How is MAT different from massage and stretching techniques?
Massage and stretching are often utilised in other forms of therapy where the focus is on relief of the symptomatic tight muscle by releasing and inhibiting the tension in it. This inhibition can be observed by the release you feel but which is can also be accompanied by an initial looseness and lack of control. Note this may have a limiting effect on strength and performance levels. MAT differs in that it recognises that the tight muscle may be doing a job in offering stability to that joint because surrounding muscles are already inhibited. MAT believes the tight muscle is a protective mechanism of the body and will release on its own when stability is restored. Likewise the tightness may be the result of the joints’ mechanical relationship to another joint e.g. a tight shoulder due to neck or back instability. Stretching is based on movement rather than muscle function so it does not recognise that the weakness may be on the same side as the tightness for example that a movement lik
