When you are old and gray, losing your grip seems like part of the process of aging. Arthritis, joint swelling, and a loss of strength seem like "normal" events we all will have to endure as we age.

But what happens when, due to an accident, repetitive stress, or some other issue you actually lose your hand strength? No signs of arthritis, no joint swelling, no clear signs or things to blame, just a sudden lack of hand strength.

It happened to me once upon a time. When I was in the midst of developing MELT and the techniques I use on the soft MELT Roller my practice exploded. I went from seeing 30 people a year to well over 300, I woke up one morning and went to grab a glass from my pantry and the glass nearly slipped from my hand. When I went to make a fist, I realized I simply couldn't.

That was where the hand treatment became part of the MELT treatment. The last thing I developed in the MELT Techniques has become quite a staple for me and many others. It just takes a few minutes a day and what's cool about it is you gain immediate changes in upper body strength.

I worked with a bodybuilder who said he couldn't benchpress as heavy any longer because his shoulder felt weak and his thumb hurt to grip the bar. I had him do a one rep max and then took him aside for 10 minutes and did some MELTing on his hands and forearms. We went back to the bar and when he lifted it up, he immediately put the bar back on the rack. I said, "Are you okay?" He looked at the bar and the weights stacked on each side and said, "The bar actually feels lighter. I thought maybe someone took a plate off." He then got back into his position and did not one but three reps of the same weight. When he sat up he said, "Where do I get those balls? They are like freaking magic." I am sure the grin on my face was the easiest sign of satisfaction I could have shown.

Most people don't know they have even lost their grip until I point it out to them. Using the soft MELT Treatment ball, a basic assessment techniques is a Grip Test. Squeeze the ball in one hand and assess the grip. Whatever the grip feels like, call that a "5" then in the other hand, squeeze the ball. Is the grip the same or is it like a "3" or an "7"? Notice if you have lost the strength of your grip. You might be surprised that your non-dominant hand feels "stronger"! What's compelling is that grip has less to do with which hand you write with and more to do with the nerves that travel from your cervical spine to your hands. If we sit in slumped postures at a computer desk all day, the cervical spine can compress the nerves that innervate grip to the hand. Sustain those postures and you can lose your grip. Let that persist and guess what? You get inflammation in your hands and ultimately that can lead to arthritis.

The MELT Hand Treatment is simple. It take about 5-8 minutes a day to treat your hands and bring vital fluids back to your neck where some of the underlying cause really is. There are 5 simple techniques you can even do at your desk while you are at work. Consider coming to a MELT Class or Event and TRY THE MELT HAND TREATMENT!!! Like the title says, "Get a Grip!" Or better yet, never lose it. You need it!