The Hidden Secret in Muscle Contractures: The Mézières Method Between Posture and Emotions

The Mézières method, developed in 1947 by Françoise Mézières, is a global postural reeducation approach that considers the body as an integrated unit—in which the posterior and antero-lateral muscle chains cooperate, and contractures are seen as symptoms of chronic postural and myofascial imbalances.

During treatment, the patient is guided through global stretching postures, manual techniques, postural exercises, and conscious breathing. Attention is focused not only on physical mobility, but on body awareness: muscle tension is reduced not only through stretching, but also through awareness of one's postures and movement.

Muscle contractures have a dimension that is not solely biomechanical: emotions played out through stress, anxiety, and trauma can remain "embedded" in the body as chronic tensions, which end up stiffening muscles and altering posture. The Mézières method often facilitates not only physical release, but also the emergence or processing of repressed emotions, with psychophysiological benefits.

Recent studies confirm the positive effect of the method on pain, disability, and body awareness in patients with chronic low back pain. In a mixed study (quantitative + phenomenological) with 61 participants, the group treated with Mézières showed a significantly greater reduction in pain in the short term compared to a control group that received massage, heat applications, and exercises, and in the patients' accounts, the perception of the body as teaching-learning and increased body awareness emerged.

Another study examined the effect of emotional disclosure (expressive writing) as a complement to Mézières physiotherapy: the group that combined Mézières + writing reported more lasting pain reductions, postural improvements, and decreases in psychological measures such as anxiety or emotional difficulties, compared to Mézières alone.

In summary, the Mézières method is not solely a physical technique: it is a bridge between body and mind, working both on muscular release and on the emotional expression implicit in contractures, offering an integrative pathway that can improve physical and emotional well-being.

Bibliographic References

1. Alfonso-Mora ML, Guerra-Balic M, Sánchez-Martín R, Pedraza-Gómez Z, Ramírez-Moreno J, Castellanos-Garrido AL, Zambrano-Cristancho LK, Rengifo Varona ML. Mézières Method as a practice of embodiment in patients with low back pain: a mixed study. Annals of Medicine. 2023 Oct 17;55(2):2265379. doi:10.1080/07853890.2023.2265379.
2. Alfonso-Mora ML, Ramírez-Moreno J, Guerra-Balic M, Sánchez-Martín R, Castellanos-Lucía AL, Rengifo ML. Effects and experience with the Mézières method in people with low back pain: A mixed methods study. Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation. 2022;35(3):485-493. doi:10.3233/BMR-200344.
3. Pepe L, Milani R, Di Trani M, et al. A more global approach to musculoskeletal pain: expressive writing as an effective adjunct to physiotherapy. Psychology, Health & Medicine. 2014;19(6):687-697. doi:10.1080/13548506.2013.859712.