What should I expect for my first MAT appointment?
Your first MAT appointment will last 60 minutes. Before you arrive, we will have you complete an intake form that covers your overall health and any specific injuries or concerns. We will then sit to discuss the items noted on your intake form, and talk about what might be going on in your body. We will discuss the MAT process, and also the science behind how MAT actually works to improve your muscular system’s contractile ability. We want you to feel comfortable that you understand what it is that we do.
After that, we will have you lay on a treatment table, fully dressed, and we will perform a number of range-of-motion assessments. These range-of-motion assessments will help to point us to the areas of your body that are experiencing limitations that are likely caused by weakness or inhibition in one or more muscles.
At the end of this initial session, you should have an excellent insight into some of the current limitations of your muscular system, as well as a good idea of what MAT can potentially do to help better your muscular system. At that point we will discuss whether we both feel MAT is something that is right for you, and if so, we can book your first appointment for treatment.
Does it hurt?
A little bit, but nothing you can’t handle! MAT treatment involves the practitioner palpating (pressing on) the origin and insertion of a particular muscle that is being treated. These spots may feel a little bit tender, but it shouldn’t hurt any more than a deep tissue massage does.
What should I wear to my MAT appointment?
For your MAT appointment, you should wear loose fitting clothing or athletic clothing if possible. We will be performing range-of-motion testing in various joints, and this will make it easier to move around. Clothing without heavy seams is ideal because we will be palpating muscle origins and insertions through the clothing. And ladies, it would be advisable to come in pants instead of a dress or skirt.
How long will it take to make me better?
Well that depends on what you mean by “better”. MAT is not designed specifically to “fix” you. It is designed to improve the contractile ability of your muscular system. Luckily for you, when your muscular system works better, you will likely feel better. And although we don’t specifically “treat pain”, most people find that when their muscular system works better, they feel less pain and feel less tension in their body. During your initial assessment, we will discuss in detail what your expectations are, and how MAT treatment can potentially help you.
How does MAT fit in with other treatment modalities?
Very well. MAT can be used to supplement and enhance other things you may be doing to better you body such as physiotherapy, chiropractic, massage, and even exercise programs. MAT can also potentially help you to overcome any plateaus you may have reached in these other modalities.