Active Release Technique
a treatment for reducing pain and increasing function
What is ART?
Active Release Technique (ART) is a soft tissue treatment which was developed by Dr. Michael Leahy to treat injuries in patients who were not responding to standard care. Releasing tension from injured muscles by means of any number of massage techniques has been around for centuries. Dr. Leahy expanded on these to arrive at the technique which is now known as Active Release Technique.
What happens in an ART session?
“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 of them – are unique to ART. They allow providers to identify and correct the specific problems that affect each individual patient.”
Dr. Michael Leahy in the foreword of the book “Release Your Pain” by Dr. Brian Abelson.
ART and Repetitive Strain Injuries
Many of the symptoms which drive patients to seek help from the health care system are the result of overuse syndromes, sometimes referred to as Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI). Some of these RSIs have become so prevalent that they have earned a place in common language. Carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow, golfers elbow (pain at the inside of the elbow) and plantar fascitis (pain at the front portion of the bottom of the heel for the first few steps out of bed) to name a few. These conditions all have their beginnings in cumulative trauma. Small traumas multiplied by a great number of repetitions with to little rest in between repetitions equals’ cumulative trauma. In 2001 the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that RSIs account for over 67% of all occupational injuries. That equals billions of lost dollars per year in medical cost, lost wages and productivity.
The result of cumulative trauma is microscopic tears in the over used soft tissues. The body responds to the tears in the same way that it would to a cut in the skin. It starts the healing process with inflammation and ends it with scar tissue. This is all well and good but the problem is that scar tissues lie down in all directions and can entrap surrounding tissues as well as those which were injured. This entrapment can lead to pain and dysfunction of the surrounding structures. ART can help to restore function and decrease pain by freeing the entrapped tissues allowing for unrestricted gliding of one tissue over another.
Dr. Asthalter is certified in spine, upper and lower extremity ART Technique. He is continuing to take further seminars in Active Release Technique on a regular basis. One of the important qualities of ART is that it is constantly evolving as its practitioners discover more efficient methods to deal with musculoskeletal pain. They then report their findings back to Dr. Leahy. Dr. Leahy and his team evaluate and add to or change the protocols as needed. ART has been used to treat professional athletes in all of the major sports as well as many Olympic athletes.
