Move better. Feel better. Live better.

The muscle function specialists at Move Biomechanics primarily use Muscle Activation Techniques™ (MAT™) to help you move better, feel better, and live better.

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. Any loss of muscle contraction efficiency may be demonstrated as a loss of motion and decreased physical performance, which may lead to pain and/or the loss of physical capabilities. MAT™ is a specific and unique process for evaluating an individual’s ability to develop efficient muscle contraction.

What if I have a muscle or joint pain that just won’t seem to go away?

MAT™ does not diagnose or treat pathology, but works to improve a muscle’s contractile capabilities and the resulting range of motion and strength of that muscle/limb. By improving these aspects, a person will typically see an increased ability for exercise and physical performance, as well as a reduction in chronic muscle and joint discomfort.

There are literally thousands of success stories where MAT™ has helped somebody find relief from a nagging muscle or joint pain, even one that has been a problem for decades.

What if I just want to feel better overall?

MAT™ differentiates itself from other techniques by the fact that it never attempts to directly lengthen or change the muscle by stretching, heating, kneading, or foam rolling. MAT™ is not trying to “relax” muscle, but instead tries to “activate” the muscle, so that your body is better prepared to handle the forces that come from exercise and every day movements. When your muscles contract better, you generally feel better!

MAT™ does not force change on the body, but instead works with it to make improvements, causing changes in motion via improvements in muscle contraction. An MAT™ specialist is attentive to your body’s responses and changes his or her treatment decisions based on these responses. Each client is treated as an individual with his or her own muscular weaknesses and compensation patterns. Therefore, no treatment session is ever the same.

What if I want to maximize my athletic potential?

MAT™ is a technique that helps athletes recover from competitive stress quickly and helps them prevent future injuries. MAT™ prepares the body to be more efficient in training and athletic performance.
In order to reach optimal performance capabilities, an athlete is forced to train at high intensity levels, and because of this, there is always the risk for injury.

Additionally, some athletes may be predisposed to an injury due to muscular contraction inefficiencies (weaknesses) that place increased stress on joints and tissues. When training at a high level, these inefficiencies are magnified, and sometimes the body can no longer handle the stress, eventually breaking down. It is like driving a car with bad wheel alignment: the faster you drive it, the faster the tires are going to wear out. The body functions in much the same way.

The goal of MAT™ is to address the body’s weaknesses before an injury occurs. Conventional therapy will typically treat the symptom, but the cause of the problem is typically left unaddressed. The end result is that the athlete does not heal, or they go on to experience repetitive injuries or a more severe injury.
MAT™ not only helps to prevent injuries, but it can also assist with the rehabilitation process if an injury does occur. By balancing the muscular system, MAT™ provides an improved environment for restoring physical performance. This allows the athlete to return to sport (and daily life) sooner, with improved athletic capabilities.

How does it work?

An MAT™ treatment session starts by first 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) as determined by the Comparative Assessment of Mobility or CAM, then we know that one or more muscles that moves the less-mobile limb is potentially weak. The muscles that are responsible for moving that limb 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 has lost its ability to contract, then precise forces are applied to restore that muscle’s efficiency, thus re-activating that muscle. As muscles are restored to efficient contraction, MAT™ uses a system of accountability (checks and balances) to ensure that any increases in motion and symmetry are accompanied by improvements in a muscle’s contractile ability.

Haven’t heard of Muscle Activation Techniques (“MAT”) before?

Check out our blog page for some links to MAT in the news. Also visit our testimonials page to hear from some other clients we have helped to feel better and move better.

Still not sure about us?

Let us show you what we do. Our initial consultations are very reasonably priced.  If you like what we have to offer, we will work together to develop a customized plan that works for you. Click here to schedule a one hour initial consultation.