Active
Release Technique - ART
What is ART?
Active release technique is a soft tissue management
system developed for the treatment of overuse injuries
found in muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia, and nerves.
Developed for the treatment of elite athletes, it has
been shown to improve performance and is extremely effective
in the treatment of plantar fasciitis, achillies tendonitis,
shin splints, carpel tunnel, tennis elbow, shoulder
problems, and a host of other conditions that develop
from cumulative trauma and scar formation.
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 tissue
binds up and ties down the tissues that need to move
freely. As scar tissue builds up, muscles become weaker
and shorter, tension on tendons causes tendonitis, and
nerves can become trapped. This can cause pain, reduced
range of motion, and loss of strength. 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. Our staff 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.
Conditions
such as muscle tears, muscle adhesions, scar tissue,
stiff joints (often found in patients with arthritis),
nerve entrapment such as carpal tunnel syndrome, thoracic
outlet syndrome, sciatic nerve entrapment, and many
overuse injuries (rotator cuff syndrome, tennis and
golfer's elbow, runner's knee, plantar fascitis) can
be successfully treated.
Spine and Sports Rehab uses several types of treatment
techniques in addition to ART. As Chiropractors, Dr.
McCauley and Dr. William Radocy also specialize in the
treatment of back pain.
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