Muscle Activation Techniques (MAT)
What is MAT® – Muscle Activation Techniques?
- MAT® focuses on the cause of pain by testing, correcting, and maintaining muscle contractile efficiency.
- Muscle tightness is secondary to muscle weakness. Flexibility is a derivative of strength.
- MAT® Specialists continually seek to improve the lives of their clients by assessing and correcting their muscular system capabilities, and to begin and sustain exercise programs.
- A revolutionary approach to assessment and correction of muscular imbalance, joint instability, and range of motion limitations.
- A non-invasive technique, designed to balance the muscular system for people of any age.
- A unique systematic format to “jumpstart” muscles for them to function efficiently.
WHO IS MAT® FOR?
MAT® is effective for EVERYONE from elite athletes to rehab patients. MAT® has been successfully implemented with Pro athletes (NFL, NBA, NHL, CFL, PGA, etc.) in clinical rehabilitative, and personal training environments.
WHAT CAN MAT® DO FOR YOU?
Muscle Activation Techniques® is a specific process for evaluating an individual’s ability to produce efficient muscle contraction. Loss of muscle contraction results in a decreased range of motion, and decreased physical performance.
Range of motion testing can indicate which muscles have decreased contractibility, while precise forces are applied to restore that muscle’s efficiency. A MAT® Certified Specialist is trained to perform several force application techniques that can restore function and strengthen weaker muscles. In no time at all, you will be performing your daily activities with ease.
MAT® was founded on the principle that human movement and exercise are fundamental to human health and that a muscle’s ability to contract efficiently is important for normal movement. Loss of muscle contraction efficiency may manifest as a loss of motion and decreasing physical performance. This often leads to pain and/or the loss of physical capabilities. MAT® is a unique process for evaluating an individual’s ability to develop efficient muscle contraction(s) by comparing left and right side range of motion, as the human body is designed to be symmetrical. If a movement is determined to be asymmetrical (i.e. one limb has a greater range of motion than then opposite limb) by the Comparative Assessment of Mobility or CAM, then we know that one or more muscles that moves the less mobile limb is potentially weaker. Muscles that are responsible for moving a limb further are then assessed by the MAT® Specialist to determine if they have lost the ability to contract efficiently. When it has been determined through testing that a muscle is losing its ability to contract, precise forces are applied to restore that muscle’s efficiency, re-activating it. As muscles are restored to efficient contraction, MAT® uses a system of accountability (checks and balances) to make sure any increases in motion and symmetry are accompanied by improvements in a muscle’s contractile ability.