Why MAT™ Works
Adapted from material courtesy of Greg Mack, RTSm, MATm, Physicians Fitness

Part I

  

The human body is made up of numerous muscles and joints that allow it to move.  Each joint has an ability to move through a structure-determined specific range of motion (ROM) when the muscles contract in response to our needs during movement.  Although joint structure/muscle capabilities vary between individuals depending on many factors (i.e, genetics, previous injury, surgery, disease, etc.,) motion capabilities for all humans are dictated by the ability of the muscle system to contract in response to a force imposed demand.

When the body is subjected to trauma, which can come in either chronic or acute form, and can have components of chemical, emotional and mechanical stressors, the nervous system can direct a muscle, or group of muscles to lose their full contractile ability via loss of gamma motoneuron drive.   The gamma motoneuron is part of the fusimotor system, which also contains the muscle spindle.  The gama moto neuron creates tension on the intrafusal fibers which in turn tense the muscle spindle.  The function of the muscle spindle is to provide sensory information back to the Central Nervous System (CNS) about a specific muscle’s position and rate of change of movement.  The muscle spindle needs to have tension on it in order to provide sensory input.  When a muscle is functioning optimally, it will create tension on the spindle throughout the ENTIRE contractile range of a muscle.

Due to the structure of the muscle spindle, when a muscle is lengthened, the spindle is also stretched and will relay its position to the CNS.  This is partly what you feel when you stretch a muscle.  However, when a muscle is fully shortened, the spindle can become “unloaded,” or slack, if the gamma moto neuron is not functioning properly and is unable to create tension on the intrafusal fibers. This is called muscle inhibition.  An inhibited muscle can also be thought of as a muscle that is neurologically “weak.”

Gamma moto loss as a direct result from trauma has been well documented by research. (Wheeless, textbook for orthapaedics, sensory role for cruciate ligament)  It is hypothesized by Greg Mack, RTSm, MATm, that gamma moto loss after trauma is due to an energy conservation strategy by the body.* (Greg Mack, Neural Sensitivity Document).  Because gamma moto loss will typically affect only part of a muscle’s available contractile range, the shortened range, and, at any given synovial joint there are multiple muscles that can move a joint through multiple planes to create motion, the body may choose to temporarily lose some fine motor control in order to direct it’s available resources to repairing the part of the body most directly affected by the trauma.

While this may be a perfect short term solution, the inability of a muscle to communicate with the CNS throughout its entire range, (i.e. a weak muscle), will eventually have consequences.   At a given joint, every muscle that crosses that joint needs to be able to contract at some point in a range to provide proper control of the joint.   If one or more muscles are inhibited at that joint, and are not  fully available to do so, the stability of that joint is compromised.  This is called instability.

  

PART II

  

This instability can cause the CNS  to restrict motion around that joint and/or related joints as a form of protection from moving into a position it cannot control.  Uncontrolled motion is the essence of injury.

When the inhibited muscles are not sending a signal to the CNS throughout the shortened parts of their range, the CNS will sense that that joint related to that muscle is unstable.   As a result, the CNS will systematically tighten up surrounding muscles around the joint or related joints, thereby limiting mobility.

When mobility is decreased, the body will still try to perform the tasks we are asking it to do.  To do so, it must begin to compensate either by overusing certain muscles, or moving only through certain planes.  Both of these scenarios will cause further muscle inhibitions and accelerate connective tissue (tendon, ligament) and joint surface wear, which will lead to tendonitis, arthritis and increased levels of inflammation within the body.

The tension that is created by the CNS creates that “tight” feeling in a muscle that causes discomfort for many people.  As opposed to stretching, or other modalities which attempt to  “shut off” the tight muscles, which are only tightening up to help keep the joint stable, the MAT process identifies the muscles that have lost their gamma moto drive and seeks to “jumpstart” these muscles in order to recalibrate their communication ability with the CNS.

When proper neuromuscular communication is reestablished, and the CNS recognizes the joint is now stable, tension on the “tight” muscles is reduced, thereby allowing more joint mobility.

There are many times where the body is able to repair itself, and recalibrate fusimotor function, especially when we are younger.  However,  due to the amount of stressors we are subject to  on a daily basis, further stressors of  any kind, mechanical, chemical, can exceed the bodies threshold, resulting in, among other things, muscle inhibition.

It is at this point where MAT seeks to gently intervene

PART III

The Muscle Activation Techniques™ (MAT)* process does this by:
1. Assessing joint range of motion throughout the body
2. Identifying asymmetrical loss of joint ROM when comparing right and left sides
3. Determining the individual muscle weaknesses associated with the limitation in a joint for a given ROM through muscle testing.
4. Reestablishing the muscle’s ability to contract and cooperate with the other muscles acting upon that joint.

Further Explanation

  

1. The MAT process begins with a systematic joint Range Of Motion exam (ROM) throughout the body.  A range of motion exam may be limited to a certain quadrant of the body (upper, lower, trunk, etc) depending on a client’s presenting issues.

2. Using the range of motion exam it is possible to identify ROM deficits when comparing right and left sides.  There are several issues that can lead to ROM loss.  Calcium deposits, bone spurs, nerve tissue excursion.  However, most often it is the result of increased muscle tightness limiting joint motion

The foundation of MAT is looking at muscle “tightness” as a compensatory response to a neurological muscle weakness (loss of proper fusimotor function, muscle inhibition). 

3. Upon finding a limited joint ROM, a MAT professional will then begin to test the neurological contractile ability of the muscles associated with creating that specific ROM, in order to expose any muscles that are not contracting properly.   The MAT muscle tests are designed to emphasize a specific muscle, typically in its shortened range.  Muscle tests are performed manually to test a muscle’s ability to contract on demand, rather than its maximum force output.

4. When a muscle tests weak, the next step is to manually palpate that muscle’s attachment sites.  Palpation on the attachments sites, rather than the muscle belly itself is done for a few reasons.  Namely, palpating directly into a muscle can be enough to cause muscle inhibition, i.e. autogenic inhibition.  Palpating at the tendonus insertions creates less tissue disturbance; it causes only a slight stretch of the muscle spindle which, in turn, directs the muscle to contract.

Specific gentle isometric contractions also have the ability to recalibrate fusimotor function.  The isometric positions have been carefully designed to put the given muscle in its shortened position.  When the muscle is asked to contract in that position, the only tissue that still has length left to contract further are the intrafusal fibers,   When a muscle tests weak, it appears to be due the gamma moto neurons inability to keep tension on the muscle spindle in this shortened position.   Using sustained, repetitive, client initiated, low level force, in these specific positions, provides enough stimulation to the specific low level capitance of the gamma moto neurons to fire properly again, and to increase their tension on the intrafusal fibers.

After the palpations or isometrics have been performed, that same muscle test is performed to ensure that that proper function has been restored to that specific tissue, and the muscle testing position is now stable.

When proper neuromuscular communication is reestablished, and the CNS recognizes the joint is now stable, tension on the “tight” muscles is reduced, thereby allowing more joint mobility, while maintaining joint stability.

A muscle system that is performing optimally will help reduce systemic inflammation in the body.

The ultimate goal of MAT is to ensure that the muscles and joints on both left and right sides of the body enjoy mobile and stable motion thus leading to optimal, pain free human movement.