by Gillian Morrow
My journey to become a Muscle Activation Technique Specialist 
stems from my desire to overcome pain and keep living life the way I wanted…on my terms. Not limited by what my body could or could not do.
I was a Kinesiology student holding down many physically demanding jobs to pay tuition. After a year of this intense lifestyle, I started to have extreme pain in my right hip.
While I had some success with physiotherapy, pain would always return. Two of my colleagues had just completed the ten month internship and were preparing for their final exams and needed people to practise on. By this time I was ready for anything that could take away the pain. My friends explained to me that this non-medical treatment addressed the pain AND the compensations that often are brought on by overuse, trauma, injury or stress.
Often when muscles are weak, other supporting muscles take over to try and stabilize a joint, or we start to compensate with new (often faulty) movement patterns. Imagine a tent pole that is erected and that one of the anchors is not set properly. The remaining supports have to take on the work to keep the pole erect. This can result in excessive forces applied to maintain the position.
Within a few treatments and a prescription of light isometric work on my own, finally the pain was gone and I was able to continue to work within healthy ranges of motion! What fascinated me the most was the fact that the treatment area was not the painful joint! The Muscle Activation Technique addressed the root cause — the other hip and ankle!
That was eight years ago – I never have hip issues anymore.
Since I was young kinesiologist with a profound interest in neuroanatomy, the principles of Muscle Activation Techniques made perfect sense. Instead of treating the muscles that are tight and overworking with stretching and releases, determine which muscles are weak and non-responsive and treat them.
Together with other modalities such as personalized fitness training, physiotherapy and massage, Muscle Activation Techniques is an important part of the health continuum. I am proud to work in this area and to help and to educate my clients so they may continue to move, play and live life to their fullest.
For those who would like to learn more about the science behind Muscle Activation Techniques, stay tuned for my next blog on the neural responses with treatment. If you’re curious about the science and can’t wait for my blog, you can learn more here: https://muscleactivation.com/ but if you have a recurring pain or nagging issue that hasn’t gone away with other treatments, I’d be happy to tell you more about it in person! Give me a call or email me at gillian@lephysique.com for details.
