Muscle Activation of Tampa, Tampa, FL (2025)

06/20/2025

Problems on Both Sides?

Here’s a real dilemma that almost no one talks about…
What happens when both sides of your body fail the same test?

When we test your muscle system, we’re looking for how well your body can control contraction — not just whether a movement is possible, but how well it’s being produced. That quality matters more than people think.

Now here’s the tricky part:
Sometimes we test both sides at the same time — and both sides come back low quality.
This isn’t just a red flag… it’s a system-wide problem.

Why does that matter?

Because nearly everything you do in daily life involves both sides working together — walking, getting up, sitting down, running, even standing still. If both sides can’t handle the same position or movement at once, your body is likely hiding a whole host of issues — pain, tightness, loss of mobility, you name it.

Take Riley, for example. When we tested both his legs in a pointed-toe (plantar flexed) position, his system failed. But when his ankles were flexed back (dorsiflexed), he was totally fine.
It’s not just his legs. It’s not just his feet.
It’s the combination — and that’s where things get complex.

So the big question is:
Where do you even start when both sides are a problem?

That’s what a Certified Muscle System Specialist is trained to solve.
We don’t just stretch what’s tight or strengthen what’s weak.
We investigate the whole system and figure out which piece — in which configuration — is causing the whole thing to fall apart.

Bilateral problems aren’t something you guess your way through.
You test, interpret, and intervene with surgical precision.
That’s how real change happens.

06/19/2025

Hip or Shoulder First?
Which one gives out first in your golf swing—and why it matters.

Ed’s golf swing has two clear weak links: the hip and the shoulder. Both contribute to low-quality muscular output. No question about that.

But here’s the better question:
Which one fatigues first?

Because if we can figure that out, we can fix the sequence—not just the parts.
And when you correct the first joint to give out, the second one often doesn’t need to overcompensate or fatigue at all.

Most people just throw exercises at everything.
But that’s not solving the real issue. That’s guessing.
You’ve got to know which “steering wheel” goes offline first. Only then can you restore control to the whole system.

Ed’s hip might be strong—but if it’s tired before the shoulder even moves, the swing’s already compromised.
Flip the order? You get a totally different breakdown.

This is what makes every human system unique. Different joints. Different configurations. Different thresholds.

And this is why only a Certified Muscle System Specialist can identify the sequence, not just the symptom—and solve the problem at its source.

06/17/2025

Golf Swing Pieces: Hip

Now that Ed’s shoulder is finally coordinating with the rest of his golf swing, we’ve uncovered the next piece that’s holding him back—his hip.

But here’s the twist: it’s not a strength problem.
It’s not a mobility issue.
The hip can technically produce force and be part of the coordinated muscular sequence… but only for a short time.

The real issue? Fatigue.

Ed’s hip gets tired—fast. And when that “steering wheel” checks out, the rest of his body is forced to compensate. That compensation might be invisible to the eye, but it’s enough to throw off the entire sequence. One piece fades, and suddenly everything else is trying to cover for it.

Your body is brilliant at hiding its problems. It can keep the swing moving—but not without cost.
Power drops. Accuracy suffers. And over time, you build layers of inefficiency that show up under pressure—especially in competition.

That’s where a Certified Muscle System Specialist comes in.

We don’t just find the pieces that are out of sync—we identify why.
In Ed’s case, it was fatigue.
We revealed it through assessment, confirmed it through repeat testing, and intervened with targeted strategies to restore endurance and integration in his muscular system.

This is how we solve the problems that strength training, stretching, and swing analysis can’t see.

It’s not just about “fixing” pain or weakness. It’s about **building a coordinated muscular system that holds up under real pressure—**whether you’re playing casually or competing at the highest level.

06/16/2025

Golf Swing Pieces: Shoulder

Here’s Ed—a high-level amateur golfer—whose swing is still being held back by one critical piece: his right shoulder.

The golf swing is one giant, coordinated muscular sequence. But that sequence is made up of dozens of smaller, individual “steering wheels.” These aren’t just metaphors—they’re your joints. And if even one of them is misfiring, the entire swing suffers.

While modern golf tech can give you numbers after the swing—like club speed, launch angle, or path—it can’t tell you why your body is struggling to produce power or consistency. That’s because it can only measure the outcome. It can’t evaluate the quality of the coordinated muscular sequence leading up to it.

That’s where we come in.

As Certified Muscle System Specialists, we isolate which joint systems—like Ed’s shoulder—are compromising the swing. We test them. Restore their quality. Then rebuild the coordination that translates directly into performance gains on the course.

This isn’t about strength. It’s not about flexibility. It’s about how well your muscle system is coordinating under real-world demand.

Whether you’re a golfer, tennis player, or baseball athlete—your muscle system is your foundation. And this is how we solve the complex muscular problems that others can’t.

06/14/2025

20 Years of Neck and Shoulder Pain—Gone.

Chase had been dealing with chronic neck and shoulder pain for over two decades. Trouble sleeping. Constant discomfort.

He tried everything—chiropractors, physical therapy, cortisone shots, even got X-rays.
The only answer he ever got? “Degenerative joint disease.”
No real plan. No real change.

Then we started working together using the Certified Muscle System Specialist process.
Through targeted assessments and customized exercises, we started uncovering what no one else had found.

Now?
✅ No more neck pain.
✅ No more shoulder pain.
✅ Sleeping better.
✅ Stronger than he’s been in years.

His words say it best:
“Mike has the gift of healing hands and really cares about his clients. He is very focused on getting results even if it takes time and homework (exercises). Stick with Mike and you will get the desired results.”

Ready to stop guessing and finally get results?

06/13/2025

Phase One: Muscle System Assessment – Weight Distribution

The video below shows a real moment from one of our Phase One assessments. Here’s the question:
How much weight do you think you’re distributing when you stand “straight”?

This gentleman came in to improve his golf game, mentioning tightness more on one side than the other. Take a look…
Which side do you think he feels tighter on?

Now look at the data: one leg carrying over 90 lbs, the other just over 60.
That’s the largest weight distribution difference I’ve seen in any client.

What would you want to know about what’s going on here?
What questions pop into your head?
Or… do you already know what’s happening?

I didn’t—not at first. I was just running my process.
This is why we assess, build a profile, and correlate movement data.
Because you can’t fix what you haven’t measured.

06/13/2025

Deviated Septum: Part 2

Sounds strange, right?
We’re plugging Shannon’s left nostril while she performs a very specific upper body exercise—and it’s leading to higher-quality output throughout her entire muscle system.

Why? Because her system demands it.

If you’ve followed her story, you know she had two deviated septum surgeries during her teenage years—while her skull and neuromuscular system were still developing. These surgeries were meant to improve breathing, but they also acted as controlled injuries during a sensitive phase of growth. That matters.

Because when structure is altered at that stage, the body often reorganizes itself around that change. In Shannon’s case, that reorganization led to long-term compensations—especially in how she rotates, stabilizes, and transfers load across her system. Her rightward movement patterns, especially in her cervical spine, jaw, eyes, and tongue, all tested as low-quality.

And then years later, when she suffered a partial hamstring tear, it didn’t just cause a new problem—it exposed an old one.

Now we’re reverse-engineering the coordination of her system.
By intentionally restricting airflow on the left during upper extremity movement, we’re helping her body find better control, balance, and pressure regulation. This isn’t random—it’s targeted. And it’s changing how she runs.

This is what we do as Certified Muscle System Specialists:
→ We don’t chase pain.
→ We design exercises that optimize the system, based on the unique story of each body.
→ We make the muscle system smarter, more coordinated, and more resilient.

Shannon is now running up to five miles, completely pain-free—something she thought might never happen again.

This isn’t about chasing symptoms.
It’s about finally seeing the whole system clearly—and solving problems others missed.

06/12/2025

If you’ve been following the recent posts about Shannon—the runner who couldn’t run—this is the update you’ve been waiting for.

After battling pain for over a year, unable to get back to the activity she loves, Shannon just dropped this 5-star Google review about her experience:

“Mike has helped me finally, after 14 months post hamstring partial tears, get back to running. He uses individualized techniques that figure out how your body works and interprets motion. I have been to many physical therapists who use cookie-cutter approaches and could not get back to running no matter how compliant I was with their recommendations. It wasn’t until I worked with Mike that I was able to progress and see a glimmer of hope!”

Client Background:
Shannon came in after struggling for 14 months with partial hamstring tears that left her unable to run. Despite seeing multiple physical therapists and fully committing to their programs, nothing worked. Pain persisted with basic tasks like walking or standing, especially near her right hamstring and hip.

Breakthrough & Results:
Through individualized muscle system profiling, we identified that her issue was not just the hamstring. Deeper patterns—like poor right-side trunk rotation, foot control limitations, and a past history of nasal surgery (two deviated septums)—were silently influencing how her entire system moved and compensated.

Once we began retraining those connections and restoring coordinated control, Shannon’s body finally began to respond. Now, after just a few targeted sessions, she’s running again—pain-free, up to three to five miles.

Key Takeaway:
This is what happens when you stop chasing the pain and start solving the problem. Shannon’s case is a powerful example of what’s possible when you approach the body as a full, connected system—not a collection of isolated parts.

And we’re just getting started.

06/12/2025

Deviated Septum

Strange title for a running post, right?

You wouldn’t expect a nose surgery to have anything to do with a hamstring injury or hip pain… but in Shannon’s case, that’s exactly where our investigation led.

Shannon came to us after years of being unable to run due to deep pain near her right hamstring attachment. She had tried everything—shots, localized treatments, and more—but nothing worked. Even standing and walking were uncomfortable.

During her initial Muscle System Profile, we didn’t just assess her hip—we tested how well her entire system was coordinating. That’s when something unusual stood out:

Any time we asked her body to perform or stabilize in a rightward direction—rotating her neck, moving her jaw, shifting her eyes, or even using her tongue—her body responded poorly. Movement quality dropped. Coordination fell apart.

But she had no history of neck injuries, no car accidents, no sports trauma.

So what was the cause?

That’s when she mentioned something seemingly unrelated:
At ages 14 and 16, she had two deviated septum surgeries—procedures meant to help her breathe better.

While helpful for her breathing, they happened during key stages of cranial growth—when the skull and facial structures were still developing. That kind of intervention can subtly—but significantly—affect how the body organizes itself.

In Shannon’s case, we believe this created long-term changes in how her nervous system manages movement, particularly in spinal rotation, core engagement, and the way her abdominals and obliques coordinate across her trunk.

She couldn’t properly sense or engage her right-side abdominals, especially when trying to rotate her spine. That’s a big deal for a runner—because efficient running isn’t just about your legs. It’s about how your entire system works together to manage force and movement.

And that’s exactly what we specialize in.

As a Certified Muscle System Specialist, we look far beyond the site of pain.
We assess how the whole body communicates—from your nose to your toes.
Because sometimes, the key to running without pain… starts with something no one else thought to look at.

06/11/2025

Foot Problem

Shannon came to us with pain in her right hip, right at the hamstring attachment site. The pain wasn’t just during running—even walking and standing hurt. But her goal was clear: get back to running.

Fast forward: she’s now running pain-free—up to nearly five miles. But we’re not done.

While her right hip was the original complaint, we’ve now zoomed in on her left foot—specifically the area near the first metatarsal and big toe. Why? Because that part of her foot isn’t handling pressure the way it should when she walks or runs. She’s missing control through the full range—from plantar flexion to dorsiflexion, and all the subtle in-between motions that the foot and ankle need to absorb load.

Think of the foot like a spider web—tiny, interconnected lines of force management. It doesn’t just move up and down. It rotates, inverts, everts, flexes, and shifts—all to manage ground reaction force. And right now, Shannon’s left foot isn’t doing its part, which affects everything upstream.

So what are we doing?

Teaching her to feel the ground again under that left foot
Training her to own control through specific foot and ankle positions
Coaching her to engage the muscles around her foot and coordinate that with her knee, hip, and the rest of her system

But here’s something unexpected we found in her initial health questionnaire:

Shannon has two deviated septums, and through her muscle system assessment, we observed a consistent pattern: when her system is challenged in rightward directionality—whether it’s cervical spine rotation, TMJ movement, oculomotor function, or tongue control—her muscle output drops significantly in quality.

This isn’t random. It’s a system-wide communication issue.

And we’ll be showing more of that soon.

This is why we don’t isolate symptoms.

We assess how your entire system interacts—from your foot to your face—and calibrate what’s actually needed to move without pain.

06/10/2025

Running With No Pain

Meet Shannon. She was a runner—until a severe hamstring injury took her off the road for years. After multiple targeted treatments, including injections directly at the muscle attachment site, nothing brought lasting relief. Every time she tried to return to running, pain showed up—fast.

But that’s changed.

After just a few focused sessions, Shannon is now running up to three miles pain-free. Her goal? Hit four to five miles with full confidence. The pain is gone—but understandably, there’s still some hesitation at the edge of her threshold. And that’s where we’re doing our work.

What are we working on? Surprisingly, not her hamstring.

We’re currently dialing into a very specific position of her foot—a place where she’s lost fine control. But here’s the bigger question:

What does it actually take to run pain-free?
What does your muscle system require to run well?
From the toes and ankles to the knees, hips, spine, shoulders, and neck—everything is involved. Running is a full-system event.

As a Certified Muscle System Specialist, our lens is different. We don’t chase the pain. We examine how the entire system communicates and coordinates under load. And when we do that, we often find that the real problem isn’t where you feel it—it’s how your system has adapted, compensated, and broken down over time.

So while Shannon’s original injury was localized, the solution wasn’t. We’re going beyond the hamstring—and you’ll see how seemingly unrelated parts of the body play a role in restoring her ability to run freely again.

Stay tuned—because what’s happening in her foot is only part of the story.

06/05/2025

Another 5 Star 🌟 Google Review!

Billy walked in with a complex meniscus tear, chronic Achilles tightness, and a right shoulder surgery. After years of discomfort and trying everything from PT to medication, he decided to walk in with an open mind.

Now?

✅ No more limp
✅ Full range in his ankle
✅ No knee symptoms
✅ Shoulder moving freely
✅ Back to lifting — without pain

No foam rolling. No stretching. Just the right exercises for his body.

Billy said it best:
👉 “Mike is confident, quirky, and relentless. He stops at nothing to find the answer.”

If your body feels off, if pain has become your “normal,” if you’re tired of short-term fixes — it doesn’t have to be that way.

🔍 Real answers.
⚙️ Real solutions.
🔥 Real change.

Ready to walk better, move better, lift better — and even golf better? Let’s talk.

Here’s his 5 Star 🌟 Google Review:
“As with anything you try, you walk in with an open mind, especially if you don’t know anything about the concept. I’ve tried physical therapy, medications, and some other ideas. Mike asked me to allow him to try. He is a very confident, extremely approachable, and almost quirky provider. Rest assured he stops at nothing to find an answer! Within two visits I was feeling amazingly better! Pain from a constant 7 for almost a year to a 1 or almost 0! In our progressions I found areas that weren’t feeling right, but before I could say something he asked the questions. Within minutes we were off and by the end of our therapy for that session I was already having noticeable improvements. But… remember that I said an open mind. How does a finger help a foot, or what we think is a new facial expression help us start a walk. You’ll be amazed, as I was!

The body has a way of overcoming itself to help us reach a level plane, but it’s the small things that truly bring us back to normal. If you’re feeling tweaked, pain, out of sorts mobility wise, or just not having a great sports chapter as you feel you should have, this is a must have clinician! I can promise you that you will see change for the better, and most certainly you will feel better! Thanks Mike for making it fun, challenging, and more importantly easing/ending the daily suffering of pain. Feels nice to actually walk normal and even lift normal again. Now let’s get the golf game better!”

Muscle Activation of Tampa

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