EuKinetics - Creating Movement That Matters

Muscle Activation

Muscle Activation Technique (MAT) is a revolutionary muscle technique that treats neuromuscular imbalances that cause pain and limit performance. Unlike other modalities, MAT gets to the root of the pain by addressing muscle weakness rather than muscle tightness. MAT is built upon a strong scientific foundation and is combined with years of practical application in the clinical treatment for correcting muscular imbalances and repetitive stress type injuries that cause pain. Through this process, natural alignment is restored which decreases pain, reduces risk of injury, and improves performance.

MAT complements injury prevention and rehabilitation, pilates, yoga and other forms of exercise. If you think you can benefit from the following then MAT can help you!

When muscles across a joint become weakened, other muscles across that joint will become tight to prevent the joint from going into a position of weakness or instability. These tightened muscles will become inflamed and cause tightness and friction in that joint causing malfunction that will also cause inflammation and eventually arthritis. This is the pain usually felt and can usually be remedied by correcting the associated muscle weaknesses with Muscle Activation Technique.

Unlike other therapy methods, treatment programs or exercise routines that view muscle tightness as the primary factor in pain and injury. MAT views muscle tightness as the body’s natural protection mechanism that is activated when the brain detects an unstable joint due to weakness. Simply stretching, massaging or manipulating the joint in order to release tightness does not get at the root of the problem. MAT directly addresses the dysfunctional muscles responsible for joint instability and restores normal joint function by eliminating the body’s need for muscle tightness without overriding its important protective mechanism.

Many times, due to factors such as stress, trauma or overuse, the neurological connections of muscles may become altered creating a reaction in the body, similar to that of loose battery cables in your car. 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 and abnormal wear on the joint surfaces. The end result becomes pain and eventually osteoarthritis. This progressive degeneration has been correlated with aging. If identified and properly addressed, it does not have to occur and overall performance can actual improve.

MAT can help you with…

What is a session of MAT like?

Step 1: Range of Motion

The first part of the MAT process is to identify what restrictions in movement there may be in the body. These restriction are what guide us to the muscles that may be inhibited or weakened. This process requires a high degree of skill and training that MAT has provided.

Step 2: Muscle Test

The muscle testing process is what really sets Muscle Activation Technique apart from other types of therapy. This process is performed precisely with very little pressure or stress and is done for the purpose of testing the neurological ability of a specific muscle.

Step 3: Muscle Treatment

Then a precision palpation technique is perform using the finger tips to the origin and insertion or attachments of the muscle that was found to be weakened. Then retested to assure a change has been affected.