more information or to purchase Muscle Energy Techniques by Leon Chaitow from Amazon.com.

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