Mezieres Method Basic and Advanced Modules

✓ 100 crediti ECM (AIFiMM – Provider n. 1701)

✓ 105 CPD hours (UK, CPD Certification Service – AIFiMM Provider n. 21418)

Il CPD (Continuing Professional Development) è il sistema di crediti adottato in UK e nei principali contesti sanitari internazionali.

La certificazione CPD attesta qualità formativa superiore secondo standard europei e internazionali, distinguendo il percorso e valorizzando il curriculum professionale.

Many segmental approaches focus on the symptom.
But when pain returns—or shifts—it often signals a deeper dysfunction.

The Mézières Method offers a systemic biomechanical framework to interpret the human body as an interconnected whole, where every adaptation follows specific laws.

This therapeutic discipline is grounded in musculoskeletal biomechanics and vector-based physics.
Rather than simply correcting local misalignments or stiffness, it analyzes the overall balance of muscular and joint forces.

It’s not just a postural technique.
It’s an advanced clinical model that helps identify shortened muscular vectors responsible for compressions, joint misalignments, and distant symptoms.

Identifying the root cause means restoring balance, function, and adaptability.

“The body is not something to be corrected.
It’s something to be listened to, freed, and reorganized.”

📚 What You’ll Gain with the AIFiMM Mézières Course
✔ 100 ECM (Continuing Medical Education) credits recognized
✔ A new clinical reasoning model
✔ Active participation: you treat and are treated
✔ Free access to the online course after completing the in-person training
✔ All materials included, including two essential textbooks
✔ Free reattendance of any module in future editions

📍 14 days – 112 hours of training – Direct clinical supervision
🎥 Learn in the classroom and keep the content with lifetime access to the included online course

Il corso non richiede conoscenze pregresse di fisica o matematica avanzata.

I principi biomeccanici vengono introdotti gradualmente con esempi clinici pratici, partendo dall'osservazione del paziente per arrivare alla comprensione delle leggi fisiche sottostanti.

La maggior parte dei corsisti proviene da percorsi formativi standard e acquisisce progressivamente gli strumenti di analisi vettoriale attraverso pratica supervisionata e casi reali.

Indicazioni principali: Il metodo trova applicazione nella maggior parte delle patologie ortopediche sostenute da alterazioni biomeccaniche muscolari, con particolare efficacia nelle sintomatologie croniche e resistenti alle terapie convenzionali, oltre che nel recupero post-chirurgico.

L'approccio terapeutico: Il metodo si basa sulla necessità di trattare simultaneamente il problema locale (riequilibrio vettoriale del distretto sintomatico) e le alterazioni articolari a distanza. Ogni intervento locale viene costantemente valutato per i suoi effetti su tutte le articolazioni, per evitare che il miglioramento in un distretto crei compensi in altri.

Caratteristiche del trattamento:

- Sedute individuali di circa un'ora a frequenza settimanale

- Approccio attivo basato su contrazioni isometriche guidate in massimo allungamento

- Non si basa su protocolli standardizzati: ogni seduta richiede osservazione continua e adattamento

- Partecipazione attiva del paziente, guidata costantemente dal terapista

- Risultati documentabili nel breve periodo con mantenimento nel follow-up a lungo termine

Nota: Il metodo richiede un percorso formativo completo per padroneggiare la complessità del ragionamento clinico e delle tecniche. L'acquisizione di queste competenze rappresenta un elemento distintivo nel percorso professionale.

Il principio base

In assenza di patologie specifiche, nella pratica clinica si riscontra che i muscoli tendono progressivamente ad accorciare la propria lunghezza. Le componenti connettivali, avendo coefficiente di elasticità inferiore a 1, mantengono deformazioni residue proporzionali alla forza applicata e al tempo di applicazione.

Lo scheletro, privo di capacità motoria autonoma, subisce le conseguenze delle forze muscolari: alterazioni degli assi articolari, concentrazione asimmetrica dei carichi, conflitti endo-articolari e deviazioni della sinusoide vertebrale. A livello dinamico, mentre la forza resistente aumenta, Lavoro e Potenza diminuiscono: il muscolo accorciato dissipa energia per vincere resistenze interne prima di produrre movimento utile.

L'analisi segmentaria

Nel corso i muscoli non vengono considerati nella loro realtà anatomica ma come linee di forza a cui viene applicata la scomposizione vettoriale per identificare la loro azione deformante sugli assi articolari e sulle deviazioni sia frontali che sagittali della sinusoide vertebrale.

La regola del parallelogramma permette di calcolare le risultanti, identificare i muscoli responsabili delle alterazioni e determinare l'intervento mirato al ripristino della fisiologica sequenza articolare. Ogni articolazione viene esaminata nelle componenti vettoriali per comprendere i conflitti meccanici e applicare il trattamento specifico. La colonna vertebrale, analizzata tridimensionalmente, rivela deviazioni calcolabili che possono essere corrette attraverso il riequilibrio delle forze muscolari identificate.

L'interpretazione sistemica

Il sintomo può essere locale o riferito. Attraverso l'innervazione segmentaria, sofferenze vertebrali si manifestano in distretti periferici. Problematiche viscerali, neurologiche, stomatognatiche, ecc. possono innescare accorciamenti muscolari secondari con sintomi distanti dalla disfunzione primaria, rendendo necessario un approccio multi-disciplinare. Le tavole dermatomeriche e la mappa organo-vertebra permettono di tracciare il percorso dal sintomo alla causa.

L'approccio terapeutico

Valutazione: Esame statico per identificare alterazioni degli assi attraverso analisi vettoriale. Esame dinamico per limitazioni e compensi. Test di esclusione per distinguere problematiche primarie da secondarie.

Trattamento: Riduzione dell'eccesso di tensione nei muscoli accorciati. Tecniche differenziate per componente contrattile e connettivale, rispettando le proprietà fisiche dei tessuti. Obiettivo: diminuire la forza resistente a favore di Lavoro e Potenza.

Verifica: Test terapeutico immediato. Correzione stabile indica risoluzione del conflitto meccanico. Persistenza suggerisce cause sistemiche non risolte.

Il corso fornisce gli strumenti per tradurre l'osservazione clinica in analisi vettoriale e agire sulle patologie muscolo-scheletriche sia in modo analitico che sistemico.

1° Seminario - Giorni 1-4 (giovedì-domenica)

Fondamenti teorici e valutazione clinica

• Basi scientifiche del metodo: fisica vettoriale applicata al sistema muscolare, analisi delle deformazioni elastiche del tessuto connettivale, sistemi complessi e catene muscolari
• Esame statico e dinamico nei tre piani, identificazione delle alterazioni assiali e dei vettori muscolari dominanti
• Riflessi antalgici: comprensione dei meccanismi di protezione a priori e a posteriori
• Tecniche manuali: massaggio profondo e respirazione terapeutica secondo Mézières
• Piano sagittale - trattamento in posizione supina: valutazione delle alterazioni della colonna vertebrale sul piano sagittale e trattamento delle sintomatologie da compressione discale e da alterazione delle curve fisiologiche. Correzione dei rapporti scapolo-vertebrali e scapolo-omerali

2° Seminario - Giorni 5-7 (venerdì-domenica)

Blocco inferiore e articolazioni

• Biomeccanica e trattamento coxo-femorale e ginocchio: analisi vettoriale delle alterazioni assiali (varo, valgo, recurvato, rotazioni) e trattamento specifico con arti inferiori elevati
• Biomeccanica e trattamento piede: analisi dell'articolazione tibio-tarsica, dell'arco mediale e anteriore, trattamento in posizione seduta per piede cavo, piatto e alluce valgo
• Integrazione delle tecniche base: applicazione pratica e verifica dei risultati

3° Seminario - Giorni 8-11 (giovedì-domenica)

Piano frontale e rotatorio - Patologie assiali e dell'arto superiore

• Analisi delle deviazioni assiali della colonna vertebrale e individuazione dei vettori muscolari implicati
• Trattamento delle rotazioni vertebrali e delle sintomatologie correlate
• Relazioni scapolo-vertebrali, scapolo-ioidee, scapolo-costali e loro trattamento
• Valutazione e trattamento patologie di spalla, gomito e mano
• Applicazione delle tecniche in diverse posizioni per il trattamento tridimensionale

4° Seminario - Giorni 12-14 (venerdì-domenica)

Integrazione clinica avanzata

• Correlazioni ATM-postura: valutazione differenziale tra problematiche di competenza fisioterapica e odontoiatrica, trattamento delle disfunzioni temporo-mandibolari
• Sub-lussazioni articolari: analisi biomeccanica e trattamento delle sub-lussazioni sterno-claveare e scapolo-omerale
• Trattamento delle scoliosi e delle patologie ortopediche complesse
• Dalla valutazione al piano terapeutico: definizione degli obiettivi primari, scelta delle tecniche appropriate, progressione terapeutica
• Esame dinamico e strategie di trattamento individualizzate

📄 Scarica il programma completo con il dettaglio degli argomenti trattati in ogni modulo

Resisting Force – Working Force = Dysfunction

RF (Resisting Force):
The sum of all forces that hinder movement or physiological upright posture:
• muscular shortenings
• myofascial retractions
• joint misalignments
• vertebral compressions

WF (Working Force):
The functional force that allows the body to act:
• to move
• to maintain balance
• to manage loads
• to adapt to stimuli

When Resisting Force exceeds Working Force, the body enters a state of compensation:
• secondary muscle chains are activated
• altered movement patterns emerge
• stiffness and recurring pain appear

🎯 The Mézières treatment aims to reduce Resisting Force through isometric work in maximal elongation, restoring biomechanical efficiency and systemic adaptability.

🧠 Origin of Dysfunction: Two Clinical Scenarios

To identify the primary cause, the Mézières Method distinguishes between two key scenarios:

🔹 Scenario 1 – Shortened Muscles → Skeleton Adapts
📌 In the absence of major skeletal deformations (congenital or traumatic)
👉 Myofascial shortening reshapes the skeleton
→ leading to misalignments, compressions, and dysfunctions

✅ The skeleton is the effect of muscular retractions

🔸 Scenario 2 – Deformed Skeleton → Muscles Adapt
📌 In the presence of significant skeletal deformations
👉 The muscular system adapts to the altered structure
→ generating new dysfunctions at a distance

✅ The muscles are victims of compensatory adaptation

📌 This logic explains why the cause is never where the symptom appears,
and why every compensation requires a systemic reading to be truly resolved.

“Every body tells this equation:
where you see pain, there was always a force that came before it.”

🔬 The Mézières treatment is a direct consequence of these equations.
It doesn’t target the symptom alone — it addresses the dysfunctional biomechanical force behind it.

📦 What This Model Gives You
• A systemic biomechanical framework to interpret dysfunctions beyond the symptom
• A measurable relationship between resisting force and working force
• Two clear clinical scenarios to differentiate muscular vs skeletal origin
• A practical tool to guide treatment through physical logic and adaptive reasoning
• A principle that helps you recognize compensations, identify their cause, and act on the primary vector

🖼️ Summary Diagram
A visual synthesis of the Mézières biomechanical model

We’ve seen how musculoskeletal dysfunctions can be interpreted through:
• the balance between Resisting Force and Working Force
• the distinction between muscular and skeletal origins

👇 Below you’ll find a diagram that summarizes the two core equations of the Mézières Method:
a simple yet powerful tool to guide both clinical observation and treatment.

📌 You’ll find it in the printed materials, during in-person lessons, and inside the online course.

An immersive journey to transform how you observe, reason, and treat

The AIFiMM course doesn’t just teach you a technique.
It guides you through a shift in clinical perspective, grounded in systemic muscular biomechanics and the analysis of dysfunctional forces.

It is designed for healthcare professionals who want to:

• deepen their understanding of the biomechanical basis of musculoskeletal dysfunctions
• learn a systemic model of clinical reasoning
• gain practical tools for treating complex patients
• integrate their existing knowledge into a coherent and verifiable framework

📌 What You’ll Experience During the Course

• A structured program of 14 days, divided into 4 intensive seminars
• Active participation: you treat your colleagues and are treated in return
• Every phase of treatment is observed, performed, discussed, and internalized
• You’ll be guided step by step by expert instructors, in a stimulating and professional environment

🎯 You won’t just apply techniques:
you’ll start reasoning with systemic logic, seeing the body with new eyes,
and distinguishing compensations from causes — so you can act where it truly matters.

📌 As you continue down the page, you’ll find:
• an overview of our experiential learning approach
• included course materials
• the AIFiMM faculty
• clinical applications of the method
• course dates, fees, and how to register

You learn by observing, experiment by treating, and internalize by experiencing

This course doesn’t just explain — every technique is demonstrated, performed, and analyzed
in full coherence with the biomechanical principles of the method.

During each seminar:

• The instructor performs sample sessions on a participant, explaining each step
• All participants observe, discuss, and ask clinical and technical questions
• Each participant treats a colleague and is treated in return — to feel the effects of the forces within their own body

📌 You learn to observe the body systemically,
while directly experiencing what happens under your hands and within your tissues.

It’s a deep, three-dimensional learning process:
you don’t just understand the method — you live it.

📽️ At the end of the course, you’ll receive free access to the Mézières online course,
allowing you to review every technique, explanation, and clinical sequence with clarity.
A valuable resource, professionally filmed in the classroom, so you can revisit the material anytime you need.

A complete toolkit to support you during and after the course

Each participant receives a carefully curated educational set,
designed to support in-class learning and continue your study after the course.

📚 Scientific Materials
• “Musculoskeletal Biomechanics and the Mézières Method” — by Mauro Lastrico
 A unique volume integrating systemic biomechanical analysis within the Mézières framework.
 Clear, in-depth, clinically and practically oriented.

• Official Italian translation of “Originalité de la Méthode Mézières” — by Françoise Mézières
 The historical text that laid the theoretical foundation of the method.
 Essential to understand its origins and the thinking of its founder.

✍️ Practical and Symbolic Tools
• Custom AIFiMM tote bag
• Notepad and pen for sketches, observations, and clinical notes
• Your tangible diary of the classroom experience

📌 A toolkit that blends scientific rigor and personal memory:
it supports you today in the classroom — and tomorrow in your clinical practice.

An opportunity to revisit, consolidate, and grow over time

Every participant has the right to retake any completed module free of charge in future editions, subject to availability.

This is a valuable chance to:

• revisit techniques and content with new clinical awareness
• engage with different clinical cases and new colleagues
• consolidate your learning and connect theory, observation, and practice
• make up for any missed days by attending them in a future edition

📌 A method isn’t exhausted in a single course.
It’s something you live, revisit, and deepen over time.

A course for those who want to observe, reason, and treat differently

The course is reserved for healthcare professionals and final-year students who wish to integrate into their practice a systemic biomechanical model, grounded in science and clinically oriented.

👤 Eligible participants:

• Physiotherapists (graduates or third-year students)

• Physicians (all specialties)

• Osteopaths

• Massophysiotherapists (as recognized under current Italian regulations)

• Occupational Therapists (OT)

• Developmental Neuro- and Psychomotor Therapists (TNPEE)

🧭 It’s for you if you:

• want to move beyond a symptomatic, segmental approach

• treat patients with complex, chronic, or recurrent dysfunctions

• are looking for a clinical reasoning model that combines biomechanical logic with systemic observation

• want practical tools to increase the effectiveness of your treatment

📌 No prior knowledge of the Mézières Method is required.
The course starts from the fundamentals and gradually guides you through both theory and practice.

📌 Do I need prior experience with the Mézières Method to enroll?
No. The course starts from the basics. It’s designed to guide you step by step through both the theoretical understanding and practical application of the method — even if you’ve never studied it before.

📚 Can I start studying before the course begins?
Access to the Mézières online course (FAD) is granted after the in-person training is completed.
This allows you to review and deepen every concept independently.
The lessons include theoretical explanations and real clinical demonstrations — a valuable resource for consolidating your learning.

🔁 Can I retake the course in the future?
Yes. Every participant is entitled to retake any completed module free of charge, subject to availability.
You may also make up for any missed days by attending them in a different edition of the course.

📘 Will I receive learning materials during the course?
Yes. Each participant receives:
• the textbook “Musculoskeletal Biomechanics and the Mézières Method” by Mauro Lastrico
• the Italian translation of “Originalité de la Méthode Mézières” by Françoise Mézières
• a tote bag with AIFiMM-branded notepad and pen
• free access to the Mézières online course at the end of the classroom training

📍 How do I know if the course will run in my city?
Courses are confirmed once the minimum number of participants is reached.
The most frequent locations are Bologna, Milan, Naples, and Rome, where the training is well-established.
We recommend registering early to help activate your preferred location and benefit from early booking discounts.

🎓 Can I enroll if I’m a final-year student?
Yes. If you are in your third year of Physiotherapy (or another eligible healthcare program), you can enroll.
Your registration will be finalized upon obtaining your degree.

💳 Can I pay in multiple installments?
Absolutely. Payment can be split into 2 or 4 interest-free installments.
In some cases, discounts are available for early booking, group registrations, or special agreements.