Conditions Treated

Active Release Technique is often able to help reduce arthritis pain by addressing the areas of soft tissue which are causing the pain and inflammation. By releasing the joint capsules which have begun to thicken pressure can be reduced within the joint. Along with the capsules, muscles which act upon the joints often become fibrotic due to the restricted range of motion. Once these areas of soft tissue have been addressed, the pain and inflammation which accompanies arthritis can often be reduced or alleviated.

Rather than just focusing on the carpal tunnel an Active Release Technique practitioner will examine and treat any areas where the median nerve may have become entrapped. By directly addressing the site of entrapment the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome can be very quickly alleviated.

Failed back surgery syndrome is really not a syndrome, and there are no typical scenarios. Every patient is different, and a patient’s continued treatment and workup need to be individualized to his or her particular problem and situation.

Your therapist will show you the proper way to stretch painful muscles to get optimal relief. In addition, using hydrotherapy (moist heat) along with physical therapy may ease pain even more.  Chiropractic may improve pain levels, ease low back pain, and increase cervical and lumbar ranges of motion. Deep tissue massage may stimulate circulation and release chronic patterns of muscular tension in addition to specific hands-on deep tissue therapy to help reduce chronic muscle or myofascial (soft-tissue) pain.

ART also enables a chiropractor to find additional problems that are in the kinetic chain associated with movement compensations. These often contribute to headaches and other types of aches and pains. By treating these, areas of dysfunction and weakness that can become future sources of pain and injury can be addressed.

In my office this condition is treated quite easily with Chiropractic Adjustments to realign the pelvis as well as utilizing soft tissue therapies such as Active Release Technique (ART) and Graston Technique over the SI joint itself to help stabilize the joint as well as the surrounding muscles, which have been affected by the lack of motion in the joint.  Kinesiology Tape is used in some cases to help maintain the positioning of the joint.

ART is a patented, state of the art soft tissue system/movement based technique that treats conditions that are often a result from overused muscles. The doctor 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.

First, the muscles of the neck are evaluated. Identifying and correcting the specific muscles that have become short and painful is the key to getting rid of this painful problem. This is accomplished by applying gentle tension to the muscle and combining that with specific movements. This is known as Active Release Technique (ART). If the joints in your neck are stiff and contributing to the problem, they may be adjusted. The combination of Active Release Technique and gentle adjusting can restore your body’s ability to move fully, freely and without pain.

The ART practitioner finds the exact tissue that is injured or causing the problem and then physically works that tissue back to its normal texture, tension and length.  The ART practitioner also finds muscles and other tissues that have developed adhesions between them.  An adhesion, which is basically like scar tissue that builds up between the muscle layers, can act like glue, restricting the normal sliding motions of the various tissue layers.  ART is used to break apart these adhesions and allow the muscles and nerves to move freely once again.  Restoring proper nerve and muscle movement allows the body to perform at its most efficient level.

Adhesions to a nerve can cause numbness, tingling or radiating pain, e.g. carpal tunnel syndrome or the radiating leg pain of sciatica. By focusing on these adhesions, ART can help with numerous conditions that result in pain, numbness, weakness or loss of mobility.

Chiropractic adjustments and Active Release Technique treatments prevent physical damage to the soft tissues from the combination of high loading stress and ligament laxity during pregnancy.

For the most commonly pinched nerves, Active Release Techniques has another set of nerve flossing protocols called the Long Tract Nerve Entrapment Protocols, which are so efficient at freeing up pinched nerves that some patients have reported feeling a complete resolution of symptoms after a few minutes. Although not everyone gets these types of results, most people can feel a significant difference in 3-4 treatments.

There are numerous musculoskeletal conditions that can cause pain in the upper back (thoracic area) ribs, and chest and are easily treated with therapy. Pain coming from the muscles, ribs, or cartilage of the ribs is common. To help these patients in the long term, apart from treating the underlying spinal problem with specific therapy, it is extremely important to address the postural problem and core muscle weakness through ART and rehabilitation.

Often, the cause of back pain or sciatica is muscle imbalance. It is usually not just a single event that caused the problem. The key to effective active release treatment is to identify the exact areas of adhesion in the soft tissue, and understand the specific range of motion to move the patient through, in order to break up the scar tissue that builds up amongst the complex muscle layers. Active release treatment allows the muscles and nerves to move freely once again. Restoring proper nerve and muscle movement allows the body to perform at its most effective level.

ART, a soft tissue technique particularly helpful with releasing connective tissue adhesions found in scoliosis to help prepare the body with the remodeling process for the affected soft tissue structures.

Chiropractic adjustments, in combination with Active Release Technique, provide an immediate increase in joint range of motion, restore and enhance joint functioning which in turn keeps wear and tear to a minimum and can increase the life of the joint.  This is especially important to athletes who, because of the nature of their sport, put themselves on the fast track to future joint dysfunction if they’re not proactive in addressing joint stress.

Active Release Techniques is a great and relatively new way to quickly decrease shoulder pain and addresses any muscular issues, which are commonly found in patients with Impingement Syndrome.  Impingement Syndrome is commonly caused by previous injuries and overuse, which leads to scar tissue build-up within the soft tissues surrounding the shoulder. Scar tissue is the body’s natural way of healing from slight tears. The problem with scar tissue is that when it is being laid down, it occurs in a haphazard fashion causing adjacent structures to stick to one another. This means one muscle might be stuck to other muscles, causing a dysfunction in the shoulder biomechanics, ultimately leading to Impingement Syndrome.

When imbalances in the muscles of mastication occur the type of observable dysfunction will be directly related to which muscle has been affected. Masticatory muscle function correlates closely with muscle fiber direction. In most cases, restrictions in the muscles of mastication can easily be treated with ART procedures.

Chronic whiplash pain is often the end result of a vicious circle that starts with injured soft tissue. This leads to inflammation and muscle spasm, which in turn causes not only nerve irritation and pain, but more importantly results in the formation of soft tissue adhesions. These adhesions are made up of scar tissue that infiltrate muscle fibers and lead to dysfunctional soft tissues, which are more easily irritated or injured.