Active Release Therapy
Also Known As Active Release Technique or ART
Active release therapy is more commonly known as active release technique or ART. ART is a form of soft tissue therapy that is used to address muscle pain by using a combination of movement and tension to loosen muscle adhesions and break up scar tissue.
This technique was developed by chiropractor, P. Michael Leahy. When working with patients, he noticed that many of their injuries were soft tissue in nature. He decided that he needed a way to treat these soft tissue issues. He says that he has over a 90 percent success rate treating patients with this technique. Now he teaches these techniques to other health care professionals around the world.
Active release therapy addresses pain caused by soft tissue injuries that can happen to anyone anywhere. They are must commonly seen in overuse of certain muscle groups. When these injuries occur they are painful and interfere with your daily life.
For many years, medical professionals thought that inflammation at the site of injury was causing this pain. ART practitioners know that this isn't necessarily the case. adhesions that form in the muscle tissue are really the issue because these adhesions entrap nerves. Adhesions make muscle tissues stick together causing a change in the texture, tension and movement in the muscle fibers. ART practitioners can find these affected tissues through palpation and work to restore them to a normal state.
Active release therapy releases nerves entrapped in muscle tissues. When nerves are constantly being squeezed in muscle fibers they send pain signals to your brain. When they are released this pain stops.
The injuries teated with ART can be felt with the practitioner's hands. The hands can feel injured tissue that can't be seen on x-rays or with MRI machines. The practitioner is trained to recognize the changes in texture, tension and movement of muscle tissues.
ART is distinguished from most forms of massage because it's movement based. You can't lay still on a table and relax during this therapy. The plus side is that it's very effective and if you have soft tissue injuries, ART will help you feel better even after one visit. It is commonly used by athletes to address the strain associated with training.
Practitioners study over 500 different protocols to address dysfunction in every muscle in the human body. They can treat a variety of conditions with this therapy including, but not limited to:
carpal tunnel syndrome
neck pain
back pain
sciatica
headaches
shin splints
knee pain
shoulder pain
Active release therapy can be used to treat acute and chronic pain conditions. It can also be used to treat shortened muscles, nerve entrapment, scar tissue, and adhesions.
Active release technique is done while you are partially clothed. The therapist will first do a thorough evaluation of your condition. Then the therapist will apply tension or pressure to points along a specific muscle while you take the muscle through a range of muscle. You will lay down, sit and stand during the treatment.
Here is a video that gives you an idea of what ART is like.
This technique was developed by chiropractor, P. Michael Leahy. When working with patients, he noticed that many of their injuries were soft tissue in nature. He decided that he needed a way to treat these soft tissue issues. He says that he has over a 90 percent success rate treating patients with this technique. Now he teaches these techniques to other health care professionals around the world.
