Muscle Activation Techniques
If you believe that you are overusing your calf, ankle and feet or are experiencing pain or weakness, you may want to consult an MAT specialist for more customized treatment.
MAT helps restore the body by identifying which muscles aren't working optimally and which muscles are working harder to compensate for them. By focusing on the root of the problem, MAT can balance the body and restore proper alignment. This unique approach helps people enhance performance levels, recover faster from injuries and decrease the risk of future injuries, among other benefits.
MAT begins with a series of Range of Motion tests to help determine muscle imbalances. For the lower legs, the MAT specialist will most likely begin by having the client lay down on a massage table or other flat surface. The client will then be directed to point each foot up and down, and the specialist will be looking for any discrepancies between the feet, the distance that the client can move them and/or if any pain or discomfort is experienced.
The MAT specialist will also have the client take the same starting position and bend one knee with foot firmly planted on the table. Keeping the foot flat on the table, the client will rotate it inward and outward and repeat on the other foot (think of this as a windshield wiper or snow angel-type motion). Again, the specialist is looking for discrepancies and how easy/difficult it is for the client to complete the test.
Because of the high sensitivity and important role that the feet play, if the specialist identifies even the slightest inconsistency, Muscle Activation Techniques (through precise palpitations) will be performed to the targeted muscles to restore the body.
It's important to care for your lower legs, allowing you to hold or transition from one position to the next with a natural ability to control elements of balance, speed, strength and power.
Kate Allgood, MAT, CSH is president of Balanced Bodyworks, a Southern California-based business that enhances and improves mental and physical health and performance. Services include Muscle Activation Techniques (MAT), which corrects muscular imbalances to relieve pain and boost functioning, and sport hypnosis, which improves athletic performance through visualization and reinforcement techniques. Allgood is also an elite athlete, previously recognized as one of Canada's best female athletes. For more information, visit http://www.balanced-bodyworks.com or call 619-446-6846.
You can also connect with Balanced Bodyworks on Facebook and Twitter.
Muscle Activation Techniques?, including the exercises described above, were developed by Greg Roskopf. For more information or to find a specialist near you, visit http://www.muscleactivation.com.
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