Muscle Alignment Technique (M.A.T) Treatment
Muscles are always constantly tearing on a very small level and this is more apparent after exercise. You may wake up early the morning following exercise and feel achy - this is a sign that your body muscles have been stretched and may even be torn or damaged. Most of the tears are on a microscopic level but this can lead to more serious aches or pain if not treated.
Imagine that your muscles are like elastic bands. When you exercise, sit or stand for long periods or damage muscle tissue, your muscle will become shorter and tight. This would be similar to an elastic band which has knots tied into it.
So you can imagine that when the muscle tissue is tight it will pull into other structures i.e. bones, ligaments and tendons.
It's not just exercise that brings on small tears within the muscles. Repetitive movements and constant static posture, like sitting for long periods, can cause tears resulting in muscle aches and pains. At the end of the day the only thing that moves your bones (unless you have an impact injury) are the muscles.
Continual tension from the muscles will affect your posture. In other words your muscles can and will drag you out of position and affect your posture. This may cause problems or pain in areas of your body you might not even be using.
For Example
If your lower back becomes tight or tense you may start to get pain into one or both of your legs. This is sometimes called sciatica.
IT TAKES ALOT OF EFFORT AND ENERGY TO HOLD A CONGESTED BODY
If the neck becomes tight you may experience tingling into the hands or even headaches.
Both these situations occur because the muscles have become tight and this can pull onto other structures or bones and nerves.
The muscles can be released creating a better length for them. This would be like you undoing the knots in an elastic band allowing the band to return to its normal length. Once the muscles have eased your posture will feel more correct and aligned. At the same time pressure on the nerves and other structures will be reduced which has the benefit of relieving any underlying pain.
A muscle alignment treatment therapist will look for these problematic conditions and gently release any muscle congestion through soft tissue manipulation and other forms of soft tissue work.