Active Release Techniques

What is Active Release Techniques (ART)?

Active Release Techniques is a highly successful hands-on touch case-management system that allows a practitioner to diagnose and treat muscular and soft tissue problems. Soft tissues are muscles, nerves, tendons, ligaments, and the connective tissue that surrounds or contains them. Specific problems would include repetitive sprain strains, adhesions, tissue hypoxia and joint dysfunction.

How does Active Release Techniques work?

The goal of ART is to restore optimal texture, motion, and function of the soft tissue and release any entrapped nerves or blood vessels. This is accomplished through the removal of adhesions or fibrosis in the soft tissue via the application of specific hands-on treatment protocols.

Adhesions cause the motion of muscles and joints to be altered and the compression of nerves resulting in a wide variety of symptoms that characterize the cumulative injury cycle and reduction in biomechanical performance.

How do adhesions form?

Compromise of soft tissues occurs in two ways. There is the acute injury, a blow, pull or strain of the muscle , tendon, or ligament or the repetitive over use type such as improper posture, faulty biomechanics, compensation injuries and repeated motions.

The result of either is that due to the compression, tissues suffer from decreased blood supply, they feel tight and full, and respond by producing scar tissue to protect them from further damage. This effect of decreased circulation and scar tissue adhesions alters the function of the structures involved and results in pain, poor mobility of the muscle, joint or area of function, decreased athletic performance and most importantly, a continuation of the cumulative injury cycle.

What is a typical Active Release treatment like?

The Chiropractor will first determine what the injury is (tear,scar, an adhesion or inflammation). The second step is to determine which muslce, ligagment, tendon and/or nerve is affected. Specific motions of the body are then used to make layers of soft tissue slide over one another while contacting the injured area with a hand, finger or thumb. This could break up an adhesion, force a layer of muscle to slide over another muscle or separate a nerve from connective tissue or a layer of muscle. The treatment can be uncomfortable but is always done to the patients tolerance.

ART uses specific protocols to correct these problems. The skill of applications is highly dependent upon the practitioner's knowledge of anatomy, biomechanics and most importantly touch.

What conditions/injuries can ART help?

The type of conditions successfully treated with ART is very diverse. Some of the more common conditions/injuries are:

How long will it take to resume normal physical activity after a treatment?

Unlike many conventional therapies, Active Release does not require extended periods of rest before results are noticed. Athletes have been treated right before competing in the Ironman Triatholon or before competing at the Olympics in various events. In fact, it usually helps to work out right after a treatment to get the muscle to function properly.

Why try Active Release Techniques?

The technique, in terms of success rate, has been shown to be more effective than conventional therapies and is also more cost effective.

Who can perform ART?

Only a credentialed ART provider can determine whether ART might prove beneficial for your condition. To become an ART certified practitioner, a doctor must attend several intense learning workshops and pass both a written and one-on-one practical exam with an ART instructor. Both exams require a score of 90% or better. Also an ART certified practitioner must attend a minimum of one ART seminar yearly, and be tested for recredential status. In Lancaster, only Dr. Paul Pettay and Dr. Jim Siegenthaler are currently certified ART practitioners.

Please send questions or comments about this web page to Siegenthaler Family Chiropractic.
Last updated February 19, 2002