Relieve Pain with The MELT Method

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According to statistics, prescriptions for painkillers have tripled in the U.S. in the last twenty years, and an estimated 289 million prescriptions are written each year. So clearly, a lot of people are seeking relief from pain.

Medications, while sometimes necessary, can lead to addiction and a host of other medical issues. What if there is a better way? I’d like to tell you about The MELT Method.

I’m not even sure how I came across The MELT Method but it came to my attention toward the end of last fall. I started reading about it and found it intriguing.

The MELT Method was created by a manual therapist and connective tissue specialist named Sue Hitzmann. Using specialized techniques, a soft body roller, and small balls, The MELT Method is designed to reconnect whole-body communication, rebalance the nervous system, rehydrate the connective tissue, and release compression in joints.

In short, it is a self-treatment program that is designed to eliminate chronic pain with a consistent three times a week, ten minutes a day application.

The creator is an athlete and is very passionate about helping people eliminate pain caused by injury, trauma, or stress. In her method, MELT stands for Myofascial Energetic Length Technique. That’s a mouthful. 🙂

The premise of the program is that pain is caused by stress placed on our bodies by everyday living. Everything from working out, sitting all day at a desk, or lifting a child, to emotional and mental tension can cause “stuck stress” in the connective tissue of the body.

Connective tissue surrounds every organ, bone, joint and muscle, and trapped stress can lead to the dehydration of the connective tissue. This dehydration translates into aches and stiffness, which leads to pain.

The purpose of The MELT Method is to rehydrate this connective tissue, which unblocks the flow in the body and releases our joints and muscles from pain, therefore improving posture, flexibility, range of motion, digestion, and many more components of our overall health.

I purchased The MELT Method book and began reading about it.

It gives a very thorough explanation of the science behind the program, and how it all came to be. The author’s commitment to helping people live pain free without a reliance upon medication is very obvious throughout the book.

Following the explanation of the program, the book provides detailed explanations of the different treatments you can do. There are hand and foot treatments, and upper and lower body treatments.

You will need a few pieces of equipment to properly administer The MELT Method. One is a set of mini balls, and the other is a dense foam roller.

The mini balls are used for the hand and foot treatments, and the roller is used for the upper and lower body treatments.

Even doing the hand and foot treatments can make a big difference in how you feel, because there has been extensive research done on the benefits of reflexology. It’s no coincidence that foot rubs feel so wonderful. 🙂 Every organ in the body can benefit from a good foot rub.

While the book is excellent in laying out the different treatments, I am a visual learner, so I also ordered the DVD that shows how to do each treatment.

The DVD made it much easier for me to move from one treatment to the next without thumbing through the pages of the book.

If you need even more instruction, the MELT website offers information on upcoming workshops and local studios that teach the method.

These treatments are not painful or strenuous. In fact, quite the opposite. But you can definitely feel when you are targeting an area that is harboring tension and stress. It feels tender.

With each treatment, you begin by standing, as with the foot treatment, or lying on your back, with the upper and lower body treatments, and taking note of your body. Does one side feel different than the other? Does your back feel arched and tense? Are your legs fully touching the floor?

Then after going through the different movements of each treatment, you allow the connective tissue to rehydrate by lying still for a moment, then you reassess. If you have done the movements correctly, you should feel a noticeable difference in the placement of your limbs and muscles.

I have to say that I feel the effects of this method immediately. If my back felt tense and slightly arched before doing the movements, it is in full contact with the floor when lying down during the reassess period. This is wonderful for me because I have battled intermittent back pain for years. I have to move very carefully so as not to wrench my back and cause excruciating pain.

I also have noticed some stiffening of my joints as a age, primarily in the hip area. I’ve been doing The MELT Method for a few weeks now, and I recently realized that my hips no longer feel as stiff as they have in the past. I just one day said, “WAIT a second. I don’t feel any pain there now.”

I have been doing Pilates and yoga several times a week for a few years, and it was Joseph Pilates who said, “You’re only as young as your spine is flexible.” His point was that even if you are only 30, but your spine is stiff, you are old, and you certainly feel old. Yet you can be 70 with a flexible spine and body and you will feel much younger than your years.

Chronic pain and stiffness can certainly wear you down. That’s why it’s so important that we remain flexible and balanced. The MELT Method offers us the ability to do that. Naturally, without medication. If you study reviews of the program, you’ll find story after story of people finding relief by following this treatment plan.

I’ve only been doing it a few weeks and can definitely tell a difference. And the program can offer these results by doing the movements three times a week, but it is safe to do every day. It is recommended that you do the movements in the evening, prior to going to bed. The reasoning is that you are releasing the tension of the day, and then going to bed to allow your body to regroup as you rest.

If you are facing some joint and muscle stiffness or pain, I would encourage you to research The MELT Method for yourself. As with any program, you will want to consult with your doctor if you have health challenges that require a discussion prior to undertaking anything new.

Sometimes pain medication is necessary, as in after surgery or an injury. But as a lifestyle it can lead to dependency and other health issues. Anything we can do to address chronic pain naturally is a much better long term option. I am finding The MELT Method to be an effective way to release pain and stiffness.

If you are experiencing chronic pain and stiffness, I encourage you to research it and try it for yourself!

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