FAQ
What makes MAT® unique?
Once the root problem is resolved, the tension is no longer necessary. If tight muscles are stretched, massaged or “released” without addressing the root cause, then the body’s protective mechanism and temporary stability is removed leaving the system prone to further injury or shifting problems elsewhere. When we increase range of motion through other therapies, we must make sure that we give the body its original preferred form of stability – activated muscles.
As an athlete, how can MAT help if I don’t have any pain or symptoms?
What effect can MAT have on arthritis and the aging process?
Muscle Activation Techniques does this. It provides the ability for the body to function the way that it was designed to function. Just like with a dead battery, the muscles must be jumpstarted and the cables must be tightened before the muscle will function properly.
In simplistic terms, through MAT®, muscles that have improper neurological connections are identified, then jumpstarted; creating the ability for the muscles to stabilize the joints and reduce joint stresses that lead to arthritic conditions. That is when the body becomes efficient and the related aches and pains are deterred. Paraphrased from: muscleactivation.com.
What does activating a muscle mean?
Many times, due to factors such as stress, trauma or overuse, the neurological connections between the brain and muscles may become altered, creating a reaction in the body similar to that of loose car battery cables. When the brain sends a message for a muscle to contract, the muscle does not respond immediately, creating increased demand on other muscles to perform the desired movement. The result becomes what we know as compensation. Over time, these compensation patterns create altered alignment in the joint, leading to joint instability, abnormal wear on the joint surfaces, pain and poor muscle performance.
Muscle activation refers to the process of ‘jumpstarting’ the muscles that are not working properly – basically switch them back on. This is done by either a manual treatment of the weak muscle or isometric exercises.
What should I expect during a treatment?
What about strength training and stretching, or even yoga. can’t these correct inhibited muscles?
People tend to mask their weakness by developing strength in compensatory muscles. Over time, this can be dangerous as these compensatory muscles are being asked to do jobs that they are not ideally designed for. If the stress that created the weakness in the prime movers to begin with continued (habitual posture or repetitive motion – i.e. – ergonomically unsound work station, golf swing, etc.), then it is likely that the synergistic muscles will become inhibited over time. This can lead to joint deterioration and chronic problems like tendonitis and arthritis.
The best course of action is to properly assess which specific muscles are inhibited and then to take a corrective course of action. MAT® is a checks and balances system that will allow you to determine which postures, exercises, and activities involve positions of vulnerability. It will then give you the tools to correct muscle inhibition so that you can move back into these postures, exercises and activities more safely—from a position of strength.