Active Release Technique is a state of the art soft tissue, movement-based massage technique that is gaining popularity in sports medicine as well as the general public. It is commonly seen in private practices around the world, as well as at sporting events, marathons, and even among professional sports teams.
It has shown to quickly and permanently resolve neck and back pain, headaches, sciatica, carpal tunnel syndrome, shin splints, golfer’s and tennis elbow, plantar fasciitis, and many other conditions
What do all of these conditions have in common?
Their underlying cause stems from injured, overused muscle.
A muscle overuse injury occurs in three different ways:
- Acute trauma – pulls, tears, sprain/strain, injury
- Repetitive micro-trauma leading to accumulation of small tears
- Decreased oxygen to the muscle
When any of these conditions occur, the body responds by laying down thick scar tissue in the affected area, which binds together to stabilize the area, but in the process prevents necessary tissue movement. As the scar tissue builds up, muscles become tighter and weaker, adhesions form in and around tendons leading to tendonitis, and nerve entrapments can occur. The result is achy, tender muscles, restricted range of motion, pain in the surrounding joint(s), and if nerve entrapments occur, numbness and tingling in the extremities.
An ART treatment is a non-invasive, quick and efficient way of breaking up the scar tissue in the affected area, thereby freeing the underlying tissues and restoring proper movement.
The ART provider uses his or her hands to evaluate the texture, tightness and quality of movement of muscles, tendons/ligaments, fascia and nerves. Treatment of any abnormal tissues combines a precisely directed tension with specific patient movements. Each treatment utilizes protocols that are very specific to the tissue being assessed and treated, which allows the provider to identify and correct the problem that is specific to that patient. Every patient receives a different combination of protocols, making his or her treatment individualized and unique.