Active Release Techniques (ART)

Screen-Shot-2013-05-30-at-1.38.55-AM1-300x80What is A.R.T. and what are the potential benefits?

ART® is a highly successful approach to the diagnosis and treatment of soft tissues including muscles, tendons, ligaments, nerves and fascia. It is effective for low back pain, neck pain, elbow tendonosis, rotator cuff tendonosis, knee pain, shin splints, carpal tunnel syndrome, running injuries and numerous other conditions. Professional athletes have been using ART® for years.

What is involved?

The practice of ART® has meant a change in the basic understanding and approach to treating soft tissue injury. Unlike other treatment methods, the patient is an active participant in ART®. Every ART® session is a combination of examination and treatment. Examination involves the identification of the soft tissue that has been injured and/or where scar tissue has formed due to direct injury or from overuse. Treatment then involves guided movements of the patient’s injured area, increasing tension and breaking up the painful scar tissue.

How does it work and why is it effective?

shutterstock_54294727When a muscle, tendon, or ligament is injured, the body forms scar tissue (sometimes also called adhesions). Scar tissue is how the body connects and binds injured tissue. Unfortunately, that same scar tissue often sticks to surrounding structures like “glue”. If a nerve runs through a muscle in the spot where there is scar tissue, the nerve can be pinched or pulled by that adhesion, causing it to fire pain signals. The resulting limited motion overworks healthy tissue, also leading to pain. Scar tissue can also result from overuse of muscles, tendons and ligaments.

Scar tissue requires treatment because the body has no mechanism to reduce scar tissue naturally. Although the body can sometimes adapt to, and tolerate a certain amount of scar tissue, it will not function optimally and can cause further injury. ART® practitioners are highly skilled at finding the exact location of scar tissue within each tissue and have over 500 specific treatment protocols that they can apply depending on the condition.

The Chiropractic Sports Performance Center is the only designated Elite ART® provider clinic in the Greater Niagara Region