In recent years, a revolutionary new process
has evolved for correcting muscular imbalances in the body. It has
dramatically improved functional capabilities in people of all age
groups, providing a pain free lifestyle along with elevating sports
performance and career longevity in several professional athletes.
This process is a biomechanically-based system called Muscle Activation
Techniques (MAT)™.
For a more simplistic approach to understanding muscle function, compare the
body to a car. The initiation of a muscle contraction occurs similarly to the
way a battery initiates the starting of a car. Both rely on connections that
transfer electrical energy to produce a reaction. Our nerves that run from
the spinal cord to the muscle are just like the cables that run from the ignition
and connect to the battery. When the key is turned in the ignition, the impulses
transfer through the cables to the battery allowing the car to start. Similarly,
in the body, when a message is sent from the brain, the input is transferred
through the nerves to the muscles creating muscle contraction. Each muscle
is independently innervated, therefore it can be seen as having many batteries,
each connected by its own independent cables. When the body is functioning
properly, with all batteries connected, each muscle will contract on demand
and the body will function very efficiently.
Many times, due to factors such as stress, trauma or overuse, the neurological
connections 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.
MAT can slow down or even reverse the aging process. If it is recognized that
muscles are designed to stabilize and support the joints naturally; it must
be understood that arthritic conditions and joint instability can be helped
or prevented when muscles are prepared to function properly. All that is needed
is to create proper connections between the brain and the muscles. Muscle Activation
Techniques does this. It provides the ability for the body to function the
way it was designed to function. Just like with a dead battery, the muscles
must be jumpstarted and the cables must be tightened before the muscle will
function properly. In simplistic terms, through Muscle Activation Techniques,
muscles that have improper neurological connections are identified, then jumpstarted;
creating the ability for the muscles to stabilize the joints and reduce the
joint stresses that lead to arthritic conditions. That is when the body becomes
efficient and the related aches and pains are deterred.