At Muscle Activation Schaumburg, the clients that come to us for Muscle Activation Techniques® typically fall into one of three categories – maintainers, progressors, and optimizers. There are distinct objectives for each group, and MAT® can help our clients reach those objectives in different ways.
Related: Are you a good candidate for MAT®?
Compensation often gets a bad rap. It is portrayed in a negative light as the demise of your orthopedic health and something that needs to be eviscerated by any means necessary. However, compensation is actually a brilliant way for your body to remain highly functioning from one moment to the next. Without compensation, we would likely have far more physical issues throughout our entire body. The caveat, though, is that we may not want to compensate in the same manner for an extended period of time. Not only can this put excess stress on certain muscles, it can also stress your joints.
When people think of muscles, they usually don’t immediately think of a Muscle Activation Techniques™ (MAT™) practitioner, but they should. Similar to how somebody might think of a dentist after hearing “teeth”, or a chiropractor after hearing “back” or “spine”, Muscle Activation Techniques™ may one day have that same relationship when somebody hears “muscle”. For the time being, though, that typically isn’t the case, and here’s why — many people aren’t sure of 1) what MAT™ is, and 2) what makes MAT™ unique. In that case, let’s discuss both of these.
Since about 2011, I have had foot and lower leg issues when I would go for a run. Everything would feel fine when I would start, but within ten minutes I would feel my calves tighten up. This tightness would travel up to my knees and then eventually into my back and shoulders, ultimately preventing me from running much farther than a mile or two. (more…)
This past week, I worked with a client who described her hamstrings as “being on fire”. She is young, fit, and healthy, and had not reported any kind of injury or trauma. Her only complaint was that during her workout the previous day, she felt her hamstrings, and only her hamstrings, with every exercise that she did. (more…)