Il Souchard method (Global Postural Re-education, or RPG), developed by Professor Philippe Souchard of Saint-Mont, France, has spread throughout the world over the years for its peculiarity: rebalancing the body. in its entirety, working on muscle chains and postural compensations.
In practice, the Souchard method allows you to identify the root causes of postural dysfunctions, treating them globally and individually through active postures and specific exercises, which combine static stretching and dynamic movement.
Index of topics
Who was Philippe Souchard?
Souchard, who passed away in 2024, was not only a famous physiotherapist, sought after everywhere in France and abroad, but he was also the director of the University of Manual Therapy in Saint-Mont, and in this capacity he carried out important research on posture-related problems and back pain and trained entire generations of physiotherapists who today, all over the world, apply his method.
How the Souchard Method Works
With this method, and with its holistic and non-invasive approach, the body is considered in its entirety and the goal is not only to treat the symptoms of problems affecting muscle and joint balance (from lumbago to tendonitis, from scoliosis to hernias), and in particular the back, but also prevent these pathologies, identifying and applying a “tailor-made” posture.
The Souchard method is based on three key principles:
- Individuality (every person is unique),
- Causality: The principle by which the body, to defend itself from pain (for example, a distortions), creates a series of automatic “compensations” (like a limp that leads to raising a shoulder). Over time, the sprain heals, but the fees remain, creating a pain (the symptom) in a distant area, such as the shoulder and cervical.
- RPG not only treats the painful area, but goes back to the cause original. The principle of globality intervenes by treating the patient as a whole body, lengthening the entire muscle chains stiffened by compensations.
How a Souchard Method session takes place
An RPG session It is individual and lasts about an hour. It begins with a thorough assessment of the patient to understand not only the symptoms, but also the history of his trauma and his overall posture (principle of Causality).
The specialized physiotherapist then identifies the tense and "shortened" muscle chains. The treatment is carried out through specific “postures” (sitting, standing or lying down), which the patient actively maintains with the help of the therapist.
These postures, combined with controlled breathing, gradually and gently stretch the stiffened muscle chains, freeing the joints and correcting compensations.
The session is an “awareness” of one’s body.
Who is the Souchard method suitable for?
The Souchard method is particularly indicated for people who have this type of need:
- Postural problems (kyphosis, scoliosis, hyperlordosis),
- Vertebral pathologies (Ernie, protrusions, lumbago, neck pain),
- Musculoskeletal disorders (tendinitis, articolar pains, rigidity),
- Post-traumatic recovery or post-surgical.
Benefits of the Souchard Method
Among the main benefits of the method are:
- Improved overall posture,
- Reduction of musculoskeletal pain (low back pain, neck pain, sciatica, etc.),
- Greater awareness of your body,
- Prevention of relapses and postural compensation,
- Improved breathing and joint mobility,
- Correcting the cause of the pain, not only of the symptom,
- Greater flexibility and muscle elasticity,
- Rebalancing muscle tension throughout the body.
What the scientific evidence shows
The Souchard method has scientific value and is supported by clinical studies that have analyzed its effectiveness, especially in musculoskeletal pathologies.
However, the research paints a nuanced picture: theRPG shows clear improvements, but its superiority over all other physiotherapy methods has not yet been solidly demonstrated.
Here are some key points based on recent studies:
- An systematic review (PubMed) concluded that the RPG is superior to no treatment in reducing pain and disability, but it is not clearly superior to other forms of physiotherapy or active exercise.
- An meta-analysis specific on musculoskeletal disorders (PubMed) showed a mean improvement in both pain (SMD = -0,63) and function (SMD = -0,48) following RPG treatment.
- For the chronic low back pain, a 2018 meta-analysis (PubMed) showed that RPG can significantly reduce pain and improve function compared to other control treatments.
- For nonspecific neck pain, a study (PubMed) reported that RPG, compared to manual therapy, led to greater improvements in terms of disability and fear of movement (kinesiophobia), although not statistically significantly for pain reduction.
What are the limitations?
Despite the promising results, the scientific community itself highlights some critical issues to consider:
- Many studies have a low or moderate methodological quality (small samples, difficulty in “masking” the treatment from participants).
- There is a strong heterogeneity in the protocols used (number of sessions, intensity, type of patient), which makes it difficult to compare studies and generalise the results.
- Many studies compare RPG with “no treatment” or standard treatments, but less often with other active physiotherapy modalities already well established.
In conclusion, RPG is supported by clinical studies showing improvements in pain and mobility.
It is a valid and effective option, but it has not yet been definitively proven that it works meglio of all other available rehabilitation approaches.
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