Active Release at Massage WorkX Encinitas CA

Active Release Technique

Active Release Technique^® (or ART^® ) is a type of manual hands-on therapy that corrects soft tissue problems and injuries. Soft tissues refers primarily to muscles, tendons, fascia and nerves. Many types of injuries are treated using this technique. Some of the specific injuries that are treated include repetitive strains, adhesions, tissue hypoxia, and joint dysfunction.

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 a 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.

The manual technique used by the ART^® provider is not invasive, it is very specific, and provides excellent results. Usually a patient will see significant results within just a few visits.

How Effective is Active Release Massage

Many studies have been done on the efficacy of ART in treating overuse injuries and increasing overall physical health although much of the available literature is about individual case studies. In a pilot study by James W. George et al (2006), a single ART treatment on twenty male subjects’ hamstrings increased their flexibility immediately after the treatment. The treatment was provided “on the origins and insertions of the hamstrings and the dorsal sacral ligament” (224). Flexibility was measured using a standard sit-and-reach test, with three trials occurring immediately before and after a single ART treatment. Each subject had his average flexibility score calculated from his three pre-treatment trials, and those were compared to his three post-treatment trials. The results found that the subjects’ flexibility increased by an average of 8.3 cm immediately following treatment.

Who Can Use Active Release Technique

While athletes are the most common patients of ART practitioners, Active Release Technique can be used for all sorts of overuse injuries, regardless of athletic background. However, athletes are some of the most devoted supporters of ART, as it is the treatment of choice of professional athletes. Active Release Technique is widely practiced in the National Football League, National Basketball Association, Olympics, and many other professional sporting bodies. Countless triathletes, marathoners, and other endurance race enthusiasts swear by ART as a way of recovering from injuries much faster than they normally would without the treatment.

So What is Active Release Therapy

Active Release Therapy (ART) is a patented, state of the art soft tissue system/movement based massage technique that treats problems with muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves. Headaches, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, shin splints, shoulder pain, sciatica, plantar fasciitis, knee problems, and tennis elbow are just a few of the many conditions that can be resolved quickly and permanently with ART. These conditions all have one important thing in common: they are often a result of overused muscles.