Dr. Peterson now offers non-surgical Spinal Decompression Therapy
What is Active Release Technique (ART)?
Click on the Video to see an explanation of ART from it's founder Michael Leahy
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, knee problems, 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, 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.
Some of our Active Release Technique patients
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.
What is the history of Active Release Techniques?
ART has been developed, refined, and patented by P. Michael Leahy, DC, CCSP. Dr. Leahy noticed that his patients’ symptoms seemed to be related to changes in their soft tissue that could be felt by hand. By observing how muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments and nerves responded to different types of work, Dr. Leahy was able to consistently resolve over 90% of his patients’ problems. He now teaches and certifies health care providers all over the world to use ART.
Common Example of Soft Tissue Impairment
A common example of well known soft tissue impairment is repetitive stress induced Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Repetitive hand and wrist action often results in subcutaneous tissues becoming injured and swollen. These tissues include fascia, muscle, ligament, tendon, sheaths, retinaculum and peripheral nerve and blood vessels. In restricted passages of the body, swollen soft tissue can become compressed together creating intense pressure. Adjacent softtissue can adhere together when compressed under these conditions over a prolonged period.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Active Release Technique (A.R.T.)?
- Active Release is a patented manual hands-on therapy that corrects soft tissue problems and injuries. Soft tissue refers primarily to muscles, tendons, fascia and nerves. Many types of injuries are treated using this technique. Some of the specific injuries that are treated include repetitive strains, nerve compressions, and muscle or joint dysfunction.
- The ART® practitioner finds the exact tissue that is injured or causing the problem and then physically works that tissue back to its normal texture, tension and length.
- The ART® practitioner also finds muscles and other tissues that have developed adhesions within or between them. An adhesion, which is basically like scar tissue that builds up between the muscle layers, can act like a glue restricting the normal sliding motions of the various tissue layers. ART® is used to break apart these adhesions and allow the muscles and nerves to move freely once again. Restoring proper nerve and muscle movement allows the body to perform at its most efficient level.
- The manual technique used by the ART® provider is not invasive, it is very specific, and provides excellent results.
How many treatments will I need with ART® to get better?
- Usually a patient will see significant results within just a few visits…often feeling almost better within 4 to 6 visits.
- However, the actual time to become fully healed will differ between each patient. A good rule of thumb is that the more chronic or severe the problem is the more treatments you will need to reach resolution.
Is ART® like a massage?
- ART is much more specific than a massage. Massage can be very beneficial if done by a good provider. ART, however, is extremely specific to individual muscle, tendon and nerve injuries and is great for restoring normal tissue function and range of motion.
Do ART treatments hurt?
- The treatments are very deep and can be intense, but most people state that they actually feel good.
- Treatments are always done to the tolerance level of each individual to maximize their benefit in the quickest possible timeframe.
What kinds of things can ART help?
- ART is great at helping any soft tissue problems anywhere in the body. The doctors have treated muscle and nerve injuries in all regions of the body. Whether it's a nerve impingement in your arm (such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome), a chronic tension headache, or Plantar Fascitis…ART can help it.
Text adapted from www.activerelease.com & www.wikipedia.org
