What is MAT?

Muscle Activation Techniques (MAT) is a form of body work that assesses and corrects the muscular imbalances that are often related to pain, injury and tightness. MAT restores proprioception* and neuromuscular control that the body needs to stabilize joints.

MAT is based on the following principles:

• Muscular tightness is secondary to muscular weakness. A tight muscle is the nervous systems way of solving a control problem.
• Stability and mobility in a joint can be improved by enhancing the sensitivity of the muscle spindle, thereby increasing proprioception.
• Using a system of checks and balances, we are able to reveal and correct compensation patterns.
• All joints are interrelated. Abnormal mechanics in one joint my affect motion at another joint.

*proprioception: relating to stimuli that are produced and perceived within an organism, esp. those connected with the position and movement of the body.

What can I expect in an MAT treatment?

Every body is unique and should be treated that way. MAT provides a detailed assessment of the biomechanics of each individual.

Step one: A range of motion evaluation is performed to identify what motions the body is protecting itself from and determine what muscles to address.

Step two: Based on the range of motion chosen to be addressed, specific manual muscle tests assess for neural integrity.

Step three: If a neural deficit is present, either a manual palpation or a low intensity isometric is performed to increase the neural sensitivity of the muscle.

Step four: The muscle is then re-tested to determine if neural sensitivity has increased and therefor the muscle strength has improved.

Steps two through four are repeated until all muscles associated with the targeted range of motion are addressed and strong. The end-of-treatment goal is increased strength and stability, accompanied with increased range of motion at the joint(s).

How can MAT help my athletic performance and keep me healthy?

The unique approach of MAT allows areas of the body that are vulnerable to be identified. Through MAT, weak links can be found and addressed before they are broken and become a problem.

Efficient muscle recruitment is imperative for high level athletic performance. If a muscle is not able to fire quickly on demand, performance is compromised. MAT not only helps athletes perform at a higher level, it can enhance muscle recovery and help reduce the risk of some injuries from occurring in the first place. By addressing muscular imbalances, we can improve how forces are transmitted through joints and therefore reduce unneeded stress on the system.

How can MAT help injuries?

Sometimes injury or pain is a symptom of a deeper issue. The symptom may not be the problem. Many times, the problem is a biomechanical in nature. When the body is asked to manage high levels of stress placed on the joints, it must be able to tolerate those stresses. When the stress becomes too great, the body restricts range of motion to protect itself and strength diminishes. Addressing the compensations present during and after an injury, provides a better environment for the body to heal and manage itself.

How does MAT differ from other modalities?

MAT can determine whether or not a specific muscle that supports a joint has the proper neurological input necessary to perform its function.

Whether acting as a prime mover, synergist or stabilizer, each muscle must be capable of performing its function as forces are being placed on a joint. If a muscle does not have proper proprioceptive input, then it will not be able to perform efficiently.

MAT improves the mobility and stability of joints.

By improving a muscles ability to contract on demand, the muscle is then able to move a joint into a greater range of motion.

MAT provides a system of checks and balances that allows the practitioner to check their work. This process ensures that any time joint range of motion is increased (mobility), there is proprioceptive input (stability) through the new found motion.