ACTIVE RELEASE TECHNIQUES

What is ART and who can benefit from it?


Activ Release techniques are a soft tissue technique combining assessment and treatment for problems involving the nerves, muscles, ligaments, tendons and fascia.   It is an approach that focuses on the affect that can be caused by the overuse of muscles.

Common conditions including lower back pain with sciatica, rotator cuff pain, tennis elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome, headaches, shin splints and plantar fasciitis are often a result of this prolonged overuse of certain muscle groups.

This oveuse over a period of time can cause micro-trauma, hypoxia (lack of oxygen to the tissues) or frequent pulls, tears or compression of tissues.  These all lead to the production of scar tissue and adhesions in the body restricting its ability  to move and function normally.  The restrictions on muscles can lead to tendinitis, compression and irritation can contribute to impingement of bursitis as well as nerve entrapment.  All these can subsequently lead to pain.

Each of these factors can cause your body to produce tough, dense scar tissue in the affected area. This scar tissue binds up and ties down tissues that need to move freely. As scar tissue builds up, muscles become shorter and weaker, tension on tendons causes tendonitis, and nerves can become trapped. This can cause reduced range of motion, loss of strength, and pain. If a nerve is trapped you may also feel tingling, numbness, and weakness.

What does ART treatment involve?

There are over 500 specific ART protocols targeting the muscles that can lead to overuse.  Each technique targets a particular tissue in the body (muscle, tendon, nerve) and what it restricts.  The movements in each protocol involve massage techniques combined with movement of the body to enable the practitioner to free up the restrictions and restore function.

At Activ Therapy, our complete assessments will allow us to choose the right strategies to achieve a complete return to health for you.  Our treatments will often incorporate ART with other techniques such as mulligans techniques, dry needling and functional exercises to ensure the fastest and most lasting improvement.

Visit the Active Release Techniques Website to read more on this innovative technique.