Manual Therapy A.R.T.

Active Release is a soft tissue system/movement based manual therapy technique (hands-on) that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves. These conditions all have one important thing in common: they are often a result of overused muscles.

HOW DO OVERUSE CONDITIONS OCCUR?

Overused 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. This scar tissue binds up and ties down tissues that need to move freely. As scar tissue builds up, muscles become shorter and weaker, tension on tendons causes tendinitis, and nerves can become trapped. This can cause reduced range of motion, loss of strength, and pain. If a nerve is trapped you may also feel tingling, numbness, and weakness.

WHAT IS AN ART TREATMENT LIKE?

Every session is actually a combination of examination and treatment. Dr. Stephen uses his 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.

Patients treated with ART typically respond positively with decreased pain and increased function, flexibility, and mobility.