Once Inspired

Posts Tagged ‘Muscle Activation’

Intro

During physical activity our neuromuscular pathways play a major role in alignment, movement, postural support and also responsiveness or “muscular awareness”.

Certain patterns are impressed on the motor coordination centre as a result of stimuli, be it physical trauma and injury, emotional trauma, or new and desirable learning through training or simply as part of natural progression as we favourably adapt to our environments.

Post injury, dysfunctional movement patterns impressed on the neuromuscular pathways during the time of injury results in definite dysfunction and pain. This is known as sub-clinical injury and although there is no longer any physical tissue damage, pain and inefficiencies still exist. These ergonomically inefficient use patterns inherently affect our energy levels and general state of well-being.

The unexpected benefits of Muscle Activation extend beyond the improvement of neuromuscular efficiency. By reducing the energy demand for the support and movement system, muscular definition is increased through the attainment of normal activity levels, tissue metabolism is normalized, and the availability of freed-up energy boosts brain function.

How it Works

Muscle Activation engages kinaesthetic conversation with the motor control centre. It bypasses the usual reflex spinal root circuits thereby over-riding the current natural reflex state of that specific pathway and facilitates new learning.

Initially testing is done by asking the muscle to resist an application of pressure. This reveals the responsiveness (muscular awareness) of the specific neuromuscular connection and a rating out of ten is given.

The antagonistic muscle (opposing muscle) is then tested in the same way. Imbalances in the *cooperative muscle group are thereby detected and are rectified by stimulating the neuromuscular pathway along specific pressure points.

This reawakens the malfunctioning neuromuscular pathway and immediately improves muscular awareness.

The same tests are then repeated and the results are astonishing.

Conclusion

Muscle Activation significantly improved my muscular awareness, quickening my response time to the applied pressure during post therapy testing.

Greater strength and greater flexibility is something that any athlete can put to good use. Muscle Activation really is that dam good.

Footnotes:

*Cooperative Muscle Groups consist of the following sets of muscles:

Agonists – They create the normal range of movement in a joint by contracting. They are primarily responsible for generating the movement.

Antagonists – These muscles act in opposition to the movement generated by the agonists and are responsible for returning a limb to its initial position.

Synergists – These muscles perform, or assist in performing, the same set of joint motion as the agonists. They neutralize extra motion from the agonists to make sure that the force generated works within the desired plane of motion.

Fixators – These muscles provide the necessary support to assist in holding the rest of the body in place while the movement occurs.