Active Release Technique

Active Release Technique is a state of the art soft tissue system/movement-based massage technique that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves.

Every ART session is 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. Injured 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. 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.

Overused muscles ultimately produce tough, dense scar tissue.

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.

Practising ART gives a therapist the confidence to undertake any musculoskeletal problem. The treatment is a mix of stretching and massage rolled into one modality, and is as much diagnostic as it is therapeutic. People can expect favourable changes in the first session. If not, it directs the therapist to use another treatment modality or refer a patient onwards, thus never wasting their time nor money.