Some of the conditions that are resolved quickly and permanently with ART include headaches, back pain, neck pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, elbow pain, tennis and Golfer's elbow, shoulder pain, tendonitis issues, sciatica, knee pain/problems, shin splints, ankle pain and plantar faciitis.

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What is Active Release Technique

Active Release Technique is a state of the art soft tissue system/movement-based soft tissue technique that treats problems relating to:

• Muscles
• Tendons
• Ligaments
• Fascia and Nerves

Some of the conditions that are resolved quickly and permanently with ART include headaches, back pain, neck pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, elbow pain, tennis and Golfer's elbow, shoulder pain, tendonitis issues, sciatica, knee pain/problems, shin splints, ankle pain and plantar faciitis. These conditions all have one thing in common, that is, they are often the result of overused muscles.

How do overuse injuries occur?

Overused muscles as well as other soft tissues can be affected in three ways:

1. Acute conditions (pulls, tears, collisions, etc.)
2. Accumulation of small tears (microtrauma)
3. Not getting enough oxygen (hypoxia)
   

Each of these factors can cause your body to produce tough, dense scar tissue in the affected tissue. This scar tissue binds and tightens the tissue that needs to move freely. As the scar tissue builds, the muscles become shorter and weaker, the tendons become under increased tension which leads to tendonitis, and the nerves can become entrapped. This, in turn, can cause reduced range of motion/stiffness, discomfort, loss of strength, swelling, instability and pain. If a nerve becomes entrapped you may also experience tingling, numbness and weakness. All of these consequences can greatly affect your activities of daily living.

How does ART work?

ART treatments are specific and are based on the individual needs of the patient/athlete. The ART practitioner does not use a cook book approach to treat a non-specific diagnosis.

The ART practitioner finds the specific tissues that are restricted  or injured or causing the problem and manually works them back to their normal tension, texture and movement by using various hand positions and soft tissue manipulation methods.

Effective treatment of soft tissue restrictions requires breaking up the restrictive cross fibre adhesions and restoring normal function to the affected soft tissue. When this is undertaken properly, as with ART, the root cause of the injury is treated which leads to improved performance in daily living and/or athletically. 

ART is unique, very specific and provides excellent results. A patient usually will see significant results within just a few visits even if the injury/restriction/problem has been present for a number of years.

What does an ART treatment entail?

Every ART session is a combination of examination and treatment. The ART practitioner uses their hands to evaluate the texture, tension and movement of muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves. The abnormal tissue found is treated by combining precisely directed tension with very specific patient movements.

The treatment protocols, with over 500 specific movements, are unique to ART. The protocols allow the ART practitioner to identify and correct the specific problems that are affecting each individual patient. They ensure that a cookbook approach is not used on patients.