What is Active Release Technique?
Active Release Technique (ART) is a type of soft tissue therapy that uses massage and movement to treat problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves.
In an ART session, the provider uses his or her hands to evaluate the texture, tightness and movement of your soft tissues. The provider then applies precise tension to any affected areas, while simultaneously guiding you through a series of specific movements.
These treatment protocols – over 500 specific movements – are unique to Active Release Technique. They allow providers to identify and correct the specific problems that are affecting each individual patient, provide pain relief and restore soft tissue system functionality.
What Conditions Does ART Treat?
Here are just a few of the many conditions that can be resolved quickly and permanently with ART:
- Headaches
- Back pain
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Shin splints
- Shoulder pain
- Sciatica
- Plantar fasciitis
- Knee problems
- Tennis elbow
These soft tissue disorders all have one important thing in common: they are often a result of overused muscles, otherwise referred to as repetitive strain injuries (RSI).
Relief and Healing for Overused Muscles
Overused muscles ultimately produce tough, dense scar tissue. This scar tissue binds up and ties down tissues that need to move freely, restricting blood flow and mobility. 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.
– Tom Cartwright
How Does Active Release Technique Work?
Active Release Therapy is a hands-on technique. After careful examination of your injury, assuming it is related to soft tissue structures, the practitioner uses carefully positioned hand contacts on your body to affect treatment.
For example, in the case of tennis elbow, the practitioner will place your hand and forearm into a specific position such that the wrist extensor muscles are in their shortest position. The practitioner places his/her contacts very specifically on a targeted muscle. He/she will then have you perform a specific (active) movement that sees the specific muscle move into its most lengthened position. Alternatively, the practitioner may perform the specific movement him/herself while you remain passive.
Each muscle protocol may be administered anywhere from 3 to 6 times. You can expect a number of different muscle protocols to be used for a particular injury. The skill of an ART practitioner lies both in the application of the technique, as well as the ability to diagnose which areas to treat in the resolution of an injury.
How Does Active Release Technique Feel?
Essentially, Active Release Technique is a combination of massage and stretching. The sensation experienced by a patient could be described as a ‘sweet pain’.
This means that whilst there might be some discomfort, there is an overwhelming feeling that there is therapeutic benefit. Patients will usually instinctively know that the practitioner has correctly identified the key area of concern, and will crave more of this ‘comfortable discomfort’.
Patients should feel well supported by their practitioner, being able to perform the instructed movements with relative ease. It should never feel agonisingly painful. Expect to feel some soreness in the area following your first consultation (3 to 5 out of 10 pain scale). This soreness may last into the next day and you should feel ready to receive further treatment two to three days later.
What is the Frequency of Treatment?
Patients always want to know how quickly they can be fixed. There are stories of people being cured from their injuries after just one or two sessions. It is highly unlikely there is any truth to these stories.
Repetitive strain injuries take time to develop. By nature, it is many repetitions that lead to the state of injury. Fixing these injuries is the same – it takes time to resolve them. In addition to a period of rest, regardless of what your particular injury is, at the very least you will require four to six sessions of ART.
Treatment by a skilled ART practitioner may see positive changes in as little as one or two sessions. The frequency at which sessions are conducted is crucial. ART therapy works best with no more than two to three days in between treatment. Too much time between sessions will thwart the healing process. Once you start treating soft tissue injuries, you need to keep the progress going. It’s akin to keeping fit – exercising once a month is not effective, whereas three times per week is.
If you cannot commit to a proposed treatment plan, do not waste your time starting. Wait until there is a period of time in your schedule when you can commit to regular treatment.
Active Release Therapy is just one of many techniques offered at The Physicaltherapy Centre. If you are suffering a musculoskeletal injury, take the time to research other techniques. There is no magic bullet, and so you will most likely find a combination of therapies is the best means of treatment for your condition.
Why Choose Us for Active Release Technique in North Sydney?
At The Physicaltherapy Centre in North Sydney, our dedicated team of professional chiropractors fully understand the complexity of the body’s muscle and tissue system. For every patient who walks through our door, we offer:
- Qualified and experienced team of chiropractors and physiotherapists
- Customised ART treatments tailored to your specific needs
- Clinically proven methodologies to ensure safe and effective results
- A holistic and patient-centred approach to your health and wellbeing
- Expert guidance and support throughout your healing journey
Tom Cartwright, Sports Chiropractor at The Physicaltherapy Centre, has been practicing Active Release Therapy since 2008 in conjunction with a multitude of other therapies. He is a Masters ART provider – currently full body certified with additional certifications in nerve entrapment and complex protocols.
Revolutionise Your Recovery Process Today
Don’t stay mired in stress, pain, or immobility. Get your injury addressed today by reaching out to us or booking online at The Physicaltherapy Centre.
