Q.  How many sessions does it take to see results?
The number of treatments is dependent upon the individual, what the initial assessment finds, and how you respond to treatment. Some of the factors affecting your response are age, how long the injury has been in existence, and how much muscle failure has occurred due to compensation patterns throughout your body. Approximately 50% of the time I get a positive response that eliminates the need for a followup visit, but repeated visits may be necessary if the client has a an actual joint injury or they continue an activity that continues to cause trauma (endurance athletes). Repeated visits may be required for proper maintenance of the clients health and function in the more chronic or severe cases.

Q. What is the best way to utilize Muscle Activation Technique?
Muscle Activation is an excellent means of repairing acute and chronic injuries, but it is best utilized as a preventative measure. If an athlete or person were to have an MAT session done on a periodic basis, they would more likely be utilizing all of the available muscles needed to perform the task/s of the day. The ability to utilize all of the available muscles while performing those tasks greatly reduces the risk of injury due to joint imbalances and muscular compensation patterns. This becomes more and more important the higher your level of activity! I can’t begin to tell you the number of times I’ve wished I had been able to see a person for their injuries before they caused permanent damage, because I’m sure it was preventable.

Q. What do I wear?
Comfortable, loose clothes such as sweats, T-shirts, shorts, athletic or workout wear.

Q. What causes muscle weakness?
Factors such as trauma, stress, or overuse can contribute to a muscle becoming inhibited or weakened. When you exercise, there is a period of exertion and then recovery. It is normal to feel fatigue. When there is trauma, stress or overuse, the muscle may not recover until properly rested. If this is habitual, (i.e. – sitting at the computer in an ergonomically unsound position for 12 hours per day – every day for many years) or (running/cycling/swimming a longer distance that you have been trained to, fatiguing the muscles involved then going out and running again before full recover) also (surgery, cutting through the connective tissue of muscles or the muscle itself) then the result can be muscle inhibition or neurological weakness. The brain detects stress and sends a message to basically ‘switch off’ the overused muscle. The opposite muscle (antagonist) tightens up to protect the body from moving into a position of weakness or vulnerability. A sudden trauma will also cause a muscle to become inhibited, such as slipping on ice and moving into an extreme range of motion suddenly.

Q.  What affect can MAT have on arthritis and the aging Process?
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 that it was designed to function. Just like with a dead battery, the muscles must be jump started and the cables must be tightened before the muscle will function properly. In simplistic terms, through MAT, muscles that have improper neurological connections are identified, then jump started; creating the ability for the muscles to stabilize the joints and reduce joint stresses that lead to arthritic conditions. That is when the body becomes efficient and the related aches and pains are deterred.

Q. What are the symptoms of muscular inhibition and how do I know if I have a 'weak' muscle?
The first and major symptom is that something does not feel ‘right’ or is not working properly. This can manifest as joint pain, muscle tension or instability of a joint: tight hamstrings, tight lower back, shin splints, aching knees, a hyper-extending joint—these are signs of probable muscular inhibition.