A powerful hands-on therapy known as Active Release Techniques (ART) works deep within the body to reduce pain resulting from injury or overuse. Here’s how active release technique works, how it helps, and what you can expect during a session.
What is active release technique therapy?
Healthy movement of the body relies on the free-flow and correct alignment of muscles, tendons, bones, and other tissues. But through life—whether a sedentary or active one—our bodies may become misaligned and experience an increased risk for injury or pain. Other times, acute injuries result in scar tissue and subsequent pain.
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Active release techniques are a type of therapeutic massage that uses hands-on therapy to lengthen muscles and release these adhesions and scar tissue, which develop when tissues contract in response to injury or inflammation. Adhesions can:
- Develop in tissues and nerves
- Interfere with proper movement
- Cause pain
- Create the conditions for injuries to develop
During treatment, a skilled practitioner will apply precisely directed tension while the patient performs specific movements intended to shorten and lengthen muscles at the right time. You will work with a practitioner who applies directed tension to the areas that need it the most. They will also direct you to perform specific motions to help with muscular shortening and lengthening.
Active release technique benefits
Active release technique therapy is a safe method for correcting soft tissue injuries and other muscle related problems. It can be used for a variety of pain conditions including:
- Headaches
- Neck pain
- Back pain
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Sciatica
- Shoulder pain
- Plantar fasciitis
- Shin splints
- Knee pain
- Tennis elbow
Active release techniques can help you relieve pain from these conditions quickly and even permanently.
A doctor named Michael Leahy created this system of treatments after noticing that he could feel changes in his patients’ soft tissue that seemed to correlate to their symptoms of pain. He carefully observed how different parts of the body responded to the techniques he used, from the muscles and fascia to tendons and ligaments, and says the protocols helped more than 90% of his patients.
Leahy systematized ART and now he trains health care practitioners worldwide how to treat others with the technique.
How is active release techniques different than other therapies?
On the surface, active release techniques may seem similar to other hands-on techniques, such as trigger point release. However, ART is unique in that it’s highly specialized, requiring a great deal of training to learn all 500-plus specific protocols. This ensures the complete dedication of the practitioner.
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ART also emphasizes developing the ability to feel, through the skin, nerves, and tissues and cultivating a sense of how those parts respond to the different techniques. This is an essential component of active release techniques because the practitioner must be able to select the most beneficial protocol for the patient out of the vast number of options.
While training in active release techniques, practitioners learn how to find tissues under the skin by touch and make that all-important selection of which technique to use.
Muscles generally sustain damage in a few ways, according to ART’s official website. Acute conditions include pulls or tears that develop after blunt trauma. Sometimes multiple small tears accumulate, in a condition known as micro-trauma. The third way damage results from overuse is through hypoxia, when muscles don’t receive enough oxygen.
These conditions have a common result, which is the body’s production of dense, tough scar tissue that ensnares surrounding tissues, restricting their movement. The scar tissue continues to build, and the muscles eventually grow shorter and weaken. Tendons trying to work despite the restrictions may develop tendinitis, and nerves sometimes become trapped.
This chain of reaction leads to:
- Reduced strength
- Decreased range of motion
- Pain
- Numbness or tingling
- Weakness
How does active release technique work?
As muscles in the body become overused, the related tissues can become adhered to other tissues and nerves. In order to increase range of motion and relieve pain they need to be restored to their intended state. These adhesions cause muscles to become shorter and weaker and can lead to tendinitis or painful trapped nerves. The adhesions can be caused by improper posture, incorrect use of muscles, sprains, or strains.
Active release techniques are a physical therapy option that helps to lengthen the muscles and separate adhesions to restore better motion.
Active release techniques practitioners use more than 500 specific treatment protocols, selecting those that best fit the patient’s needs. Multiple treatments are often needed, but it’s common for patients to see significant results after just a few treatment sessions.
There are many similarities between active release techniques and chiropractic care and, in fact, the two are often performed in conjunction.
What can I expect during a session?
Before receiving active release technique therapy, patients will undergo a physical examination to identify the exact muscles, ligaments, and nerves that are implicated in causing pain.
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During a session, the problem areas are identified and the proper technique is determined. The therapist will direct the patient to perform specific movements to shorten and lengthen these muscles, tendons, and ligaments while they make contact with the affected area with their hands to apply pressure and help the adhesions break up. It will also release the nerves from entrapment. Patients can direct their level of comfort and if the treatment becomes too painful, it can stop. Significant results are typically felt within just the first few treatments.
Although this deep, powerful work may cause some pain, it’s only done to the patient’s tolerance. It’s all natural and highly effective, making it a wonderful choice for those patients whose pain conditions warrant the treatment.
Are there active release techniques risks?
It is critical that active release techniques are only used on muscles that have been overused or have sustained a use-related injury such as a sprain. It should never be used to treat traumatic injuries or an area that is experiencing active inflammation.
Do not do treatments every day but keep it to every other day or less depending on the severity of your pain. Otherwise, there are few adverse side effects with this form of treatment and it is considered generally safe.
How to find an active release technique provider
Active release techniques are part of a specialization where physical therapists or chiropractors are trained in the specific practice. Since there are active release technique certifications, look for someone who is knowledgeable about the ART process and trained professionally. ART’s official website offers a directory of qualified providers.
Talk to your doctor or chiropractor for a referral and always let them know about any alternative treatments and techniques you’re considering before making a decision.
Because active release techniques do carry some risks if performed incorrectly or with the wrong kind of injury, it is imperative that you fully understand how the process works and have a comfort level with your practitioner.
Are there at-home active release technique therapies I can do?
Because this technique is based entirely on soft tissue and muscle movement it can be done at home without a trained practitioner as long as it is performed safely and with a few modifications.
If your muscles are suffering from fatigue rather than soft tissue injury this may be a great way to remain limber and keep pain at bay. Always be sure to use proper stretching techniques. Don’t overdo it or you could exacerbate the injury.
At-home exercises for sore muscles include:
- Shoulders: Extend your arm in front of your body. Use your other hand to press the muscles between your neck and shoulder. Move your free hand to your lower back. Tilt your head away from the hand pressing on the muscles. Straighten your head and extend your arm. Continue as you move the pressure along the area between your shoulder and neck to release tension all across the muscle.
- Achilles tendon: Sit down extending one leg in front of you with the toes pointed. Bend the other leg at the knee and grasp it with your fingers on your mid-calf and thumb on your shin. Press and pull up slightly with your hand as you flex your toes.
- Hamstrings: Lie down on your back with both of your legs bent at the knee. Grasp one leg at the hamstring with both hands and raise your foot toward the ceiling and hold for a few seconds. Repeat across the hamstring and on your opposite leg.
- Calf: Sit down with one leg bent like you did for the Achilles tendon. Grasp your calf with fingers on the lower area and straighten your leg. Flex your toes. Continue to the middle and top of your calf muscle.
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