| Movement potential is encouraged through | | | | Release provider directing you to undertake very |
| preventative healthcare, treatment and rehabilitation | | | | precise movements that can help rehabilitate your |
| and both Physiotherapists and Chiropractors have | | | | damaged tissues. Active Release therapy is most |
| been trained to identify the underlying problems of | | | | successful if you get help from an Active Release |
| soft tissue injury and seek to rehabilitate through | | | | provider as soon as you can after the occurrence of |
| manipulation those suffering from these very painful | | | | the injury. The earlier mobilisation of the affected |
| and debilitating conditions. Manual therapy, together | | | | part occurs, the more likely you are to achieve a full |
| with therapeutic exercise in various forms are the | | | | range of motion again: inactivity is now known to |
| core skills of their trade and, during their training both | | | | prolong the process of healing. |
| Physiotherapists and Chiropractors are trained to use | | | | Active Release Therapy Provides the Solution |
| different techniques, such as the active release | | | | During the course of their training and their |
| technique, in order to rehabilitate different sets of | | | | subsequent clinical practice, Physiotherapists and |
| muscle groups in order to promote soft tissue healing. | | | | Chiropractors both employ many different |
| Soft Tissue Injuries | | | | movement-based techniques that are designed to |
| Soft tissue injury is all too common and, if you are | | | | treat associated soft tissue injuries that involve |
| suffering from one of the conditions involving | | | | muscles, tendons, ligaments, fascia and nerves, all of |
| damage to soft tissues, you are aware that the pain | | | | which are revealed in the pain we associate with |
| has to be experienced to be believed. Often these | | | | back pain and headaches. One of these specific |
| soft tissue injuries have been caused by you | | | | techniques is known as Active Release Technique, |
| overusing your muscles which results in the | | | | more commonly referred to as ART. Active release |
| well-known symptoms accompanying carpal tunnel | | | | therapy is relatively new in the UK: however, in the |
| syndrome and RSI; plantar fasciitis; sciatica and knee | | | | USA, this active release technique has been practised |
| problems; shoulder pain and, amongst other | | | | for many years now. |
| conditions, the ubiquitous back pain which causes so | | | | Physiotherapists, on completion of their four-year |
| many lost working hours every year. You probably | | | | training, need to be registered with their country's |
| know yourself that drugs are generally not the | | | | regulatory body such as the Health Professions |
| answer, despite them masking your pain and enabling | | | | Council before they are eligible to practice. Similarly, |
| you to continue with your daily tasks: believe it or | | | | Chiropractors, once they have completed their |
| not, this, in itself, exacerbates the problem - you | | | | four-year training are required to be registered with |
| continue to use your poor overused muscles far too | | | | their own regulatory body such as the General |
| much and you continue to suffer. | | | | Chiropractor Council before they are allowed to |
| Why the Problem Persists | | | | practice. This is then followed by a further |
| When you damage your soft tissues, usually by an | | | | post-graduate year of training, after which [in the UK] |
| accidental tear or pull to the tissue, an accumulation | | | | they can become registered with the British |
| of minute tearing occurs to the tissues inside. | | | | Chiropractic Association and the McTimoney |
| However, as a result of this tearing, hypoxia can | | | | Chiropractic Association: other countries offer similar |
| occur to the damaged tissue, where the tissue cells | | | | post-graduate registration. |
| fail to obtain sufficient oxygen. As the body tries to | | | | Where Can You Get Help? |
| heal itself naturally you will actually see inflammation | | | | You can get highly specialised help from Active |
| occurring around the site of the injury. During this | | | | Release providers who have been specifically trained |
| repair process tough, fibrotic tissue is laid down | | | | in soft tissue management to assess problems with |
| around your injury in a completely indiscriminate | | | | your muscles, ligaments, tendons, fascia and nerves |
| manner. It is this tough, fibrotic tissue that often | | | | and then arrange a course of exercises that are |
| continues to cause you pain and stiffness and limits | | | | recommended by the patented ART technique. |
| your activities during your normal everyday activities. | | | | There are as many as 35 places where nerves in the |
| As this dense scar tissue builds up and binds itself to | | | | arm can become entrapped: ART providers have |
| your surround soft tissue you will find it prevents the | | | | been trained to check each of these places and |
| surrounding tissue from being able to move as freely | | | | locate the place where the nerve is trapped. These |
| as it ought to. If more scar tissue is deposited your | | | | exercises can help you by Active Release providers |
| muscles will become shortened, losing some of their | | | | utilising combinations of the 500 treatment protocols |
| strength. This will produce too much tension on your | | | | to relieve the stress on the tissues surrounding your |
| tendons that are attached to these muscles. When | | | | injury. |
| the nerves that serve these damaged tissues | | | | You may have tried different treatments and |
| become trapped, you will experience the symptoms | | | | therapies and found none of them really worked. |
| of tendonitis. Apart from the pain you experience | | | | Perhaps you have already visited chiropractors and |
| from these trapped nerves and damaged tissue, you | | | | physiotherapists but nothing they recommended has |
| find your range of movements is limited and your | | | | fully resolved your problem. ART technique is totally |
| muscles aren't as strong as they used to be. You | | | | safe, with practically no side effects. It is |
| may experience numbness, tingling and weakness, | | | | non-invasive and has a very good track record. You |
| often accompanied by a slight burning sensation in | | | | may find the ART technique treatments are rather |
| your muscles. | | | | uncomfortable as many of the movements are |
| How Can this Problem be Helped? | | | | designed to break up adhesions and scar tissue. |
| There is a way to help your soft tissues to heal | | | | However, ART technique treatments come highly |
| themselves more effectively. It involves a therapy | | | | recommended: professional hockey player Gary |
| known as the Active Release Technique. This is an | | | | Roberts and Donovan Bailey, the Canadian Olympic |
| Active Release Technique that involves a series of | | | | sprinter both suffered from repetitive strain injury |
| more than 500 explicit movements. The unique | | | | and turned to Active Release therapy to assist in |
| protocols that Active Release therapy incorporates | | | | their healing - with huge success! |
| have been specially patented as the Active Release | | | | ART technique is a massage-based procedure, with |
| Technique. If you arrange to visit an Active Release | | | | more aggression attached! ART providers use their |
| provider, they will take a case history from you, | | | | thumbs and fingers to move your tissues in such a |
| evaluating each muscle, fascia, tendon, ligament and | | | | way that your adhesion breaks away from your |
| nerve to see whether they are tight, what kind of | | | | tissues. A normal session can last as long as an hour |
| movement these soft tissues are able to do, and the | | | | and a half. During that time you will notice that the |
| texture of your soft tissues. This means that these | | | | aggressive manipulation using the ART technique on |
| Active Release providers can evaluate what is | | | | your damaged tissue, using the thumb and finger |
| happening to your soft tissues by how the texture | | | | technique, will result in your adhesion ripping apart |
| feels when they are touching it. | | | | from its surrounding tissue. Following further sessions |
| From this, a trained Active Release provider will be | | | | of ART therapy, which can be as many as six in |
| able to identify the abnormal tissue and locate the | | | | some cases, many people are able to return to a |
| soft tissue injury that is causing you so much pain. | | | | fully active life, including activities they thought were |
| Once your problem area has been located, specifically | | | | history for them. |
| directed tension can be combined with the Active | | | | |