We use MAT as a vital part of the exercise process to address and improve the integrity of our clients muscle system in a meaningful way.
The primary benefit of MAT is its ability to assess, prepare and improve an individual's muscular system's contractile capabilities in order to participate in, as well as measure the tolerance to the demands of various forms of exercise.
The idea behind MAT is to locate muscles that have a low quality of muscle contraction and restore it back to having a high quality of contraction. The bottom line is that this process with not only best prepare your body for exercise but also significantly affect your ability to tolerate the physical stress of exercise so you can keep doing the things that you love to do!
What is MAT?
I like to use an analogy for putting MAT into more understandable terms. Our neuromuscular system is similar to using your cell phone. Cell phones operate at their best when they have five bars of service. When they only have one or two bars of service, the phone will work, but the reception isn't always great, calls/text don't always go through, and it drains the battery faster.
Before MAT...
Your body is getting you from A to B but you may move differently than you used to. You may not even realize your body movement patterns are "off", and/or you may just be exhausted all the time without any rhyme or reason.
You may experience some of the following symptoms:
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Pain and discomfort
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Inability to move freely
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Muscle tightness
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Difficulty with activities
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Decrease in range of motion
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Inflammation
After MAT...
Your body is back up to four to five bars of service. Your movement isn't labored, you have some "pep" in your step, and can more easily enjoy the things that really matter to you.
You may experience some of the following relief:
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Decreased pain
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Increased ability to move freely
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Increase in range of motion
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Increased ability to function in daily activities
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Improved flexibility
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Improved strength balance
This is achieved by going through a thorough active range of motion (AROM), identifying bilateral AROM discrepancies, and treating all the muscles involved in the limited side. This process is done when the practitioner palpates where a muscle attaches into bone, gently using friction onto the muscle tissue (which houses muscle spindles, the "cell phone towers of our body"). This will essentially improve your cell phone tower signal, this will then allow the muscle to contract more efficiently, which will help improve your range of motion, and also potentially lower your body's inflammatory response.
FAQ
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What does MAT look like?
During your initial consultation/session, we will go over injury history, current concerns and discomfort, and begin developing a treatment plan. From this initial appointment, sessions consist of approximately 1 hour sessions to test muscle balance and weaknesses, and utilize Range of Motion muscle testing to treat and re-test each muscle causing your current physical limitations.
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What can MAT treat?
MAT can help with a very broad variety of physical health concerns. Here are just a handful of conditions that have been successfully treated through MAT:
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Center of balance changes during pregnancy
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Recovery from sports injuries
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Degenerative diseases (Parkinson's, MS, etc.)
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Plantar fasciitis
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Sciatica
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Low back pain
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Shin splints
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Joint replacement recovery
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Pre/post knee surgery
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Hip dysplasia
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Tension headaches
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Whiplash
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Limited motion
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And much more
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What will MAT help me do?
MAT can help people in typically one of three ways. First, MAT can help in allowing you to once again engage in physical activity that you no longer feel able to do. This could be anything from being able to work out, go golfing, or even playing on the floor with your kids or grandkids without pain. For others, MAT can be helpful in maintaining these abilities long-term. MAT can be very helpful after completing services such as physical therapy to maintain progress and physical abilities. Lastly, MAT can be helpful in optimizing your physical performance. MAT can assist in improving your body's stress tolerance, improving your body's resilience to workouts and competitions.
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What can I expect?
It all depends on how your body is moving. We are not doctors, so we cannot diagnose/treat any injuries, ei. base things off of pain. However, by utilizing a range of motion exam, the body will tell the MAT practitioner where to treat, and often times it isn't where the pain is. Great example of that was a client that came in to me with neck pain, I went through the range of motion exam, nothing major showed up until I got to the client's ankles. They could not point their one foot down at all. So I treated all the muscles that were associated with that motion, and at the end of the session being able to point their foot, & the client got off the table & said, "my neck pain is gone, what did you do?!"
I like to use analogies a lot, so I explain to clients what's potentially going on when they have some sort of pain they're coming to see me with. Pain is a "CHECK ENGINE" light (like the one on your dashboard), pain is the only way the body can communicate to the brain that something is wrong. When you take your car to a mechanic do they look immediately to the "check engine" light? No, they run a diagnostic on the computer to see where the problem is, and that's what a MAT practitioner's diagnostic is with the range of motion exam. After completing the exam, it will take us to the potential (barring any mechanical/congenital defect) underlying issue.
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How long does MAT take to "fix" me?
Length of treatment will vary greatly based upon current physical limitations, length of injury, and other factors. This will be addressed during your initial intake. Many clients begin feeling improvements in as little as one session, but continuous treatment can be beneficial to maintain these improvements.
Book Your Introductory Session
Click below to schedule your low cost introduction and consultation session. During this appointment, we will go over any questions you may have, current concerns that MAT could benefit, and conduct a introductory session where you can see the immediate relief MAT can often provide.