What is the Law of Reciprocal Inhibition?
The Law of Reciprocal Inhibition is an important concept to help understand the root cause of muscular tension. The philosophy of MAT is substantiated by concepts related to this law. It states that when a muscle contracts (referred to as the agonist), it sends an inhibition response to the opposite muscle (referred to as the antagonist) in order to allow for normal joint range of motion. This means that the opposite muscle (antagonist) relaxes when the agonist contracts. However, if a contracting muscle does not have proper feedback from the nervous system (referred to as proprioceptive input), then the opposing muscle loses its inhibition response and becomes hyperactive, therefore tightening up. Thus, if the agonist muscle has become inhibited or weak, it loses its efficiency of contraction into the shortened range, while the antagonist resists the pull of the agonist in its attempts to shorten. This is all part of the body’s natural protective mechanism. In order to protect the joi
