Active Release Technique

HOW CAN ART® HELP ME?

What is Active Release Technique® (ART)?

ART is a patented, state of the art soft tissue system/movement based massage technique that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves.  Headaches, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, shin splints, shoulder pain, sciatica, plantar fasciitis and tennis elbow are just a few of the many conditions that can be resolved quickly and permanently with ART.  These conditions all have one important thing in common: they are often a result of overused muscles.

How do overuse conditions occur?

Over-used muscles (and other soft tissues) change in three important ways:

• acute conditions (pulls, tears, collisions, etc)
• accumulation of small tears (micro-trauma)
• not getting enough oxygen (hypoxia)

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, muscle 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 is an ART® treatment like?

Every ART session is actually a combination of examination and treatment. The ART provider uses his or her hands to evaluate the texture, tightness and movement of muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments and nerves.  Abnormal tissues are treated by combining precisely directed tension with very specific patient movements.

These treatment protocols- over 500 specific moves- are unique to ART.  They allow providers to identify and correct the specific problems that are affecting each individual patient. ART is not a cookie cutter approach.

ART® is non-invasive, is very safe, has virtually no side effects and has an impressive record of providing very good results.  Treatments can feel uncomfortable during the movement phase, as the scar tissue or adhesions break-up.  This discomfort is temporary, and subsides almost immediately after the treatment.  It is common to feel a duplicate of your symptoms during the treatment (a good indication that the problem has been identified).  Patients report that “it hurts good”.

Treatments take 8-15 minutes for each area being treated, and may require 2-10 visits.