From the Mézières method to postural reconstruction: A historical vision = De la méthode Mézières à la Reconstruction posturale : une vision historique

Abstract

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Françoise Mézières can be considered as one of the fi gures in the history of physiotherapy. The theoretical-technical model that she developed in the 1950s is still alive with many reinterpretations over the years, motivated by advances in science and the growing research capacity of physiotherapists. Postural Reconstruction (RP), promoted by Michaël Nisand, a close collaborator of the author during his last teaching period, constitutes one of these reinterpretations. In the 1990s, Nisand formalized his own understanding of the Mézières method by proposing, among other elements, a different way of interpreting the origin of body deformities and another view of the neuromuscular responses triggered by Mézières’s therapeutic maneuvers. The big turning point between Mézières and Nisand was the shift from the mechanical paradigm, where shortened muscles are the main element, to a neuromuscular paradigm where imbalances in muscle tone would be the trigger for dysmorphism and therefore, the key etiological factor.