What is Active Release Technique (ART)?

ART is a patented, state-of-the-art soft tissue system 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.

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.

Active Release Techniques ®

Active Release Techniques (ART) has become one of most sought after soft-tissue treatments in the world today. ART is often your best bet in resolving a chronic soft tissue injury.

It is one of the most effective forms of treatment for wide variety of soft tissue and repetitive-motion injuries. ART can aid in the rapid recovery from a broad range of soft-tissue injuries.

ART is widely used by industry professionals suffering from cumulative injury traumas, as well as athletes (both professional and week-end warriors) who have suffered from a sports-related injury. For example, ART has helped Olympic athletes from many countries achieve gold medals.

How you can benefit from the ART Method?

The power of Active Release Techniques lies in its ability to effectively resolve chronic injuries that have not responded to other forms of therapy.

If you have a soft tissue injury, your best bet for a complete resolution is to use a combination of Active Release Techniques with a solid program of rehabilitative exercises.

About Active Release TechniquesActive Release Techniques (ART) was developed by Dr. Michael Leahy, a Doctor of Chiropractic, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Prior to becoming a Doctor of Chiropractic, Dr. Leahy was an aeronautical engineer. Combining his engineering background, with his knowledge of human anatomy and soft-tissue treatment methodologies, Dr. Leahy formulated a unique and effective approach for dealing with soft-tissue injuries, now known as Active Release Techniques or ART.

ART is a hands-on therapy that corrects muscular and soft-tissue problems that are caused by the formation of adhesive tissues that are laid down due to overuse or cumulative trauma.

Soft Tissue Injuries can end your career!

Cumulative trauma and overuse of soft-tissue causes Repetitive Stress Injuries (RSI). The incidence of RSI's is skyrocketing.

Recently, the health care costs for RSI in the U.S. surpassed costs for low back pain as the largest health care expenditure. It is estimated that the cost of RSI's in the US alone exceeds $110 billion yearly.

Soft tissue that is forced to perform the same job over and over becomes irritated and then inflamed. The body responds to inflammation by laying down scar tissue (adhesive tissue) in an attempt to stabilize the area. Once this happens, an ongoing cycle begins that worsens the condition. The longer this condition persists, the harder is is to break this cycle.

ART provides a way to locate, diagnose, and treat the underlying causes of cumulative trauma disorders . These disorders result in symptoms of:

• Numbness.
• Tingling.
• Burning.
• Aching.

What are Adhesions?

Our bodies contain special protein structures called Fascia (a type of connective tissue). Fascial tissue interconnects all the components of your body, and acts as a flexible skeleton. When this tissue is healthy, it is smooth and slippery, allowing the muscles, nerves, blood vessels, and organs to move freely and function properly.

Adhesions attach to muscles, decreasing their ability to work properly. You know you have an adhesion on a nerve if you get many abnormal sensations like numbness, tingling, or pain.

Imagine a piece of scotch tape, the smooth side is healthy fascia, the sticky side is scar tissue or unhealthy fascia. Try rubbing both sides of the tape along your skin. The smooth side slips easily across your skin. The sticky side drags across your skin. The drag that you feel, the "pulling" sensation is how an adhesion affects the smooth functioning of your body.

Who can benefit from ART?

ART can help everyone, from athletes, to office workers, to home keeper.

Many professional athletes have come to regard ART very highly for it almost miraculous treatment of serious injuries. Big names like Donovan Bailey, Olympic gold medallist and Gary Roberts, a hockey player, have benefited from ART. For example: Gary Roberts was initially unable to return to hockey after two neck surgeries failed to correct his dizzy spells. He credits Dr. Leahy and ART with correcting the problem, and for allowing to return to Hockey.

If you have any type of repetitive strain injury (RSI) ART should be your first choice. Athletes, at all levels, can experience improved performance through ART treatments.

What does an ART treatment feel like?

ART is not a magic medical bullet or a cure-all. Active Release Techniques is non invasive, very safe, has virtually no side effects, and has a record of producing very good results.

Treatments can feel uncomfortable during the movement phases 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 duplication of your pain symptoms during the treatment (a good indication that the problem has been identified).

Treatments take about 8-15 minutes per area treated and may require 4 to 10 visits. Patients report that "It is a good hurt ".

Will my condition or problem return after treatment?

Once the ART practitioner has released the restrictive adhesions between tissues, post-treatment exercises become a critical part of the healing process and act to ensure the RSI does not return.