Active Release Technique

ART is a manual therapy for treating soft tissue problems in muscles, joints, and connective tissue. Providers use palpation to locate areas of tension in a muscle and then used a specialized technique to release tension and nerve irritation in those areas. Not only has ART generated interest in rehabilitative and sports medicine for its effectiveness, it has also been highly beneficial for the day-to-day muscle strain and tension in the average working person.

What is an ART treatment like?

Every ART session is actually a combination of examination and treatment. The ART provider uses his or her 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.

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.

Treatment duration and frequency may vary depending on the severity and complexity of the injury. However, most patients recover quickly.

Who Can Benefit from ART?

ART is successful for a broad range of injuries and conditions. It is effective for professional and amateur athletes, people injured at work or in automobile accidents, and ART is also effective for people who just work hard and hurt. Symptoms can vary from aches and pains, to burning muscles, to numbness and tingling.

Who Can Provide ART?

Only a certified ART provider is qualified to diagnose and treat over 500 structures. In order to become an ART provider each health professional must complete extensive hands on instruction, written and practical testing unparalleled by other soft tissue programs. An ART provider is trained to palpate and treat more than 300 muscular and fascial injuries and over 100 nerve entrapments.