Myoskeletal Alignment Techniques: Osteopathy Therapy Reduces Pain, Stiffness

Santa Rosa Myoskeletal Alignment Techniques include rolfing and other forms of Structural Integration Bodywork I first got interested in Myoskeletal Alignment Techniques (MAT) following a painful, on-the-job accident as a young man.

My new-found interest in pain relief prompted me to go back to school and change professions.

Ever since, I have continued to build my skill-set with advanced techniques that might help my clients.

In 2011, after two online Myoskeletal Alignment Techniques courses, and really good client feedback (“Wow, you’re onto something here!”), I began to attend as many classes and workshops as I could with Erik Dalton PhD, MAT’s originator.

I continued to get good results for my clients because Erik organized his classes around the patterns of pain that we see happening over and over, especially neck and back pain.

MAT: Influenced by Rolfing and Structural Integration Bodywork

Erik’s study and research over many years in clinical psychology, manual therapy, osteopathy and Rolfing with Ida Rolf make MAT a richly integrated approach. Manual therapists learn how to spot patterns and develop best plans of action before even touching their clients.

MAT teaches keen observation skills to find the causes of pain. Some examples of assessment questions:

  • Which side of the body is ‘short’ and causing an uneven pull?
  • Which type of end feel are you witnessing from joints or tissues?
  • Which type of tissue dysfunction are you observing?
  • Which type of movement dysfunction are you observing?
  • Is hyper mobility present?

Santa Rosa Osteopathy Therapy, such as Myoskeletal Alignment Techniques and rolfing, helps with muscle pain.Examples of some assessment techniques:

  • Visual look at lower and upper cross patterns
  • Measurement of supine leg length
  • Rock the Ilium, finding the stiffer side
  • Prone ‘raise the leg’ test, a function of lumbopelvis instability and weakness
  • Watch the gait, compensation patterns, movement dysfunctions

During assessments, we look for misalignment of bones, puffy, weak, raised muscles, rotational patterns in hips, and winged shoulders or scapulas. Common strain patterns are discovered.

We locate familiar muscle groups that are chronically locked down. Similar to Rolfing, MAT focuses on reorganizing the connective fascia that permeate the entire body. From here, we can work on creating alignment and balance. We don’t chase pain, we look for its cause.

Benefits of Myoskeletal Alignment Techniques

  • Can restore greater range of motion
  • Addresses complex issues: Feet, Legs, Hips, Low back, Shoulder, Neck
  • Can relieve pain, and rebalance and re-educate the body
  • Releases trapped nerves
  • Can correct atrophy, caused by forward head posture
  • Addresses breathing issues caused by drooping rib cage
  • Improves sleep by lowering nervous system tone
  • Can lessen sports-related tendon and joint pain
  • Prevents chronic neck and back pain due to tension, trauma and weak posture

If you’re considering osteopathy therapy and want to find out if MAT structural integration bodywork could help you, please contact me.

Schedule Your Appointment

Ready to heal? You can book your own session! The button below will connect you directly with Mark’s calendar, where you can choose the best day/time for you.

Client Comments

“I used to have chronic daily pain, but after 2 visits with Mark, I am cured. He noticed that my right leg was pronating. He applied pressure to a tendon there. It hurt, but I knew that it was all for the best.

4 weeks later, I enjoyed an entire pain-free day for the first time in 5 years. I have felt great ever since. I wish doctors would learn about healing the human body this way. For now, there is Mark.”

–Suzanne N. Santa Rosa, CA 5.0 star rating 7/29/2017