Muscle Therapy Technique Relieves Pain

By Gan Matthews, NEWS 9

NORMAN, Oklahoma -- Pain is a fact of life, and we all seek relief from it. A new physical therapy technique is catching on in Oklahoma and it's helping to make pain easier to bear and in some cases to banish it entirely.

When people come to a health club, like this one operated by Norman Regional Hospital, they're usually looking for two things-- an increase in their athletic ability and a decrease in their muscular pain. A new technique available at the health club helps them do both.

Ryan Woods has pain in his ankle, knee, back and neck. Thomas Thompson has a therapy for all of that. It's called MAT, or Muscle Activation Technique. It starts with an assessment of the patient's range of motion.

"You work through all the muscles that bring you into that range of motion, and usually that restores the range of motion," Certified MAT instructor Thomas Thompson said.

The technique seems to work. Ryan Woods said he felt like a new man after the first session.

"Overtime, the last six months, everything else is better, from my feet, ankle, knee, and back to neck is better. But lower back was instantaneous," Woods said.

The OU soccer team has hired Thompson to help the players recover from injuries.

"The highest success rate is with athletes just because their body is more adaptable to this kind of work. But it can effect somebody that, you know, their athletic endeavor is walking out to get the paper every day," Thompson said.

Thomas Thompson says Muscle Activation Technique is not better than other techniques, but is complementary to them all.