What Is Active Release Technique (ART)?

Active Release Technique (ART) is a patented, state-of-the-art soft tissue system and movement-based technique 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 at Dynamic Wellness & Chiropractic.

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 that binds up and ties down tissues that need to move freely.

The formation of fascial adhesion or scar tissue that builds up between the muscle layers acts like glue, restricting the normal sliding motions of the various tissue layers. As scar tissue builds up, muscles become shorter and weaker, the tension on tendons causes tendonitis, and nerves can become trapped.

This can cause a reduced range of motion, loss of strength, and pain. Restricted range of motion and muscle imbalance leads to poor biomechanics. If a nerve is trapped you may also feel tingling, numbness, and weakness.

How Is ART Different?

The ART practitioner finds and breaks apart the adhesion to allow the muscles and nerves to move freely once again.

Soft tissue conditions often do not show up in radiographic studies; thus, The ART practitioner is trained to find the exact tissue that is injured or causing the problem and then physically works that tissue back to its normal texture, tension and length.

It is a unique technique that provides excellent results, usually one that enables a patient to see significant results within just a few visits.

Who Can Benefit From ART?

What we hear most is, “I have had this pain for a long time. Up until now, no one has been able to find the cause. You found the source of pain right away,” because ART providers are the only ones trained to palpate these specific conditions.

ART is successful for professional and amateur athletes, people injured in auto and work accidents, and people who just work hard and hurt. Symptoms vary from aches and pains to burning muscles, to numbness and tingling.

What To Expect

Every Active Release Techniques session is actually a combination of examination and treatment.

The Active Release Techniques 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 Active Release Techniques. They allow providers to identify and correct the specific problems that are affecting each individual patient.

Active Release Techniques is a gold standard treatment at Dynamic Wellness & Chiropractic in Tampa because we believe that treating soft-tissue injuries in combination with chiropractic care provides the best patient outcomes and prevents reoccurring conditions.

 

Start Your Journey To Recovery Today

You can do what you love again.

Take the first step when you book an appointment.

Book an Appointment