Muscle Activation Technique (MAT) Are Poor Movement Patterns Holding You Back?

By: Sarah Kuindersma MATm, PTS

Do you feel like your daily movement patterns don't feel quite right? Have you caught yourself saying man I feel old, or my body just doesn't do that anymore?

Did you know you can change the way you feel and move? Active Sports Therapy is proud to have a certified Muscle Activation Techniques Master Specialist who specializes in helping patients correct poor movement mechanics.

What is MAT?

Muscle Activation Techniques MAT is an exercise based technique that assess and corrects poor movement patterns and inefficient neural muscle firing within the body that can contribute to poor posture, joint tenderness and muscular pain.

How does it work?

MAT first identifies where there are imbalances in the body, then helps restore proper function through manual palpation and specific exercises. These imbalances are muscle compensations triggered through trauma, exercising with improper form or overall fatigue and stress to the system. Certain body parts compensate for other weaker body parks. Essentially, following an injury or too much stress, muscles can shut down neurologically which forces other muscles to work overtime. This is known as muscle compensation patterns. These patterns can continue after the injury is no longer a problem which can contribute to pain or postural abnormalities post-rehab for the initial injury/stressor.

What’s the goal?

The primary goal of MAT is to reduce pain and tension in overworked muscles, which become damaged and fatigued due to learned compensation patterns. Soft tissue manipulations can help to stretch painful or tight areas and even correct posture, but if the tightness quickly returns it means the body has built this compensatory pattern that needs to be re-taught the proper way to function to have a longer lasting result. Without addressing the underlying cause the pattern will continue.

History

MAT's® corrective movement system was first created by Greg Roskopf in 1999. He created this unique system of precise muscle tests and adjustments to help correct muscle and movement memories that were stored in the brain region that’s responsible for learned motor control.

Book a Free 15 Minute Meet & Greet

If you are interested in finding out more if MAT can help you move better call AST and book a free 15 minute meet and greet with Sarah Kuindersma to learn more. Connect with us via our contact page here.

Is Your Check Engine Light On? How Muscle Activation Technique can Help

[vc_row][vc_column width="1/1"][vc_column_text]By: Sarah Kuindersma, MATm, PTS

Question: What would you do if your check engine light came on while you were driving?

a) Ignore it and keep driving

b) Stick some tape over the warning light

c) Unplug the wires top the bulb

d) Stop immediately and call a specialist

Question: What would you do if you felt pain while training?

a) Ignore it and keep training

b) Stick some tape or support bandages on it

c) Take pain killers

d) Stop immediately and call a specialist

Did you answer D for both questions? 

Even though we may view the check engine light or pain as an annoying and irritating inconvenience, we need to take them both seriously as they are indicating there is something that needs our attention before it turns into a more serious issue.

Whether it’s our car or our body, respecting the system and calling a specialist to assess and diagnose the system is a necessary step on the road to restoring it to optimal function.

Think of pain as your check engine light. It’s signaling to you that something is wrong in your system. It is not telling you what the exact problem is; the site of pain doesn't necessarily indicate where the problem is. The pain is just an indicator that there is a problem just like the check engine light on your car is indicating there's a problem with your engine that needs to be assessed ASAP before serious damage occurs.

MAT specialists can diagnose your muscular system to get to the root cause of the pain just like a mechanic runs a diagnostic check on your engine.

Stop guessing and start assessing.

The MAT Philosophy

MAT is a non-invasive technique designed to balance the muscular system of people of all ages. With an approach that can assess and correct muscular imbalances, joint instability, and limitations in range of motion, it uses a systematic approach to help muscles function with maximum efficiency.

Who Will Benefit

MAT is effective for anyone from an elite athlete to a patient who is recovering from an injury to those dealing with the effects of aging and arthritis. This technique has been successfully used in professional athlete settings, in personal training environments and of course in rehabilitation situations. MAT is great on it’s own, or as a compliment to other injury treatments you are seeking. Often patients find the MAT can help them reach the next level of recovery.

See for yourself by calling AST to book in for a free 15 minute meet and greet with Sarah Kuindersma, MAT Practitioner.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]