What is MAT?
Muscle Activation Techniques (MAT) assesses and corrects muscular imbalances by testing each muscle individually. When all muscle imbalances have been treated, joint instability and limitations in ranges of motion are corrected. Muscles work better as a unit when all muscles are performing optimally.
Why Should I Get Treatment?
MAT is effective for EVERYONE. Elite athletes, patients rehabbing from injury or surgery, and everyone in between can benefit from MAT. Muscle Activation Techniques will decrease muscular imbalances caused by injury or surgery, can be used proactively to prevent injury, and will also increase muscle efficiency to perform at your highest level.
MAT works well in conjunction with physical therapy, chiropractic, acupuncture, strengthening programs with trained instructors, and other modalities. MAT practitioners can prescribe isometric exercises to increase the neuromuscular connection between treatments to increase their effectiveness.
What Should I Expect During My Appointment?
I will perform a preliminary interview to get a better understanding of any issues you might be currently experiencing. This will help me to focus on the correct area of your body that may be causing any structural inefficiencies and help me tailor a treatment plan to correct any instabilities.
I will then perform a series of range of motion (ROM) tests to determine which group of muscles needs treatment. Then I will test and treat each muscle individually. This increases range of motion within that group of muscles, often creating the need to also treat the other side of the body. Again, balance is our goal.
How Will I Feel After?
This varies from treatment-to-treatment. Sometimes there is an immediate positive change, while other times it may take a day or two before you feel systemic change. While not common, some people feel little to know change initially, which might necessitate a deeper dive into the root cause of your pain or discomfort. I have had clients tell me they felt no change after treatment, but when they performed their normal activities or participated in sport, they felt like they could perform them all day without fatigue or discomfort.
Can You Relieve My Pain?
MAT is not designed to seek out pain and “fix it.” By testing and treating muscles individually, they function better as a unit, creating less need for compensation. Often a benefit of this process is resolving pain as a result of eliminating the compensation.
"I had been suffering from pain and loss of ROM in my right shoulder, along with loss of grip strength in certain arm positions. Her treatment was eye opening as the results were, for me, immediate. I have been to see physios and chiropractors and neither were able to get the results she gave me."
Andrew M.