Active Release Technique (ART)
Active Release Technique, or 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. Even though ART is typically used on athletes for sports-related injuries, it is also used to treat a variety of issues related to soft tissue and injuries from repetitive-motion. It is effective in treating individuals with chronic headaches, poor posture, frozen shoulders, back and spinal pain as well as carpal tunnel syndrome, shin splints, sciatica, ankle and knee injury and tennis elbow. These conditions all have one important thing in common: they are often a result of overused muscles.
The ART provider uses his or her hands to evaluate the texture, tightness and movement of the muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments and nerves. Abnormal tissues are treated by combining precisely directed tension with very specific patient movements. This technique’s goal is to restore optimal texture, motion, and function of the soft tissue and release any entrapped nerves or blood vessels.
Active Release Techniques is quickly becoming the treatment of choice for conservative management of soft-tissue related injuries in the body.
Muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves and fascia, or soft tissue as they are collectively known, can be damaged in two basic ways:
1. Trauma Soft-tissues can be and often are subjected to such large amounts of stress that they tear and/or damaged by one specific event.
2. Overuse Soft-tissues can also be damaged by simply overusing them.
Though the stimulus and process for repair is a bit different in each case, in both cases, the healing process starts with the formation of scar tissue.
In a traumatic injury, a physical disruption in the tissues is produced. In an effort to bridge the gaps and “sew” the fibers back together, the body produces scar tissue as a type of “glue.” Such is the case when tearing a hamstring while sprinting.
In overuse situations, increased tension and repeated contraction of muscles leads to decreased oxygen levels in the involved tissues. Free radicals, a byproduct of hypoxia (a low-oxygen state), are produced. These free radicals act as a magnet for the cells that produce scar tissue.
Scarring is absolutely necessary for repair; however, it often occurs in a less than ideal environment (think poor nutrition, inadequate rest, too much rest etc). In a compromised setting, scar tissue has a tendency to “muck up” the system, creating thickened clumps of hardened tissue and adhering normal tissues together. This leads to restricted motion, decreased strength, entrapped nerves and eventually compensation.
ART provides a means for the treating Doctor to effectively identify scar tissue by means of palpation (feeling the tissue). Once it has been located, specific steps are taken to eliminate it:
1. The doctor identifies the problem tissue by feeling the texture and quality of movement
2. The affected muscle, tendon, ligament or nerve is shortened
3. The doctor places a contact on the affected tissue
4. While the doctor maintains a contact on the affected tissue, the patient moves the structure through a full range of motion, or ROM. This “peels” the scar tissue back, breaking down the lesion.
In most cases, immediate improvement in pain, ROM, and strength can be achieved.
It sounds simple, but takes a significant amount of experience, skill, and touch to locate and effectively eliminate the compromised tissues.
