Pain Relief Therapy in Chester Country, PA
Myoskeletal Alignment – Postural Resisted Movement Therapy
Myoskeletal Alignment Technique (MAT) treats stubborn chronic pain conditions by freeing tight joints and improving range of motion through specialized therapeutic muscle manipulation.
The body’s myofascial system (tissue surrounding muscles and bones) and skeletal system are intimately connected - what affects the muscles and fascia, affects skeletal alignment and your posture. Postural distortion creates restricted motion and pain in local and distant areas. Myoskeletal Alignment realigns posture through resisted stretching techniques that lengthen shortened muscles, free joint capsules, and restore natural, balanced movement to your joints and spine.
What’s a Myoskeletal Alignment Session Like?
Myoskeletal Alignment Technique (MAT) begins with a thorough postural analysis to determine where your imbalances lie. I will assess available joint movement of your hips, sacroiliac, shoulders, neck and other joint structures while you are in specific positions so that I can more accurately pinpoint the cause of your pain and imbalances.
Myoskeletal Alignment sessions take place on the massage table with the client clothed in shorts and sports bra top for women. This is an active, client-participation therapy where resisted stretching is used to mobilize joints. This means I will be stretching your muscles while you, the client, resist the stretch by actively contracting the stretched muscle. Additionally, you will be asked to move the joints while I apply pressure at various locations along the affected muscle.
After your session your posture will be re-evaluated to examine the changes that have taken place. This determines the focus of your next session. Depending on your condition it may take several sessions to affect therapeutic postural change, however you should notice improvement after your first session.
Learn more about Trigger Points
A trigger point is a contracted area within a band of muscle that is painful when touched or refers pain to a distant area when stimulated. Muscles that are chronically contracted due to overuse or poor posture become starved of oxygen and blood flow resulting in the development of trigger points. Waste products that are not flushed out of the tissue accumulate. These stored toxins further irritate trigger points which then send out pain signals to areas near the trigger point.
Trigger points are the primary cause of pain in 75% of patients presenting with pain according to Travell and Simons, authors of Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual. Therefore it is a mistake to only massage ‘where it hurts’ without examining the potential trigger points that may be contributing to the pain.
Many headaches are caused by trigger points in the neck and upper back. Sciatic symptoms are often due to referred pain from shortened gluteal (buttock) and hip muscles. These often occur when people have a ‘short leg’. (True leg length discrepancy is uncommon and is usually due to an unlevel pelvis caused by muscular imbalances.) Even functional disturbances can have trigger points at their root.
An example of a functional disturbance would be vertigo or dizziness. It can be caused by trigger points in the neck when they refer into the ear. (see picture). Our balance center is located deep within the ear. Tension around the ear can interfere with our sense of balance and cause dizziness or vertigo. Areas of tension and pain receive less blood flow and can interfere with surrounding organs like the ears, eyes or brain. Often migraine headaches are caused by trigger points in the neck and upper back.
Trigger points can be released through specific massage therapy techniques using correct pressure and timing. Shortened muscles from chronic trigger points can then be lengthened through resisted stretching techniques. Overstretched and weak muscles are prone to develop trigger points and must be treated with different massage therapy techniques. As a trained Myoskeletal Alignment Therapist I am able to assess the muscle imbalances and apply the appropriate massage therapy treatment for maximum pain relief in less time.
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Contact Inner Light Wellness today for fast and effective pain relief!
