Greg Roskopf's Muscle Activation Techniques™ (MAT) is a systematic approach to biomechanically evaluate and treat muscular imbalances and dysfunction. These dysfunctions can cause or contribute to injury, decreased ROM, decreased performance, and pain. MAT asks what can you not do, and then tries to determine if the muscles that coordinate that action are working properly.
Say you were not able to lift your arm without pain, then what is preventing you from doing so (barring serious injury, nerve compression, etc)? Instead of “chasing the pain”, MAT looks for patterns of inhibition that can be identified and addressed. If a muscle is found to be inhibited, it can lead to other muscles “pitching in” and working harder to achieve the action of lifting your arm. This extra stress on the muscles can result in strain on the tissue, a misalignment of the joint due to muscular instability, a possible inflammatory response, and localized pain in the working muscles. So, though it hurts in one spot, the cause could be something else.
Correction of inhibited muscles can include isometric activation exercises designed to stimulate specific muscles or manual palpations that “activate” the muscles at their attachment sites. Take home exercises are then recommended to ensure an active role by the patient. At Mela Therapeutics, we utilize this unique approach to treatment and offer full evaluations with our therapist. Go to www.muscleactivation.com for more information.
