Overused muscles (and other soft tissues) change in three important ways:
- Acute conditions (pulls, tears, collisions, trauma, 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. As scar tissue builds up, muscles become shorter and weaker, the tension on tendons causes tendonitis, and nerves can become trapped. Trapped nerves can cause reduced range of motion, loss of strength, and pain. If a nerve is trapped, you may also feel tingling, numbness, and weakness.
ART can relieve tight muscles, release tension on tendons and ligaments, and ease compromised nerves. It will also encourage tissues to become more flexible, restore blood flow, increase mobility, and reduce pain.
What can Active Release Techniques (ART) be used to treat?
- Headaches
- Back pain
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Shin splints
- Shoulder pain
- Sciatica
- Plantar fasciitis
- Knee problems
- Tennis elbow
These are just a few of the many conditions that can be resolved quickly and permanently with ART.
What is an ART treatment like?
Every ART session is a combination of examination and treatment. Your ART provider uses his or her hands to evaluate the texture, tightness, and movement of muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments, and nerves. Abnormal tissues are then 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. ART is not a cookie-cutter approach.
The entire team at Performance Health & Wellness are ART Certified at the highest level. If you wish to seek Active Release Techniques treatment contact our team at (949) 476-1250.
