Whether you’re an athlete or just want to move pain-free, we're here to help in North Idaho and Eastern Washington.
With Muscle Activation therapy, you can reduce pain, get stronger, and move better in record time.
Your muscles rely on a strong brain-body connection to function correctly. But when you experience injuries, stress, and improper movement patterns, the brain may instruct some of your muscles to “turn off.” These “off” muscles lead to weakness, tightness, and faulty muscle memory, putting you at even greater risk of pain and further injury.
You may have already tried physical therapy, chiropractic, massage, surgery, or any number of alternative treatments to resolve your concerns. Each of these treatments serve important purposes in health. But when you feel like you’ve tried it all and still don’t feel well or move well, Muscle Activation may be your missing link.
NOTE: This therapy is distinct from Muscle Activation Techniques (MAT). Both address musculoskeletal imbalances, but Muscle Activation Therapy uses a different approach to treat more muscles at a deeper level.
Poor Posture
Tendinitis
Numb Hands
Headaches or Migraines
Low Back Pain or Weakness
Failure to Improve with Training
Chronic Injuries
Tight or Painful Knees
Rotator Cuff Injuries
Ankle Sprains
Pelvic Floor Weakness
Unstable Hips
Sciatica
Tight or Painful Shoulders
Nursing Mother’s Neck
Muscle Activation identifies your “off” muscles through objective strength testing. Then through a hands-on treatment that feels similar to deep tissue massage, we turn each muscle back “on”, one by one. Activation resets the nervous system connection for each muscle, sometimes doubling, tripling, or even quadrupling its strength within minutes.
Muscle Activation Therapy with our practice follows a consistent process:
1. History & Evaluation – Review past issues, current symptoms, and conduct orthopedic tests as needed.
2. Muscle Exam – Identify exactly which of your muscles are “off” and functioning at less than full strength.
3. Muscle Activation – Restore muscle strength and tension through hands-on treatment.
4. Reintegrate – Teach targeted exercises to help you overcome compensation patterns.
5. Recondition – Strengthen proper movement patterns for long-term stability.
6. Maintenance – Quarterly (or as-needed) care to keep your muscles working at their best.
This process easily adapts to best fit the needs of each patient. For a more in-depth explanation of how this all works, including how we test your muscles, check out our guide to Muscle Activation Therapy.
First step is a Muscle Exam!
Our Muscle Exams test a large number of muscles in one session to make sure we identify the root of your pain or weakness, not just where your symptoms are occurring. (Occasional numb hands, for example, can often be resolved by activating neck and upper back muscles.)
We offer two types of Muscle Exams to best address your concerns. If you’re not sure which one to pick, we can help you decide!
History & Evaluation
Test 320+ Muscles
Activate 2 Muscles
Chiropractic Adjustments
Report of Findings
~1 hour
OR
History & Evaluation
Test 160+ Muscles
Activate 2 Muscles
Chiropractic Adjustments
Report of Findings
~45 minutes
*Testing the lower back muscles is included in both the Upper and Lower Half Body Muscle Exams
After your Muscle Exam, Dr. Stewart will go over the Report of Findings with you and help determine next steps.
Since Muscle Activation typically only needs to be done once (barring a new significant injury) the time between appointments is flexible. Activated muscles won’t “deactivate” while you’re waiting for your next visit.
Our average local patients complete about 6-10 weekly visits before activating all their inhibited muscles and graduating from muscle care. But this number is up to you! Some patients prefer to spread care out over months, while others visiting from out of town may complete their care in just days.
“Dr Stewart is very personable, knowlegable and caring. I would definitely recommend the muscle activation process as a way to alleviate pain. I feel great after years of hip and wrist pain from old car accidents.”
Lynnae R.
“I was a skeptic to say the least, but have since become a believer. Dr. Mason’s technique is very similar to the techniques used in physical therapy, but the results are greater. He listened to my needs and worked patiently with me on every visit. He worked on muscles that were not functioning properly from an accident 10 years ago in addition to a more recent injury. The results are not instantaneous as I am more familiar with when using more traditional chiropractor methods, but they are more complete and longer lasting as Dr. Mason gets to the root cause of the imbalance as opposed to a one-size-fits-all adjustment. I am running without complaint now and am looking forward to a stronger triathlon season. I highly recommend Doctor Mason especially if you feel like you have tried everything and nothing is working as I was feeling prior to his treatments.”
Nancy L.
“Mason is absolutely amazing! Not only is he an awesome human being.. he seriously allowed me to enjoy working out and exercising again. Not only did his therapy help with my performance in the gym but it helped with my day to day life. I used to have to wake up an hour an a half earlier before working at 6am to do mobility just to feel ready for the day. Now I can wake up go to work or even exercise while being pain free and having tons of mobility. No more aches and pains that i would normal experience on a daily basis.. they are all gone! Mason has changed my life for the better and his therapy is seriously a game changer for anyone!”
Dakota B.
“As someone who has been in 4 car accidents and treated manly by chiropractors , I was told by every other chiropractor that I was “as good as I can get”. A family member recommended we try Dr Stewart and see if what he does works better for me. Well after going through Dr Stewart’s treatment plan, I no longer live with the pain from the car accidents! Many other family members are being treated by him as well! Definitely life changing when you live with chronic pain and it disappears! Definitely worth a try to see if it works for you!”
Allison A.
“Dr. Stewart is absolutely amazing! After many years of being inactive, many parts of my body were hurting after exercising for several months. Dr. Stewart did a muscle assessment, and we discovered that 50+ muscles throughout my body were turned off due to inactivity. During my course of treatment, he was able to get everything turned back on…and I feel amazing! It was so neat to actually ‘see’ things turning back on and immediately feel the difference. I had never heard of muscle activation, but it is an amazing and effective treatment! He was also able to diminish pain associated with chronic tennis elbow through different treatments, and helped me identify a specific motion in my home office that was triggering it. Dr. Stewart is very skilled, listens to everything, and is very professional. You will not regret working with him!!”
Robin E.
We operate as an out-of-network provider, meaning we do not bill insurance. This allows us to focus on delivering the care that best meets your needs, rather than being limited by insurance restrictions. We can provide a superbill upon request which you may submit to your insurance company for possible reimbursement.
Muscle Exams include a thorough health history and evaluation, testing 160-320+ muscles, a report of findings, activation of 2 muscles, and any needed chiropractic adjustments. Exam pricing varies depending on session length and applicable discounts, ranging from $100-250.
The results of the Muscle Exam help determine how much work is required to activate your inhibited muscles. After the exam, Muscle Activation pricing is $35 per muscle, and we offer package discounts that range from 10-21% off.
It’s really up to the patient! Visit number and frequency vary widely based on the patient’s needs and preferences. We provide flexibility of care to help patients work within their schedule and budget. The average local completes 6-10 visits over a 1-2 month period. Other patients book once a month until they complete care, while out of town patients may finish treatment in 2-3 visits over a few days.
Additionally one of the best things about Muscle Activation is that once all your “off” muscles are “on”, you shouldn’t need to activate them again (barring any new significant injuries.) We love that our patients ‘graduate’ from Muscle Activation and can get back to their lives without needing constant care to feel well!
It’s up to you! Your body will feel most balanced and well if your muscles are all functioning at full capacity. Something great about Muscle Activation is that when you start activating muscles and restoring nervous system connections, other muscles in the area often turn back on without being treated.
Additional family members receive 20% off first-time exams to help improve family wellness. We also offer package discounts for Muscle Activation that range from 10-21% off.
We accept cash, check, HSA/FSA cards, and credit/debit cards. We do not pass along our credit card fees to our patients.
Visit length varies depending on how many muscles we are treating. An average visit treats 6 muscles and takes about 30 minutes. Out of town patients may have visits of several hours, while locals may be as short as 15 minutes.
We can test almost every muscle in the body (except a handful of internal muscles), but we keep the Full Body Muscle Exam to 320+ to address the most common problem areas for patients without spending unnecessary time on muscles that are fine for most folks.
However if a patient’s primary issues involve muscles other than the 320+, we test those too. For example we don’t typically test every muscle in the hands and fingers. But if a patient has hand or finger issues, we will check those muscles as well. This flexibility allows patients with deeper issues to get the care they need, while not weighing down other patients’ care with unnecessary testing.
As a mobile-only provider, I bring Muscle Activation Therapy and a portable chiropractic table directly to you—whether at your home, office, gym, or another convenient location.
Only about an 8×3 ft space is necessary to set up my table.
As a mobile-only practice, I do my own scheduling to make sure I have enough time between visits to drive to each location. To book, please feel free to text or call me (Dr. Stewart) directly at 208-252-5052, or send a message through our Contact Us page.
Due to federal restrictions concerning chiropractic and Medicare, we cannot currently accept new Medicare-eligible (65 years or older) patients.
For more questions about our pricing, policies, or mobile logistics, please check out our FAQ page.
Check out our Services page for more on how we can help you get back to living your life to the fullest!