Myoskeletal Alignment Therapy

What Myoskeletal Alignment Technique Is

The breakthrough Myoskeletal Alignment Technique (MAT) system brings together influential schools of thought that approach the human body from a holistic perspective, working with the reciprocal relationship between mind and body, structure and function.

The Myoskeletal Alignment Technique (MAT) system brings together the most advanced therapeutic strategies to relieve, and ultimately correct, patterns in the body that lead to pain and deterioration. With MAT therapy, clients can be free from pain and often avoid invasive surgery or toxic pain medications.
 
The human body is comprised of structural systems, such as the anatomy of bones, connective tissue and nerves, as well as functional systems, such as the neural signals that trigger muscular contraction. These systems are inseparably connected in a continuous feedback loop. Without a thorough understanding of how these systems work together, most common musculoskeletal complaints are incorrectly assessed and treated. MAT addresses how these brain / body systems work together, what problems lead to pain, and how to recreate optimal balance and performance.
 
What Myoskeletal Alignment Therapy Does
 

• Relieves chronic pain contributing to weak posture
• Releases trapped nerves from tight muscles, joints and ligaments
• Corrects atrophy, weakness and muscle amnesia in head-forward postures
• Addresses breathing disorders caused by a drooping ribcage
• Lessens pain sensitivity through graded exposure assisted stretching
• Eliminates protective muscle guarding due to joint dysfunction
• Improves sleep by lowering sympathetic nervous system tone
• Creates dynamic, confident posture with innovative restorative techniques
• Corrects sports-related tendon and joint injuries
• Enhances athletic performance through hands-on proprioceptive training
• Changes the brain’s mind about pain through targeted exercise advice
• Prevents chronic neck and back pain due to tension, trauma & weak posture

 
How Myoskeletal Alignment Technique works
 
The source of chronic pain for many arises from very common imbalances and dysfunctional patterns in the musculoskeletal system. Most chronic pain can be relieved with a combination of skilled manual therapy and intelligent corrective exercise.
 
MAT practitioners take clients through a series of sessions in deep tissue therapy that calms hyper-excited nerve receptors. When the pain-generating stimulus is effectively interrupted, new memories can be programmed into muscle cells by inhibiting the chemical activation of pain, which allows the brain to downgrade its signals for chronic protective spasms.
 
Contract-relax techniques can make the nervous system less threatened by the movement… even if muscles aren’t permanently lengthening, trigger points aren’t being obliterated, fascia isn’t stretching, etc.
 
Active pain-free therapy signals the brain that the previously painful movement is now safe.
 
By doing this repeatedly, the nervous system will often start to disassociate the movement from the pain.
 
The MAT goal is to bring as much “good news” as possible to the nervous system.
 
Myoskeletal Alignment Therapy Development
 
Myoskeletal Alignment Techniques is a term first coined by Dalton in the early 1980s. However, Dalton never stops developing the MAT system. Over the years, the work of Phillip Greenman, Serge Gracovetsky and many other visionaries in kinesiology and human performance have been integrated into his training programs. By teaching how to identify and correct dysfunctional, neurologically-driven strain patterns before they become pain patterns, he has created one of the most integrative and complete perspectives on pain management.
 
Of course, effective bodywork depends on much more than intellectual knowledge. Dalton’s program also teaches the necessary skills for keen observation and compassion, and is based on the principle that the healer is ultimately within each client.
 
Myoskeletal Alignment Technique Principles
 
From Dr. Vladimir Janda, neurologist, pioneer in the field of muscle skeletal systems

• Pain is caused by patterns of overly tonic (tight) antagonist muscles and weak agonists. This distorts joint anatomy and neural function.
• To treat pain, professionals must understand the cohesive relationship between the structure and function of the myoskeletal system.
• Proper treatment entails finding and addressing the cause of pain, rather than focusing on the location of pain.
• True healing comes from promoting functional endurance and balance of muscles, rather than increasing base strength.

From Manipulative Osteopathy

• Every part of the body is connected to every other part of the body through myofascial connective tissue.
• By reducing impediments to proper structure and function, practitioners can assist the body’s ability to defend, repair and rebuild itself.
• Manual therapy includes muscle energy techniques, which combine alternate stretching and isometric contraction.
• Manual therapy also includes palpation feedback techniques called myofascial release. These boost circulation and lymph drainage, as well as promote the corrective stretch reflex of muscles and fascia.

From Rolfing (therapeutic bodywork that focuses on working with the body’s connective tissues.)

• Appropriate posture and ultimately function are understood as arising from an appropriate balance between the body’s relationship to gravity and the earth.
• Optimal function can only be achieved when the body is in proper alignment.
• Correcting misalignment must include working with connective tissue to stretch the body’s fascia.
• A combination of corrective movement and manual therapy is the best way to create lasting improvements in physical alignment and overall wellbeing.
• Mind and body are deeply intertwined, working together in all posture and movement.

 
(Source Dalton Myoskeletal)

Conditions Treated

• Chronic Back Pain
• Post-surgical Head and Abdominal Trauma
• Knee Pain
• Head and Neck Pain
• Hip Pain
• Rotator Cuff Injuries
• Tennis or Golfers Elbow
• Frozen Shoulder
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Cubital Tunnel Syndrome
• Trigger Fingers (Tenosynovitis)
• DeQuervian (Tenosynovitis)
• Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
• Functional Scoliosis
• Thoracolumbar Scoliosis